VARSITY SOFTBALL

Head Coach: Wayne Rivet, first year

Assistants: Leanne Boody, Shawn Rock

Top returnees: Seniors, Casey Heath, shortstop; Jackie Laurent, first base (she led the team in hitting a year ago with a .389 average); Samantha Marucci, second base; Destinee Durant, outfield; Nicole Marucci, outfield, Amy Angelone, outfield; Kenya DuBrule, manager; junior Ashley Clark, pitcher (she was one of just three players to hit over .300 last season).

Top newcomers: Juniors Abby Scott-Mitchell, third base; Brittany Perreault, outfield; Allison Morse, catcher; freshmen Jackie Morse, first base; Liz Cole, pitcher/second base; Ali Sawyer, catcher.

Others: Keyana Prescott, Ashley Garrett, Jasmine Irish, Taylor Bass,

Strengths: Strong team unity; willingness to try new approaches; good work ethic; determined to rebound from a difficult 2013 season.

Question marks? Depth (there are only 17 players out for the softball program); ability to hit against the league’s top pitchers; mental toughness (how will the team respond when facing adverse situations?).

What do you like about this team? “For a team that went through a winless season, they all showed up at preseason workouts with fantastic attitudes and a strong desire to be a better team this spring,” Coach Rivet said. “Every player has been willing to make whatever changes are needed to become better players. Best of all, players are very supportive of each other and willing to pick a teammate up when they are struggling or made a mistake.”

What would you like to see more from this group? “They need to improve their communication on defense and aggressiveness at the plate. They are making steady strides, but obviously have plenty of work ahead,” Coach Rivet said. “We saw a number of good things at our scrimmage lat Saturday — including going 11 straight innings without making an error, a very good sign since it was the team’s first day out on a softball field. The team also hit the ball very well, including our freshmen, who each had two hits. We have worked a lot on our hitting mechanics with the goal of putting more balls in play.”

Three goals: To show steady improvement in terms of fundamentals and general softball IQ; be competitive against the league’s elite teams while defeating teams with similar personnel; return some excitement to the softball program in hopes of drawing more players next year.

Three keys to the season: Avoiding the big inning; consistently make the routine plays; put the ball in play (to improve upon the overall team batting average, which was in the low 200s a year ago).

We will have a successful season if…we play the game “the right way” — being fundamentally sound, showing mental toughness when the game is on the line or when a player may not be having her best day, and being competitive each time they step on the diamond.

The Schedule

Monday, April 28, Gray-NG, 4:00

Wednesday, April 30, at Greely, 4:00

Friday, May 2, at Kennebunk, 4:00

Monday, May 5, at Sacopee, 4:00

Wednesday, May 7, Poland, 4:00

Friday, May 9, Wells, 4:00

Monday, May 12, at Yarmouth, 5:00

Wednesday, May 14, Falmouth, 4:00

Friday, May 16, at Sacopee, 4:00

Monday, May 19, Cape E., 4:00

Wednesday, May 21, Freeport, 4:00

Monday, May 26, at Fryeburg, 11 a.m.

Wednesday, May 28, at Gray-NG, 4:00

Friday, May 30, York, 4:00

VARSITY BASEBALL

Head Coach: Randy Heath

Top returnees: Seniors, Zachary Heath first base/pitcher; Ben Chaine third base/pitcher; Cody Gibbons right field/pitcher; Erik Christensen DH/pitcher; Tucker Irish catcher/pitcher; sophomores Nate Smith shortstop; Jordan Williams catcher/pitcher; Gunnar Harriman utility; and Charlie McDonough pitcher.

Top newcomer: Nick Dyer, senior. Nick transferred from Oxford Hills. He brings power to the lineup and will play in left field. Fits in well with the team.

Strengths: Having so many returning players allows them to understand each other at their positions.

Question marks? Will the pitching hold up? Grades? Losing commitment to studies forces the Lakers to lose players.

What I like about the team: “When players are on the field, they work hard trying to push each other. Our defense is strong this year. It is the best fielding team I’ve had yet here at Lake Region,” Coach Heath said.

What I would like to see more of: “I would like the players to understand that one inning won’t win you a game or lose it for you. The game will have its highs and lows — it’s about how they push through those lows and work harder. I want them to know that they have the ability to work out of a bad inning,” Coach Heath said.

Three goals: To have the team understand that role players are key to a winning season; to have an improved win-loss record; to promote baseball at Lake Region by attending youth baseball and by playing in summer and fall leagues.

Three keys to the season: Arm health, grades, and hitting.

We will have a successful season if... We understand role play. It takes more than the nine players on the field to win games. And if we keep our pitchers healthy, we should be fine. Our hitting should speak for itself. In the past, we could go multiple games with our offense cold. This year, we have contact and power throughout the lineup. We also have key bench players for certain game situations. If all these pieces fall together we should be successful — Coach Heath.

The Schedule

Monday, April 28, Gray-NG, 4:00

Wednesday, April 30, at Greely, 4:00

Friday, May 2, at Kennebunk, 4:00

Monday, May 5, at Sacopee, 4:00

Wednesday, May 7, Poland, 4:00

Friday, May 9, Wells, 4:00

Monday, May 12, at Yarmouth, 5:00

Wednesday, May 14, Falmouth, 4:00

Friday, May 16, at York, 4:00

Monday, May 19, Cape E., 4:00

Wednesday, May 21, Freeport, 4:00

Monday, May 26, at Fryeburg, 11 a.m.

Wednesday, May 28, at Gray-NG, 4:00

Friday, May 30, York, 4:00

Monday, June 2, Fryeburg, 4:00

VARSITY BOYS’ LACROSSE

Head Coach: Don White

Top returnees: Seniors, middies Drew Shane, Zach Tidd and Dakota Russo; defense, Drew Spaulding; goalie RJ Legere;  junior Middie Evan Kellough; sophomores, attack Mason LaPlante and middie Nick Lepage.

Top newcomers: Ethan Green, junior, middie; Taylor Davis, sophmore, middie.

Strengths: “A lot of our players have spent time during the off-season improving their stick skills.  This should translate into more possession time with the ball. Therefore, we should improve on the number of goals scored and goals allowed by keeping the ball out of the opponents’ sticks,” Coach White said.

Question marks? More than half of the starting lineup is either new or playing a new position from last year. How well the players adjust to their new roles will be a critical factor in how well we compete this year. So far, they are accepting the challenge and looking very promising.

What do you like about the team? Coach White said players are working very hard during the preseason.  “They are taking the concepts they learned in practice and using them in the games. They are very eager to improve everyday and putting the extra effort into winning games,” he said.

What would you like to see more of? “Overall, I would like to see us communicate more often and louder on the field. In order to work together, we need to be talking to each other all the time. The communication is improving but we could always use more,” Coach White said.

Three goals: We want to be competitive in all our games; to work together as a team, both offensively and defensively; and to continue to improve throughout the season, both individually and as a team.

Three keys to the season: Playing together defensively; keeping possession of the ball longer and creating more scoring opportunities; and improving our transition game from defense to offense or offense to defense.

We will have a successful season if…we are competitive in a majority of our games, and the players have improved individually but more importantly have learned to work together as a team — Coach White.

The Schedule

Saturday, April 26, Greely, 12:00

Tuesday, April 29, at Wells (Fitzpatrick Stadium, Portland), 7:30

Friday, May 2, York, 4:00

Monday, May 5, Bonny Eagle, 4:00

Monday, May 7, at Yarmouth, 6:00

Tuesday, May 13, Fryeburg, 4:00

Saturday, May 17, at Camden Hills, TBA

Tuesday, May 20, at Waynflete, 4:00

Friday, May 23, at Kennebunk, 6:00

Wednesday, May 28, Freeport, 4:00

Friday, May 30, Wells, 4:00

Friday, June 6, at Fryeburg, 3:30

VARSITY GIRLS’ TENNIS

Coach: Kim Peterson

Top returnees: Frances Kimball (senior) played second singles last year; MacKenzie McHatton (senior) played third singles last year; Elisabeth Waugh (senior) rotating singles and doubles player; Isabelle Scribner (junior) first doubles with Liza Wildey (junior); Meghan Van Loan (junior) played second doubles with Sarah Carlson (junior) and Sam Bolling (junior). JV players looking for varsity spots include Whitney Harriman, Lily Barrett, Lily Charpentier, Eleanor Cusack, Christina Engstrom, Jade Fecteau, Amina Meziani,Kiana Paige, Zoey Perham, Maggie Scarlett and Madison Wildey.

Top newcomers: Kaytlyn Terry (sophomore), Spencer True (sophomore), Victoria Kauffman, Estelle Lohm (senior), Haley Bragdon-Clements (freshman), Kaylyn Jordan (freshman) and Olivia Mills (freshman).

Strengths:  Coach Peterson is impressed with strong sophomore and freshman classes, which are starting to shine with skill development.

Question marks? The big question right now is getting onto courts to run challenge matches. There are a lot of players who seem to be at a similar level in the gym, but that can change once they step onto the court. “Our first match is Wednesday, April 30 at Freeport which doesn’t give us much time to determine a line-up,” Coach Peterson said. “I expect there will be changes as the season progresses.”

What do you like about this team? “Due to the long winter, we have had to spend a lot of time in the gym. Our team of 27 have been very patient playing in a gymnasium — it’s hard to get a lot of hits in,” Coach Peterson said.

Three goals: Enhance existing stroke work; develop strategic awareness during match play; and have fun.

Three keys to the season: Developing the challenge ladder; time for doubles teams to play together to gain cohesion; and younger players developing confidence in their game.

We will have a successful season if…we practice hard to improve and work together as a team.

The Schedule

Wednesday, April 30, at Freeport, 4:00

Friday, May 2, at NYA, 3:30

Saturday, May 3, Waynflete, TBA

Monday, May 5, at Yarmouth, 3:30

Wednesday, May 7, Falmouth, 4:00

Thursday, May 8, at Cape E., 3:30

Saturday, May 10, WMC Doubles, at Falmouth, 9 a.m.

Monday, May 12, York, 4:00

Tuesday, May 13, Freeport, 4:00

Friday, May 16, Greely, 3:30

Tuesday, May 20, Fryeburg, 3:30

Thursday, May 22, Kennebunk, 4:00

Friday, May 23, at Greely, 3:30

• Home matches are played at Camp Skylemar in Naples.

VARSITY TRACK & FIELD

Coaches: Mark Snow, Dana Caron, Sasha Kantro, Eric Hall

Top returnees: Dani LaPointe, senior, throws; Courtney Yates, senior, javelin, jumps, sprints; Kate Hall, junior, sprints, long jump; Audrey Blais, sophomore, distance; Hannah Parsons, sophomore, sprints; Zoe Snow, sophomore, throws; Reed Bridge-Koenigsberg, junior, throws; Kyle DeSouza, junior, throws; Kolin Wyman, junior, sprints; Marcus DeVoe, sophomore, jumps, middle distance; Lexus Rodriguez, sophomore, javelin, sprints, jumps; Nick Scarlett, sophomore, middle distance, jumps.

Top newcomers: Kira Olsen, senior, sprints; Sara Megaard, senior, sprints, jumps; Alizah Thayer, junior, distance; Michaela Tripp, sophomore, throws; Addie Blais, freshman, distance; Meghan Boos, freshman, hurdles, jumps; Hannah Stewart, freshman, sprints, jumps; Kate Sullivan, freshman, sprints, jumps; Matt Buchanan, sophomore, sprints, jumps; Dustin Frizzell, sophomore, throws; Niko Torres, sophomore, sprints, jump; Dakota Stover, freshman, jumps, sprints.

Strengths:Kate Hall – Two-time state champ in 100m, 200m, long jump, NE champ in 100m; Audrey Blais – nearly qualified for state meet last year in the 1600m; Meghan Boos – a top freshman hurdler indoors. Good group of newcomers; need to find their correct events.

Kyle DeSouza – one of the league’s better javelin throwers; Marcus DeVoe – state meet qualifier in the triple jump; Young group of sprinters; may allow us a decent 4x100 relay.

Question marks? For both team, can we improve quickly enough to make some state qualifying standards? Which relay will be better….the boys’ or girls’ 4x100m? Does anyone want to put in the time to learn the very individualized events (pole vault or racewalk)?

What do you like about the team? Both teams — camaraderie – the team enjoys working together. They support one another. They are very attentive to the details of each drill we ask them to do. They are very coachable.

What would you like to see more of from this group? We would like to see more kids come out for the team and find out how much fun we have. We would like more kids try new events. We would like to see more kids stay after practice to do a little more conditioning.

Three goals: Have a competitive boys’ and girls’ relay (distance TBD); help each athlete attain multiple personal records; put on a top notch WMC championship meet again.

Three keys to the season: Finding the events that maximize our WMC meet points; continue our strength training throughout the season so the training becomes habitual; making sure every team member has fun, is competitive, and enters the summer yearning for our first practice next year.

We would have a successful season if...every athlete and coach answered an end-of-the-season survey with the phrase “best season ever!” We aspire to that.

The Schedule

Friday, May 2, at Poland (Wells, Yarm), 3:30

Thursday, May 8, at Falmouth, 3:30

Friday, May 16, Cape, NYA, York, 3:30

Friday, May 23, at Fryeburg, 3:30

Saturday, May 31, WMC Championships at LRHS, 9:00