The Monmouth American Legion baseball team had a breakthrough season last summer, as the Zone 2 champion became the first team outside Greater Portland to win the state title since 1997.

The Brewer Falcons, who won that 1997 state crown, are among the Zone 1 teams hoping to make it two in a row for the American Legion masses north of Cumberland County.

Coach Dave Morris’ club, which surged late in the season to win its third straight Zone 1 tourney championship, returns 14 of its 18 players from last year’s club and also should be buoyed by Brewer High’s recent run to the Eastern Maine Class A title.

“We’re ready to win one, we want a state championship,” said Brewer pitcher Jim Nicknair. “We know this zone’s real competitive and that on a given night anyone can beat anyone, but we’re ready to go after it.”

Brewer features three players back after their freshman year of college in pitcher-third baseman Chris Maguire, Nicknair and second baseman and leadoff hitter Rick Adams.

The Falcons also return their entire pitching staff, including Nicknair, Maguire, Greg Higgins (9-0 for Brewer High this spring), and Chase Daniels.

Offensively the Falcons’ mix of players from Brewer and Bucksport high schools is deep, with Eric White, Prentiss Swett, Cam Wadleigh, Jon Thoms and Eddie Robbins among the bigger bats along with Maguire and Adams.

“It’s always competitive,” said Penquis coach Billy Kane. “But with Brewer [High] getting to the state championship this spring and with their track record in Legion, they’ve got to be the frontrunner.”

One of Brewer’s major challenges may be the fact that its first six games were postponed while the high school team advanced to the Class A state final. That means the Falcons will play their 20-game schedule between June 24 and July 20 – a span of just 27 days.

“We know it’s going to be a battle,” said Morris, “and we know there’s other teams that are competitive and there’s a lot of parity.”

Bangor, the state runnerup last year, returns a younger team than last summer when coach Fred Lower’s Comrades had several 19-year-old players that played pivotal roles.

The team also is getting limited service from pitcher-infielder Ian Edwards, the two-time KVAC Class A North player of the year and Mr. Baseball finalist from the high school ranks who is nursing a hamstring injury.

“Obviously when Ian gets back that’s certainly going to help them,” Morris said. “He’s the best player around here.”

The Comrades are led by catcher Gordon Webb, who played at Bates College this spring, along with University of Maine-bound third baseman Shane Walton and veteran center fielder Kyle Vanidestine.

Righthander Jordan Clarke anchors the pitching staff in Edwards’ absence.

“I think we’re talented, but I don’t think it’s going to be as easy as it was last year for us,” said Lower. We lost a lot of pitching, and pitching’s going to be a big question for us.”

Trenton was the regular-season zone champ last year, and with a nucleus of players from George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill, an Eastern C finalist, and Eastern B semifinalist Ellsworth, coach Bill Gray’s Acadians should be in the thick of the battle for the six-team Zone 1 tournament to be held July 25-28 at Husson College.

Steamboat Petroleum, formerly the Waldo Wildcats, was the third seed in last year’s Zone 1 tournament and includes several players from Searsport’s Class C state championship team, while the Hampden-Hermon Riverdogs hope to build on Hampden Academy’s surge to the Eastern Maine Class A final behind pitchers Shawn Smith and Brennan Perry.

Penquis claimed the final Zone 1 playoff berth a year ago, and the Navigators are deeper this summer thanks to blend of veterans including Dan Beatham, Nick Emery, Nick Lancisi, Scott Kelley and Danny Kane and talented younger players like A.J. McGowen and Ian Champeon.

“Our goal is to get into the playoffs, because if you do that anything can happen,” said Kane.

Motor City of Bangor, which features players from John Bapst and Bangor Christian, figures to be much improved in its second season of existence. Lincoln Lumber should be another playoff contender, while Presque Isle, Calais and Orono must overcome slow starts during the first week of the season.

eclark@bangordailynews.net

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