Baseball

Coach: Aaron Talon (8th season)

Last year’s record: 3-13, missed playoffs

Key players: Joe Billings (senior)-OF/P, batted .380 with 2 HR and 9 RBI in 2008; Owen Chaplin (senior)-SS, batted .391 with 13 RBI in 2008 and Taylor Valente (junior)-P/OF, batted .354 with 3 HR and 14 RBI in 2008

Season outlook: Certainly a 3-13 season is disappointing, but with eight starters coming back to the Patriots this spring has Talon hopeful the team can make a run at a playoff berth.

According to Talon, pitching and defense will be the keys to the Patriots’ success with Valente and Billings doing a majority of the pitching this spring.

Softball

Coach: Gregg Eggleston (1st season at G-NG)

Last year’s record: 12-4, beat Greely in quarterfinals and lost to Fryeburg Academy in semifinals

Key players: Laura Getchell, P-first team all-conference in 2008; Taylor Damon, CF-second team all-conference in 2008; Abby Ryan, C, second team all-conference in 2008; Kassie Wilson, 3B and Alicia Valente, utility

Season outlook: Eggleston said that in his first season at Gray-New Gloucester (prior to coming to the school, he coached six years of varsity softball and two years of NJCAA softball in New York), he wants to get the Patriots into the playoffs once again. “We have some very talented athletes at Gray-New Gloucester,” he said.

While both the coach and team are still getting to know each other, Eggleston said he is encouraged by what he has seen so far this preseason. “The girls need to get used to the ‘new guy’ and adapt accordingly,” he said. “I have to learn the girls and earn their trust. We do not have a lot of time to get that done, but we are working very hard right now and having a good time doing it.”