Baseball, softball seasons open as snow looms

Sunday’s brief snow showers aside, spring popped up again – at least in Maine high schools – as the baseball and softball season started Monday.

Schools won’t have full teams report until next Monday, but pitchers and catchers had their first day of practice yesterday.

Baseball teams are allowed to have eight pitchers and two catchers in practice Monday. Softball squads can have any combination of 10 players as long as they’re all pitchers and catchers.

Most teams spend the next few weeks practicing inside because many fields aren’t dry enough yet.

The rest of the spring sports – lacrosse, tennis and outdoor track and field – can start practicing Monday, March 22.

The teams can begin competition after 3 p.m. on Friday, April 9.

Houlton’s Tweedie resigns

Jerry Tweedie isn’t sure what he’ll do with himself next winter in the hours he won’t be coaching basketball.

One thing is for sure, however. The longtime Houlton teacher and coach won’t be on a school bus.

“I’d like to know how many miles I’ve put in over the years,” Tweedie said. “We do have to travel a lot. I got tired of the bus.”

Tweedie won’t be back to coach the Houlton girls basketball team next winter. After 35 years of coaching Shiretowner soccer, softball and basketball teams at different levels and classifications at Houlton, and 35 years of teaching social studies – all of it in the same classroom – Tweedie feels he’s ready to step down.

“I went into the season 99 percent sure,” he said. “After 35 years it just seemed like the right time.”

Tweedie coached this year’s Houlton girls team to a 13-8 record in Eastern Maine Class C this year, the school’s first in Class C. Houlton’s season ended in the semifinals with a 56-30 loss to eventual state champion Dexter.

The Shiretowners will graduate five seniors, four of whom were starters, from the squad this year.

The Houlton girls were 110-52 overall in the regular season in Tweedie’s nine years.

Tweedie, who notified the Houlton administration of his decision after the school returned from February vacation, said he plans to retire from teaching next year.

All-star teams to scrimmage

Many of the high school basketball players involved in Saturday’s Maine McDonald’s senior all-star games play against each other during the high school season.

If that’s the case, they’ll have a chance to get used to playing together during two scrimmages set for this week. Both practice games are open to the public.

The all-star teams from Eastern Maine will square off against each other to prepare for the real games against the Western Maine all-stars. The Eastern Maine Class A-B boys team will face the C-D boys today at 5:30 p.m. at Bangor High’s Red Barry Gymnasium.

The Eastern Maine A-B girls will play the C-D girls Thursday at 6 p.m. at Husson College’s Newman Gym, which is also the site of Friday’s awards banquet and Saturday’s all-star games.

The banquet will start at 7:15 p.m. Friday. The senior all-stars will be honored along with the regional foul-shooting contest winners and academic all-state teams. The Mr. and Miss Maine Basketball winners will also be announced.

The all-star games start with the girls C-D game Saturday at 10 a.m., followed by the C-D boys at 11:25, the A-B girls at 12:50 p.m. and the A-B boys at 2:15.

Jessica Bloch can be reached at 990-8193, 1-800-310-8600, or jbloch@bangordailynews.net