There’s a vacancy atop the Maine schoolboy tennis world.

Hampden Academy’s Eliot Potvin, who reached the finals of the state singles tournament as a freshman and won the individual championship each of the last two years, won’t be back to defend that crown when preliminary round play begins Saturday at several venues around the state.

Potvin is training independently in Massachusetts this spring, having already accepted a scholarship to play at Georgia Tech.

There are a couple of favorites on the boys side, just as there is a singular favorite to win the girls singles title when the semifinals and finals are held on Memorial Day, May 28, at Bates College in Lewiston.

Mount Ararat of Topsham sophomore Mike Hill and Neall Oliver of Deering of Portland are two of the top returning players in the boys field. Hill advanced to last year’s state final before dropping a competitive 6-3, 6-3 match to Potvin. Oliver fell to Potvin in the semifinals.

Among the Eastern Maine players capable of making a deep run in the boys division, Van Buren’s Riley Lizotte is back after advancing to the Round of 16 last spring before dropping a 6-1, 6-2 decision to Potvin.

Cooper Mor of George Stevens Academy, Jeremy Cliff of Hermon, and Alex Carter of Presque Isle all advanced to the Round of 32 in 2006, while Bangor top seed Adam Bernstein has led the Rams to an undefeated start this spring. Hampden Academy top seed Josh Groleau is another contender.

Waynflete of Portland sophomore Christine Ordway is back to defend her girls singles title.

Ordway, who also led Waynflete to the state Class C team title as a freshman, is one of three of last year’s semifinalists who are back, along with classmates Chantalle Lavertu of Lewiston and Hallsey Leighton of Cheverus of Portland, who competed for Falmouth last spring.

The top returning Eastern Maine threat is Erin Flynn of John Bapst of Bangor. Flynn was seeded seventh in last year’s singles field and advanced to the quarterfinals before falling to No. 2 Kristen Meahl, an eventual finalist from Falmouth.

Another seeded player from Eastern Maine who is back is Deahna Giguere of Messalonskee of Oakland. The sixth seed a year ago, she fell to Leighton in the Round of 16.

Among other players from the region who could advance in the field are 2006 Round of 32 qualifiers Leslie Martin of Foxcroft Academy, Casey Corriveau of Caribou, Amanda Ellis of Hermon, who has led the Hawks to an 8-0 start this year, and Mount Desert Island top seed Caitlin Christie.

The Eastern Maine singles tournament qualifying rounds scheduled for Saturday will be divided into three segments: East 1 at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, East 2 at Brewer High School, and East 3 at the Buker Courts in Augusta (boys) and Mount Ararat High School (girls).

Survivors advance to the Rounds of 40 and 32 on May 25 at Bates College, followed on May 26 by the Round of 16 and the quarterfinals.

Meetings to seed the players for the opening rounds will be held Thursday.

Morrill awaits MRI result

Rockland High baseball standout Dom Morrill will undergo a magnetic resonance imaging test this week to determine the severity of an injury to his throwing shoulder.

A preliminary diagnosis has suggested the injury is a torn labrum.

Morrill, the Tigers’ top pitcher as well as one of the top hitters in Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B ranks, has been sidelined since complaining of soreness during warmups before last Wednesday’s 3-2 victory over Lincoln Academy.

“He had pitched three innings the day before, and we were taking batting practice and he fielded a grounder at third and threw it over to second behind the screen and he felt something,” said Rockland coach Richie Oliver. “He came right over to me and said ‘Something’s wrong with my arm.'”

Morrill, a three-sport athlete at Rockland, was coming off a strong performance in his last game against Waterville, a 5-2 Tigers victory. He pitched three innings of relief to earn the victory while contributing a solo home run, an RBI double, and an RBI single.

“He’s been on the varsity since he was a freshman,” said Oliver. “He’s a big part of our team. He’s a leader, he works hard at baseball, and he works all year at it. He’s one of the better pitchers in the league, and I think he’s one of the better hitters in the league. To take that out, you can’t make up for that, he’s just too good of a ballplayer.”

Rockland, 5-4 overall this spring, is 2-2 since Morrill’s injury. The Tigers return to action this afternoon at Winslow.

“Hopefully we can get [Morrill] back at least as a hitter before the end of the year,” said Oliver, “but I don’t know.”