LINCOLN, Maine — Hard work and dedication are two of multiple traits a softball pitcher must possess if she wants to be successful.
To say Tayla Trask is the epitome of those attributes — along with many more — is quite the understatement.
With the season heading towards the halfway point, the Mattanawcook Academy sophomore righthander has been lights-out for the Lynx thus far this spring. She has posted a 8-0 record with 113 strikeouts through Monday’s9-0 win over Central of Corinth.
Trask saw valuable action as a freshman, pitching behind ace Deni Nicastro, and she picked up some valuable pointers.
“This year, I’ve tried to hit my spots and start ahead [of hitters],” Trask said. “Deni carried us last year. She showed a lot of leadership and she pitched great.”
She’s also learned how to stay humble, finding ways to improve no matter how many batters she strikes out in a certain game.
“I try to bring what I’ve learned from my previous game, find negatives from [the] previous game and try to improve each time,” Trask said.
Trask has a perfect game to her credit this season in a May 4 victory over John Bapst of Bangor.
“She’s very dedicated,” noted Amanda Gulesian, Trask’s battery mate.
Like any successful pitcher, Trask is very studious of her opponents, since each team has its own offensive style.
“I know that different teams, like probably Central [Monday night] will try to play smallball,” Trask said.
Then there are free-swinging teams that hit for power, such as Old Town, that force Trask to steer somewhat away from her overpowering fastball and utilize her other pitches, such as the dropball, riser, curveball and changeup.
“Tayla and I talk about it before the game and make the strategies about what to call,” said Gulesian, a two-year starter behind the plate for coach Dean Libbey.
Having a pitcher like Trask takes pressure off the defense behind her, to some degree.
“It does, but we still stay on our toes even though a lot of people don’t hit off her,” senior second baseman Melissa West said.
With Trask pitching as well as she is and the Lynx clicking on all cylinders, they’re going to be a tough team to beat once the postseason rolls around, a time where pitching is essential.
“I pray that we [can] go all the way and I definitely think we have the team this year that can. We just need to keep working hard,” Gulesian said.
Trask is impressed with the way her teammates, freshman designated player Sierra Pierce in particular, have been picking her up.
“Sierra Pierce has really stepped up as a freshman and is playing really well right now,” she said.
Trask, who also plays basketball for the Lynx, had a great chance to hone her game last winter. She pitched in Florida and had a chance to work with Casey (Hiraiwa) Clark, who won a national championship at UCLA in 1999.
She also pitches year-round every Sunday, and has worked out at Frozen Ropes in Portland.
Tuttle signs with Maine
The University of Maine track and field program has landed yet another one of Maine’s top high school athletes.
Shelby Tuttle, a jumper and hurdler who has accumulated many team and individual accolades while starring at Waterville High School, will compete in track and field for the Black Bears next season.
Tuttle helped lead the Purple Panthers to a pair of Class B state indoor championships, two state runner-up finishes and the last two Class B outdoor titles.
She established two state records in leading Waterville to a state title this past winter, re-writing the long-jump record books with a mark of 17 feet, 5 inches and a leap of 37-9½ in the triple jump.
Also a standout on the soccer field for Waterville, she was a key factor on the Panthers’ consecutive Eastern Maine Class A championship teams and last fall’s state championship squad.
