Bucksport softball shortstop Jill Richards went down for a college visit to Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass., in an unsure situation. She had been recruited by the Division-II school, but the Warriors went through a coaching change coaches in the offseason.

With the coach who recruited her gone, she wasn’t sure the new regime would even want her.

But after practicing with the team during her trip in February, new coach Stacey Sullivan took the Bucks’ senior into her office and told her the situation – Richards was still very much wanted.

So that’s where she’ll be headed next fall, along with an athletic scholarship that will kick in during her sophomore year.

“I’ve wanted this for so long and it’s been my dream,” Richards said. “It’s an honor.”

Richards was also considering Div. III University of Southern Maine in Gorham, but she said she’s always wanted to play the highest level of softball she could. She also liked the idea of being close to Boston.

Richards was understandably nervous as she traveled to Massachusetts, knowing that she’d have to prove herself to a coach who hadn’t recruited her.

“It was hard,” she said. “I practiced in the gym for two weeks and did everything I could to prepare myself because I hadn’t picked up a bat since the summer. I just kept practicing until I went down [to Merrimack].”

Richards was a Penobscot Valley Conference Class B honorable mention at shortstop last year. She was a member of the Bucks’ 2003 Eastern Maine Class B title team after suffering a knee ligament injury in the 2002 soccer season.

The Warriors have a strong softball tradition which includes the 1994 NCAA Division II national championship, eight tournament championships (most recently in 2002) and 11 regular-season titles.

While on her trip Richards also found out she’ll be on the same team as former Messalonskee of Oakland standout pitcher Clarice Pepper.

“It was neat going down there and meeting someone from Maine,” Richards said.

In addition to playing for the Golden Bucks during the high school season, Richards has also been a member of an Amateur Softball Association team coached by her father, Wayne Richards.

The team features some of the top softball talent in the area, including Brewer High teammates Sarah DeFilipp and Anna Corey, Belfast’s Lauren Overlock, Kate Turner and Erin Porter of Bangor, Jen Higgins of Old Town, Bucksport teammates Terren Hall, Brittni Adams and Katie Hurd, Stearns of Millinocket’s Deanna Michaud, and Portland’s Katie Hutchins, whose parents are Bucksport natives.

Dow headed to Husson

MDI basketball standout Chelsea Dow is heading to Bangor to play for Husson College next year.

Dow, a 5-foot-8 center, is set on a career in nursing and is eager to continue her basketball career.

“When the coach started talking to me I was really interested,” she said.

Dow averaged around 10 points and seven rebounds per game in her senior year at MDI and started on a Trojan team that reached the Eastern Maine Class B final, where they fell to eventual Class B state champion Winslow.

Dow was also recruited by Springfield College in Massachusetts as well as the University of Maine campuses in Farmington, Fort Kent and Presque Isle.

But Husson’s proximity to Bangor was attractive.

“This is closer to home,” said Dow, who is the daughter of MDI athletic director Bunky Dow.

Dow said Husson also recruited her for volleyball but wants to hold off in her freshman year to determine if she can handle the workload.

She was a volleyball senior all-star last fall. The Trojans were state runners-up to Greely of Cumberland Center.

“I want to stay on top of work and focus on basketball for the first year,” said Dow, who also plays softball for MDI.

MDI baseball, softball rolling

Speaking MDI softball, there are high hopes at the school that both the baseball and softball teams can advance in the tournament this year.

The Trojan baseball team was leading the most recent Eastern Maine Class B Heal point standings, while the softball team was ranked third.

It’s a big jump for a school known for strong soccer, basketball and most recently, swim teams.

Senior shortstop Emma Stanley attributed the Trojan softball team’s steady climb to the atmosphere that coach Dennis Meehan has fostered on the team.

“I’ve had three different coaches for varsity softball in the past four years and it’s funny because the other coaches were way more intense and a lot more about winning,” Stanley said. “Dennis is so much more relaxed, and here we are winning compared to being in eighth or ninth [place in the standings]. It’s just a different feel.”

MDI softball finished last season with a 7-9 record and ranked seventh in Eastern Maine Class B. The Trojans were 7-5 after a 3-1 loss to Class A Hampden Thursday.

The development of the Trojans’ battery of pitcher Nia Megquier and catcher Lynne Bowden has also helped. Both girls spend Sundays working on their game at pitching clinics.

“Nia’s really smart and she has a lot more pitches,” Stanley said. “Most pitchers have a fastball and maybe a changeup but she’s got four or five different pitches. And she’s got the speed, too. [Megquier and Bowden] have been a team for a while.”

HA swimming on hold

Hampden’s swimming future – or at least its prospects for next season – is still on hold.

The SAD 22 athletic committee met last week about 30 minutes before a meeting of the full school board, superintendent of schools Rick Lyons said, but decided to table the issue until a June 1 meeting of the athletic committee.

Hampden Academy has traditionally competed with Brewer High School, but growing numbers led the Maine Principals’ Association to require Hampden to form its own team. Money for a team has been set aside in the budget but the MPA has also agreed to allow Hampden one more year with the Witches.

At issue last week, Lyons said, was the fact that the school expects nine swimmers in the program for the 2005-06 season. The low participation numbers have officials still debating about sticking with Brewer or forming a Hampden team.

The athletic committee will come up with a decision June 1 and then present the decision to the full board at its next meeting.

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