Another championship run could be brewing in the St. Croix Valley.
The 2010 version of the Calais Blue Devils has been a bit of a surprise. This year’s softball team looks somewhat different than the one that won a Class C state championship a year ago.
Coach Greg Smith’s club will enter postseason play as Eastern Maine’s lone undefeated team at 15-0, as playoff action in high school softball and baseball kicks off around the state today with preliminary action.
“This was unexpected for me,” Smith said. “I was pleasantly surprised, and I think these kids have exceeded my expectations.”
Smith’s prognostications for his club were a possible return to the playoffs, since the Blue Devils graduated a talented group of seniors from last year’s club. But it’s not as though this Calais club isn’t championship-tested.
“And I think that helps. Them being in big games only helps us,” Smith said.
Some of those big games upperclassmen Alex McVicar, Nicole Osborne, Shannon Brown and Honor Wilkinson have played in came on the basketball hardwood last winter, as the Blue Devils won four dramatic tournament games en route to a state championship.
“We’ve had a lot of confidence in having back-to-back to back state championships, so if we could pull in one more it’d be great,” said McVicar. “A lot of our players have experience in playoffs in other sports so that experience helps with confidence.”
Sophomore pitcher Rachel Cundiff has been outstanding as well. And while she doesn’t have an overpowering fastball, she keeps the ball down and lets her defense do the work.
“She’s gotten a lot better throughout the season with spotting her pitches,” said Wilkinson, the Blue Devils’ catcher. “She’s easy to catch for because she has a great attitude all the time.”
McVicar has been getting the job done out of the leadoff spot in the lineup, with an on-base percentage of approximately .500, while Osborne leads the Blue Devils in runs batted in.
Calais’ underclassmen have also been performing well as the season has gone on, and have gained valuable experience.
“They’ve taken the seniors that graduated, last year’s spots, and come in like they’ve played there all their lives and done a really good job,” Osborne said.
Calais will open its postseason run Thursday against either eighth-seeded Woodland or No. 9 Piscataquis of Guilford.
Today’s Class C prelim features No. 7 Orono entertaining No. 10 Washington Academy of East Machias.
In Class A, the road to the state championship on June 19 runs through top-seeded Skowhegan and No. 2 Bangor, both of which enter the tournament 15-1.
The teams split during the regular season, winning on each other’s home field.
Both teams will have challengers, with one in particular being Brewer. The Witches pushed the Indians to the limit in a May 21 game before falling in 11 innings while the Witches always play the Rams tough.
In fact, the two rivals could meet in a semifinal this weekend.
Bangor kicks off its drive for its first-ever regional championship against No. 7 Oxford Hills of South Paris on Thursday while No. 6 Brewer hits the road to face No. 3 Cony of Augusta.
Bangor and Skowhegan feature top pitchers Sam Bedore and Becca McCarty, respectively, but the Witches boast an ace of their own in Amanda Ryan.
In Class B, Hermon and Mattanawcook of Lincoln go in 1-2, but No. 3 Bucksport has been on a torrid pace, as the Golden Bucks closed the regular season on a nine-game winning streak.
Coach Mike Carrier’s team hosts No. 6 Winslow on Thursday while No. 9 Ellsworth and eighth seed Gardiner will battle it out for the right to take on the top-ranked Hawks.
Caribou earned the No. 7 seed and hosts Belfast this afternoon, while No. 5 Old Town plays No. 4 Medomak Valley of Waldoboro, the two-time defending regional champion.
In Class D, top teams Deer Isle-Stonington, Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook and Limestone Community School/Maine School of Science and Mathematics all look strong.
The second-ranked Mariners played arguably the toughest schedule among that trio, with their only two losses coming to Class C contender George Stevens.
Pitcher Sidney Outzs has five shutouts for DI-S.
Class C track meet Wednesday
The Class C state track and field championships, originally scheduled for Saturday, will be made up Wednesday at Foxcroft Academy.
The meet begins at 2 p.m.
Saturday’s action was washed out due to heavy rain, and the Maine Principals’ Association track and field committee sent out a memo to all the state’s Class C schools. The vast majority of them proposed to hold the meet Wednesday instead of next Saturday.
“There are so many conflicts this time of year. A number of schools have graduation next Saturday,” MPA Assistant Executive Director Mike Burnham said.
Teams going to Dover-Foxcroft from afar, such as Fort Kent, won’t arrive home until late Wednesday night, but Burnham and the coaches felt it was the ideal day to make the meet up.
The New England Championships also are scheduled for Saturday in New Britain, Conn.
“We determined it was in the best interest of most of the schools to move to Wednesday, so they made that change, based on feedback,” Burnham said. “There’s fewer conflicts with Wednesday than Saturday.”
