Teams cool heels while awaiting spring thaw

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It may not look like spring outside, but don’t tell that to the hundreds of high school baseball, softball, track and field and tennis teams around the state who kicked off their preseason practices Monday.

Baseball and softball clubs were allowed to field full practices after pitchers and catchers were allowed to start practices last Monday.

Games, meets and matches can be held starting April 17.

While most of Maine’s baseball and softball teams will be confined to gymnasiums for the first couple of weeks, Hampden Academy expects to be outside later this week.

“To be honest with you, I expect to be outside Wednesday,” said Broncos baseball coach McLean Poulin, who pointed out that the FieldTurf surface on HA’s football field is “three-quarters clear.”

“As long as it’s around 45-50 degrees, we’ll take them outside,” Poulin added.

On this first day of practice, Poulin’s pitchers threw off elevated mounds in the gym, the freshmen and seniors hit the batting cages and the sophomores and juniors were to come in for fielding drills.

Poulin acknowledged that the sooner the team gets outside the better, as there is only so much hitting and fielding baseball and softball teams can do indoors.

“Fielding is miserable in a gym. You really can’t do much outfield work at all,” Poulin said. “It’s not like you start hitting balls up in the air because you’re going to be hitting the ceiling. It’ll be very key for us to get outside as soon as possible.”

Given that, the Broncos will be putting the FieldTurf to good use.

“As far as fielding and my pitchers getting outside, we can go on that turf, so we’re pretty fortunate,” Poulin said.

The Broncos have fairly lofty expectations this spring after missing out on the playoffs the last two seasons.

“I expect us to be right in the middle of the pack, if not better than that,” said Poulin, whose club has finished 13th in the Class A Heal points the last two springs.

The top 12 teams qualify for postseason play.

“We’d like to get back to the playoffs this year,” said Poulin. “We expect to be fighting in the middle of the pack for a home prelim game.”

Lefthander Brennan Perry and righty Shawn Smith will anchor HA’s pitching staff, with Patrick Stephens catching. Sophomore Nolan Turner, who batted .460 as a freshman, will anchor the Broncos’ infield.

“We only lost three kids last year. We return a good group and the bulk of our team,” said Poulin.

Expectations are just as high for the Bangor boys track and field team.

Even though coach Joe Quinn’s team lost some key contributors from last spring’s Class A state championship team, he still expects the Rams to be competitive on the state level.

The Rams, who have roughly 150 athletes out for the team, hope to venture to Cameron Stadium for practices as soon as possible.

Bangor’s Garland Street facility is clear of snow on the track, but some of the field event areas are still fairly wet.

Bangor did its warm-up exercises inside the hallways of the school Monday.

Quinn’s boys may have lost some firepower, but they still have plenty of it in distance ace Riley Masters, mid-distance man Steve Salinas, sprinter Chris Illingworth and jumper Tyler Seekins.

“The only thing we’re not too sure about yet is the sprints. We did lose a lot of sprinters,” Quinn said.

The Rams have a strong senior class on the girls side, led by Becca Bogan, Catherine Carver and Robin Treadwell (jumps); Jennie Lucy (middle distance); Allie Clukey (sprints and jumps) and Sorrell Cardello (throws).

They expect to challenge for their fourth straight Penobscot Valley Conference title, but Quinn was quick to point out that perennial challengers Brewer and Mount Desert Island are gunning to knock Bangor off its pedestal.

“Brewer’s a much stronger team this year, [and] the MDI girls have always been strong,” he said.

bdnsports@bangordailynews.net