Cup O’ Joe: Start of another season

Local high school athletes take to the baseball and softball diamonds this week as another sports season gets under way. The start of any new sports season comes with the hopes and wonderment of what lies ahead for the student athletes.
Will the new year bring a championship to one of our local teams? Will the regular contenders continue to have success or will some new group rise to the challenge? Who will step up and provide key leadership when it is needed most?
    All of these questions won’t be answered until the final out has been registered in early June. For now, every team has playoff potential and that is the beauty of the start of each new sports season.
The baseball and softball season officially began Friday, April 13, but most teams do not play their first games until this week. Houlton’s tennis teams also spring into action starting Thursday. Considering the number of families that go away during April vacation week, it is probably a good thing for most squads that games do not start until after the break.
Unlike previous years, it has been a fairly mild spring season, allowing the squads to get outside to practice on their fields far earlier. That is a luxury teams in southern Maine typically have, but County schools often have to wait for snow to melt or fields to dry before they can recreate game situations or go through drills.
It often puts County teams at a disadvantage as other teams are further ahead with their practice schedule, but not this year. Will that extra time spent on their home fields pay off for a local squad? That is difficult to predict.
Covering local baseball and softball games for the newspaper is one of the things I enjoy most about the job. Sitting and watching a baseball or softball game, especially on a sunny spring afternoon, is one of the best highlights of the year. Add in a tasty hot dog, bag of peanuts or sunflower seeds and it’s absolute perfection.
This past weekend, Hodgdon held its home openers in baseball and softball hosting Southern Aroostook. The games marked the first time the fields were used since both the baseball and softball fields were dedicated to Graydon Drake, a longtime custodian at the school. Drake has made it a personal mission to ensure that the baseball and softball fields are ready for the start of each new spring season. Kudos to him on another outstanding job getting them in game condition.
Katahdin, Greater Houlton Christian and East Grand were all slated to open their seasons Monday, with Houlton following suit Tuesday. The heavy rain that moved in Sunday night into Monday and was forecasted to continue into Tuesday will likely wash out those games. But on a positive note, though, the rain did turn things green rather quickly.
If you get a chance, get out and support your local teams this spring. There’s no cost of admission and it’s positive reinforcement for our youths to see community members supporting their efforts and cheering them on.