Veteran Eagles eyeing third straight state title

Last year seemed as though it should have been a rebuilding period for the George Stevens Academy baseball team.

After all, 11 seniors – more than a full lineup – had graduated from the 2003 squad that brought the Class C state championship home to the Blue Hill peninsula.

No matter. Coach Dan Kane’s club rounded into form over the course of the 2004 regular season, then sprinted to the finish and won its second straight title with a 12-2 victory over St. Dominic of Auburn in the state final.

Now the Eagles are poised to contend for a third straight championship with a club hardened by last year’s success.

“We preach to the kids about waiting your turn,” said 17th-year head coach Dan Kane, who has guided GSA to three state titles and seven Eastern Maine crowns. “We’re very fortunate that the younger kids realize there are good players ahead of them, but they go out and work hard at it until they get their chance.”

GSA, 17-3 a year ago, is not without holes to fill, as three seniors – catcher Harrison Hines and pitcher-infielders Adam Cousins and Will Rosenthal – graduated from the 2004 team. That trio batted 1-2-4 in the Eagles’ lineup, leaving voids of leadership, offense and defense to be replaced.

But the Eagles have players who have waited their turn to fill those gaps, and they also have dominant pitching, particularly lefthanders Dan Hilts and Collin Henry.

Hilts, 6-0 last season, has won the last two state championship games. The senior pitched a six-hitter to beat St. Dominic last June, and shut out Jay in the 2003 final. Henry, a junior, went 6-1 a year ago and doubled as one of the team’s top offensive threats.

“Danny has as much experience, and big-game experience, as anyone,” said Kane. “And Collin during the regular season was as good as Danny was, and he’s an excellent first baseman for us.”

Junior Forrest Wardwell, who had three hits in last year’s state final, gives GSA another lefthander on the mound, and joins junior righty Ross Gallagher in providing the Eagles considerable pitching depth.

“Forrest was kind of the odd man out pitching-wise last year, but he waited his turn and threw a lot of quality innings on the junior varsity,” Kane said. “Ross would have started for a lot of teams last year, too, but he got some good experience on the JVs.”

Junior Lance Gale and freshman Lucas Marks are competing to replace Hines behind the plate.

Henry and junior shortstop Blake Wessel, a third-year varsity player, anchor the infield, with sophomore Jeremy Dunham stepping in at second base for Rosenthal and Gallagher playing third base for Cousins.

Junior Phineas Peake, healthy after suffering a wrist injury during basketball season, is back in center field, flanked by Gale in left and Wardwell in right.

And there’s plenty of depth, plenty of others waiting for their moment in the Eagles’ spotlight. Thirty-four players are out for baseball at GSA.

The Eagles figure to be among the favorites again this year, though Kane mentioned the likes of Dexter, Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln, Houlton and Stearns of Millinocket as potential challengers.

“We’ve won a lot of games the last five or six years,” said Kane, whose team is scheduled to host Old Town in its first preseason game Saturday. “The younger kids see this, and they come up through the program and want to be part of it. But they might feel the pressure, too, because they don’t want to stumble and lose a few games. Everybody wants to keep it going.”

Diamond calendar

Few games are on the schedule, but the MPA baseball bulletin does allow the 2005 high school baseball season to commence with countable games after 3 p.m. today.

Some schools have games scheduled next week, with the others set to begin their 2005 regular-season campaigns after April vacation. Here are some other important dates on this year’s high school baseball calendar:

June 1 – the last day for countable games, with a rain date of June 2.

June 7 – preliminary-round games in all classes.

June 9 – regional quarterfinals.

June 11 – regional semifinals.

June 14 – Regional championship games in Classes B and D. The Eastern Maine finals will be played at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor while the Western Maine finals will be held at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish. The Class B games are set for 3 p.m., with the Class D games at 7 p.m.

June 15 – Regional championship games in Classes A and C. The Eastern Maine finals will be played at Mansfield Stadium while the Western Maine finals will be held at Saint Joseph’s. The Class A games are set for 3 p.m., with the Class C games at 7 p.m.

June 18 – State championship games in all classes. The Class C and Class A finals will be played at Mansfield Stadium, with the Class C game at 11 a.m. and the Class A game at 4 p.m. The Class D and Class B finals will be held at Saint Joseph’s, with the Class D game at noon and the Class B game at 5 p.m.