Al Hackett has been a fixture at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor for the two-plus years of the Senior League World Series. Just like he used to be at University of Maine baseball games when he was the color analyst for radio play-by-play man George Hale.

They still work together on WABI-AM of Bangor, doing a variety of sports including high school football. But these days, he is charting every pitch at the Senior League World Series as he has for every game over the two-plus seasons. He keeps the official scorebook.

It isn’t always easy, especially when coaches don’t communicate their lineup changes to the press box. And in the Senior League World Series, for the first time, each player must get at least one at-bat and play in the field for three outs. It used to be that each player only had to do one or the other.

Then you throw in the special courtesy runner rule and a scorebook can become a quagmire. It is also a challenge to decide whether a particular ground ball or fly ball was misplayed for an error or should have been called a hit.

Hackett has been to the College World Series with the Black Bear teams and said there are comparisons you can draw between this tournament and the Omaha extravaganza.

“I think this is a lot like it in a much smaller way,” said the affable Hackett, who enjoys his assignment. “What they try to do here emulates what they do in Omaha and what [former Husson College baseball coach] John Kolasinski has told me they do at the NAIA World Series. Things like getting the program finished even though all the teams weren’t determined until a few days before the tournament.”

He knows he is probably seeing some stars of the future but said it is difficult to gauge.

“Maybe each team you see has one or two players who might become a Division I player or a pro. But they are so young. Most are JV players in high school. They’re 15-, 16-year-old kids who aren’t as physically developed as much as they will be in another year or two,” said Hackett.

He has observed that the talent level this year “isn’t quite what it was last year.”

He said the team from Curacao that made it to the semifinals last year after winning it two years ago may have been the best he has seen at the Senior League World Series.

“One of their top players, Curt Smith, is going to Maine to play baseball in the fall,” said Hackett, who also noted that former Curacao star Arshwin Asjes has stayed in Maine and has been playing at Mount Desert Island High School.

“I’ve been impressed with the team from Venezuela this year. They may not hit as much as well as you’d like to see but their arm strength, speed, defense and pitching have been very, very good,” said Hackett.

He said the tournament itself has been exemplary since Bangor became the host.

“Administratively, it has been handled exceptionally well and [tournament director] Mike Brooker should get an awful lot of credit,” said Hackett. “Ron St. Pierre and his crew do a magnificent job on the field. I don’t know any park that gets more attention than this one.

“The way the teams fit into the community and the way the community has accepted them has been very, very good,” Hackett added.

He also said the volunteerism at the tournament is special.

“Everybody donates their time with a lot of pride. They’ve been very glad to do it,” said Hackett, who is one of those volunteers.

Larry Mahoney can be reached at 990-8231, 1-800-310-8600 or by e-mail at lmahoney@bangordailynews.net.