The good news for Van Buren softball coach Jay Edgecomb is that his Crusaders return seven starters and 11 players from a team that reached the Eastern Maine Class D final last spring.

The bad news is that one of the starters that graduated is Megan Lajoie, an ace pitcher who also batted .700 with 30 stolen bases and 30 runs scored in 2007.

However, Edgecomb has five candidates to fill Lajoie’s pitching shoes in her sister Lindsay, a junior; classmate Macy Ouellette; seniors Macie LaPlante and Kristen Vaillancourt and sophomore Julie Poitras.

That group will be vital to the success of the Crusaders this spring, as they expect to be in contention in the wide-open EM Class D ranks.

Edgecomb’s main goal this preseason is to decide which one of his five pitching candidates has the best control.

“That’ll be the key, to find somebody to throw strikes,” he said. “We will rotate until we find one that will definitely throw strikes.”

In order to stay near the top of the heap, Van Buren will look to string together big innings while maintaining some pitching consistency.

“I expect that we could be in some high-scoring games. We have a lot of hitters back,” said Edgecomb. “Pitching will be the question mark.”

Vaillancourt will see time at first base when not in the circle while LaPlante will play either third base or shortstop and LaJoie is a two-year starter at second.

Junior two-year starting outfielder Angel Richard also returns along with Jennifer Ouellette, a sophomore who will see time in the infield.

While Edgecomb prefers a set rotation as to who is playing where, he could easily find himself mixing things up a bit.

“I prefer to have one person that’s the key focal point but I don’t know if that will happen,” he said. “If we’re lucky enough to find that person, that’s great, if not, we’ll play the roulette game until we find a hot hand.”

No matter who is in the circle, they’ll be anchored by senior captain and three-year starter Kristal Deschaines behind the plate.

Like Van Buren, Bangor Christian has a good number of veterans returning to its lineup.

The Patriots have a formidable, one-two pitching punch in senior Jillian French and junior Monica Alexander to go with middle infielders Becca Smith and Catherine Bragg, and Kelly Robinson and Christin Pelletier at the corners.

“We’ve got quite a few players returning from last year, that’s going to be a very good thing for us,” said BC coach Robert Leathers, whose club finished first in the Heal points last year before falling to Lee in the semifinals.

Even though the Pandas are now in Class C, the Patriots will face them twice, including an early season matchup April 23 in Bangor.

“I love playing Lee. They bring competition, they play hard, they’re a great team to play,” Leathers said.

In addition to the Pandas, the Pats’ schedule also features Class C programs Piscataquis of Guilford and East Millinocket-based Schenck.

Leathers will seek quality innings out of French, who he says is a “much better pitcher than she was last year,” along with Alexander.

He was quick to point out that pitching depth is a pivotal weapon in the Class D ranks.

“In Class D, to have two pitchers, that’s a blessing,” he said. “If Jill is pitching, Monica’s her biggest cheerleader, and if Monica’s pitching, Jill’s her biggest cheerleader. That’s a pretty good one-two punch in pitching right there.”

The Patriots also return catcher Chelsea Brasslett, who along with Bragg, are contenders for the starting catcher’s job.

Coach Terry Hunter’s Ashland Hornets, who reached the quarterfinals before bowing to Greater Houlton Christian Academy, will field a mix of solid pitching and strong hitting.

The key for the Hornets will be the pitching-catching combination of senior cousins Whitney Flint and Mindy Chasse.

While Flint struck out approximately 130 batters, according to Hunter, she hit at a .479 clip in the No. 3 spot in the order and Chasse sported a .305 average from the cleanup spot last season.

Both girls are talented three-sport senior athletes hungry for one last run.

“They did real well in soccer, real well in basketball, and I’m hoping that will pull over into softball,” said Hunter.

Flint has compiled a 34-17 record over her high school career.

Ashland also returns a solid nucleus of veterans and young players, including senior shortstop Andrea Mayo, sophomore Taylor Baker at first, sophomore Suzanne Poulin, who will move from the outfield to second base, and center fielder Crystal Cook.

Among the newcomers are Whitney Donovan, Rylee Graham, Makayla Ronco and Mariah Cook, all freshmen.

After dropping their first six games last spring, the Hornets got on a roll into the playoffs, and Hunter feels they’re ready to take the next step.

“I can see it in practice. They’re already hungry. They listen well. I think they’ve improved,” said Hunter.

Washburn and Deer Isle-Stonington could be in the mix as well.

rmclaughlin@bangordailynews.net

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