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| File photo Junior Matt Curry should see some time on the mound this season for the Caribou Viking baseball team. |
PREVIEW
By Jon Gulliver
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — A lack of pitching experience hurt the Caribou Vikings baseball team last season (6-10) and pitching will again be the key this spring according to coach Jimmie Thibodeau.
“This year we should be contenders with good pitching,” he said.
On the 15-player roster seven Vikings are listed as possible pitchers. They are seniors Chad Caverhill and Caleb Chapman, juniors Dean Walker and Matt Curry and sophomores Cody Herbert, Sean Sadler and Dylan Berkoski.
All seven may well be in the starting lineup at various positions, regardless of whether they are pitching or not. Also on the roster are seniors Deion Caudill (outfield) and Colby Johnson (outfield); juniors Mike Selander (catcher), Matt Milliard (infielder), Nick Whitehead (outfield) and Kaleb Corriveau (outfield); sophomore Matthew Frost (outfield); and freshman Carter Chabot (infield/DH).
Thibodeau, in his 11th year as Caribou coach, said it is too early in the season to have a final lineup.
“The coaches and myself are learning the strengths and weaknesses of the players,” he said, “but I think we will do well and probably be .500 or better. Like every year and for most high school teams it takes good pitching and good hitting.”
Prior to last season the Vikings made the post season in the four consecutive years. Thibodeau would like to see this team back in the playoffs. With that goal in mind the team has been working hard on conditioning and fundamentals. Thibodeau is also trying to find an important intangible.
“I look for that one or two players that can be team leaders,” he said. “I want to see good sportsmanship and the desire to win and play hard.”
Caribou has its first game, of a 16-game schedule, on the road on Saturday when they play a double-header against Ellsworth. The first game is at noon and the second at 2 p.m.
