Sunrise format popular Doubleheader setup utilizes more players

Last spring, the Sunrise Conference coaches voted unanimously to adopt a new format for doubleheaders this season.

Instead of playing seven-inning games, the first game of each doubleheader is a nine-inning affair. The second is a seven.

“I like it a lot,” said Husson coach John Kolasinski. “What it does is it gets more people work. You develop pitchers. All of a sudden, all spring long you’re playing seven, seven, seven [innings]. Then you go to the [Sunrise Conference] tournament and you’ve got to play nine. Not only is the pitching not used to it, mentally, your team isn’t used to playing a nine-inning game. It’s a completely different approach.

“What’s the difference? We’re starting everything at noon anyways. Most of them are on weekends, except for a couple weekdays when we’ve been rained out. The nine-inning games have been quicker than the seven-inning games,” Kolasinski added.

He said there are usually a handful of pitchers who only get 2-3-4 innings of work every year “and now they’ll have a chance to pitch more.

“The guy who will benefit the most for us will be [freshman righthander] Kurt Green. He’ll get to pitch in a lot of non-conference games.”

Lawrence to coach at Colby

Bill Lawrence, who spent the last two seasons as an assistant defensive line coach at the University of Maine, has joined the football staff at Colby College in Waterville.

Lawrence will assist with the defensive line for coach Tom Austin’s White Mules. Prior to his stint at UMaine, the Dover, N.H., native spent two seasons as an assistant at Brockport State.

He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant in 1998 at Plymouth State, from which he graduated in 1999. Lawrence was an all-conference defensive tackle as a senior and received the school’s James Hamilton Memorial Award for outstanding contribution to the defensive unit, for displaying spirit, enthusiasm and desire.

Lawrence holds a degree in physical education from Plymouth State and is working on a master’s at Brockport.

LaCasse chases St. Joseph’s marks

Jesse LaCasse continues to close in on some of the career hitting records at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish.

The senior first baseman from Madison came into the week leading the Monks in batting average (.400), hits (26), home runs (6), runs batted in (22), doubles (8), total bases (52), slugging percentage (.800) and on-base percentage (.494).

LaCasse ranks second on Saint Joseph’s all-time batting list in RBIs (168), hits (198) and runs scored (168).