BASEBALL

Coach: Marc Halsted (14th year, 146-90-1 overall record, one state championship)

2019 record (no 2020 season): 9-9 (Lost, 7-1, to York in Class B South quarterfinals)

Top returning players: Max Brewer (Senior), Will Cox (Senior), Jake Gautreau (Senior), Jack McGrath (Senior),

Pivotal games: April 27 @ Greely, May 1 GREELY, May 11 CAPE ELIZABETH, May 14 @ Cape Elizabeth, May 18 @ Freeport, May 22 FREEPORT

Coach’s comment: “The weather has been great over the past few weeks and we’ve been able to scrimmage and compete on a daily basis. Baseball affords these guys the opportunity to put all the complexities of our current lives aside and just have some fun for two hours each day. We’re excited for the opportunity to play and to get have playoffs. The goals never change at Yarmouth High. We want to win 10-plus games, make the playoffs and give our guys a chance to play for medals and trophies.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Yarmouth is back with a vengeance this spring and the Clippers are poised to be a top contender in Class B South yet again.

Gautreau figures to be the ace this season. He went a hard-luck 1-3 in 2019, but had a stellar earned run average of 1.95 in nearly 29 innings pitched. Cox, coming off a terrific basketball season, is a top returner in the field. He’ll play shortstop, occasionally third base and will even pitch on occasion. He was a Western Maine Conference second-team all-star as a sophomore, batting .327 with 16 hits, eight runs batted in and eight stolen bases. Brewer, another second-team all-star in 2019, moves to catcher this season. He hit .333 with 14 hits and eight runs scored two years ago. He’ll bat near the top of the lineup. McGrath, who plays second base and pitches, has a booming bat at the middle of the lineup. In 2019, he drove in seven runs and had 13 hits, including three doubles and a pair of triples. Newcomers to watch include power-hitting junior third baseman Jack McCosh, junior first baseman and pitcher Gibby Sullivan (the younger brother of program stalwarts Thomas Sullivan and Aidan Sullivan), senior centerfielder and pitcher Will Dickinson and senior pitcher and outfielder Blake Venden.

Halsted always treats his team like a Swiss army knife, he utilizes every component and is constantly tinkering to figure out who fits best where. This year’s squad appears to have all the ingredients of another contender and while the Clippers will be tested during the regular season by three games apiece against some of the top teams in Class B South, they’ll be up for the challenge and by June, will be primed to make a deep run in the tournament.

SOFTBALL

Coach: Chris Whitney (first year)

2019 record (no 2020 season): 4-12 (no playoffs)

Top returning players: Sadie Gallant (Senior), Eliza Bergmaier (Junior), Catarina Jordan (Junior), Trinity Sinker (Junior)

Pivotal games: April 27 @ Greely, May 1 GREELY, May 11 CAPE ELIZABETH, May 14 @ Cape Elizabeth, May 18 @ Freeport, May 22 FREEPORT, May 24 FRYEBURG

Coach’s comment: “Coming into this season as a second-year coach is just odd given it’s my first actual season. Preseason has been about shaking off nearly two years of rust and high school coaches get a feel for what college coaches go through having red-shirt freshman, as our sophomores are just like a freshman class this season. We may have been on some teams’ radar last season with the talented senior class and pitcher and now we revert to a team with two seniors on the roster and a bulk of the lineup being freshman and sophomores. The all-new coaching staff is looking to rebuild not just the lineup, but the culture within the program. We are super-young, including an all-freshman battery, so this is a year to get better each week, throw it all out there and see if we can’t disrupt the standings a little. With the open tournament, this is a great year for us to gain a ton of experience and not be stressing about the standings.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Yarmouth was hit especially hard by last year’s spring sports cancellation, as it had a team that could have made a legitimate run at a Class B state title. This year’s squad will be a work in progress, but the future is bright for Whitney, who is assisted by his father-in-law, a man well-known as a Clippers’ foe in the autumn, Greely’s longtime boys’ soccer coach Mike Andreasen. They will work to make Yarmouth a much stronger team in June than it is when the season starts.

Freshman Lucia Jordan takes over as pitcher this spring. She’ll look to quickly make her mark at the varsity level. Freshman Avery Buchanan is behind the plate. The infield has some experience in Gallant (second base) and Jordan (shortstop). Sophomore Emma Butsch is likely to start at third base. In the outfield, Bergmaier and Sinker return, while sophomore Emma Burrows and freshman Leah Muentener will play key roles.

The Clippers are going to battle hard every day and should be ready to give opponents fits by the time the postseason arrives.

BOYS’ LACROSSE

Yarmouth’s boys’ lacrosse team celebrated an elusive Class B state title in 2019. The Clippers believe they can win another this spring. File photos.

Coach: Jon Miller (first year)

2019 record (no 2020 season): 11-4 (Beat Greely, 11-10, to win Class B state title)

Top returning players: Nate Henninger (Senior), Colin Senger (Senior)

Pivotal games: April 23 @ Cape Elizabeth, April 30 @ NYA, May 4 BRUNSWICK, May 6 GREELY, May 8 WAYNFLETE, May 14 CAPE ELIZABETH, May 21 @ Kennebunk, May 25 TA, May 28 @ Falmouth

Coach’s comment: “We had a senior-heavy team last year, but didn’t get to play. We don’t have much varsity experience this year, but I’m confident the guys will step up and perform as needed. We do have a strong junior class. I think we’ll be able to compete with everybody.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Yarmouth finally broke through and won an elusive title two years ago, but didn’t get a chance to defend it last spring. This season, the Clippers, although they have a lot of new faces, are right back in the favorite’s role and if Thursday’s opener, an 8-5 win at Greely, is any indication, they’ll have a great chance to retain their crown under Miller, the one-time program standout (Class of 2004) who went on to play at Union College before returning as a longtime assistant at his alma mater. Miller succeeds David Pearl, who had a long, successful run that was capped by the championship.

Yarmouth’s experience is on the defense side with Henninger and Senger. Junior Cam Miller is another defender to watch in front of new goalie, junior Simon Algara, who stopped nine shots in the opener. In the midfield, senior Wyatt Sullivan is a top faceoff guy. Senior Max Then will also get a chance to take faceoffs. The offense will be led by juniors Peter Psyhogeos, who scored four goals and assisted on two others in the win Thursday, and Steve Fulton, who had a pair of goals and one assist against the Rangers. Sophomores Killian Marsh and Aksel Yeo will also be heard from.

The Clippers begin the year as a good team. If all goes well, they’ll end it as a great team. If that happens, another championship celebration could be the end result.

GIRLS’ LACROSSE

Senior Annie Lowenstein, left, and junior Katelyn D’Appolonia figure to be celebrating plenty of goals this season. 

Coach: Dorothy Holt (16th year, 174-50 overall record, five state championships)

2019 record (no 2020 season): 13-2 (Lost, 12-11, in three overtimes, to Cape Elizabeth in Class B state final)

Top returning players: Lizzie Guertler (Senior), Annie Lowenstein (Senior), Maddie Marston (Senior), Emma Moll (Senior), Bella Solari (Senior), Natalie Teare (Senior), Anna Thornton (Senior), Anna Wallace (Senior), Abby Wentzel (Senior), Katelyn D’Appolonia (Junior), Juliet Meas (Junior)

Pivotal games: April 28 @ Cape Elizabeth, April 30 @ Kennebunk, May 3 @ Waynflete, May 5 GREELY, May 10 @ Massabesic, May 18 FALMOUTH, May 24 @ Greely, May 26 NYA, June 1 @ Freeport

Coach’s comment: “Every time I walk to the turf, I feel grateful and the girls appreciate having a sense of normalcy. I have 11 seniors this year. I’ve never had that many seniors. I have a lot of depth. I can move girls around. Our scoring should be balanced this year. The upperclassmen are very competitive and want to win. I’m excited about our challenging schedule. We’ll take it day-by-day. I don’t think we’ll know where we’ll be until midseason this year.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: After a series of agonizing state game losses, Yarmouth suffered an even bigger loss a year ago, when it wasn’t able to hold a single practice or play a single game. This season, the Clippers are thrilled to be back at it and while their end goal remains the same, they’re going to enjoy every day they can spend together. And oh by the way, they’re still going to be very, very good too.

Lowenstein was a first-team league all-star as a sophomore. She’ll be one of many offensive threats. Other attack to watch include D’Appolonia, Moll, Solari, Wentzel, juniors Grace Ericson and Tori Kendeigh and sophomore Annie Bergeron. Yarmouth is loaded with talented midfielders as well, a group which includes Teare, Thornton (an honorable mention all-star in 2019), Wallace and juniors Olivia Rosa-Kittredge and Clancy Walsh. The defense is anchored by veterans Guertler and Marston, who can also help on offense. New seniors Eleanor Donahue and Kathryn Keaney and junior Ella Barry add depth. Meas returns in goal.

The Clippers might not have as many household names, or prolific scorers as in year’s past, but this team remains good enough to go all the way. Yarmouth will do what it always does, consistently improve, then be primed to make the trip to Fitzpatrick Stadium the third Saturday of June. This time, a happy ending could be in store.

OUTDOOR TRACK

Coach: Sarah Carrigan (second year)

2019 results (no 2020 season): 

(Boys) 13th @ Class B state meet
(Girls) 25th @ Class B state meet

Top returning athletes:

(Boys) Harrison Pendleton (Senior), Turner Schnee (Senior), Davis Young (Senior)

(Girls) Mary Psyhogeos (Senior), Elena Schlax (Junior)

Coach’s comment: “Our goals for the season are to have fun and stay safe. We are just grateful to be running.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Yarmouth is looking forward to a new season and several promising athletes figure to show steady growth.

The boys’ team features veterans Pendleton in the distance events, Schnee in the throws and Young in the jumps. Newcomers include junior Frazier Dougherty (400) and freshmen Jonny Fulton (distance) and Reece Perry (jumps).

On the girls’ side, Psyhogeos is a veteran in the distance raecs and Schlax returns in the jumps. Sophomore Evie King looks to score in the sprints.

TENNIS

Coach: Bill Shardlow (third year w/boys’ team, one state championship; first year w/girls’ team)

2019 record (no 2020 season): 

(Boys) 15-1 (Beat Belfast, 5-0, to win Class B state title)
(Girls) 4-8 (no playoffs)

Top returning players:

(Boys) Miles Hagedorn (Senior), G.W. Ruth (Senior), Sutter Augur (Junior), Asher Lockwood (Junior)
(Girls) Claudia Coolidge (Senior), Abby Hill (Senior), Hannelore Sanokklis (Junior)

Coach’s comment: “Missing last season was immensely disappointing for the boys, as we returned six out of seven starters from the championship team the year before. We had three freshman that would have been competing for one spot in the starting lineup. Now, we have three singles spots to fill. We only have two seniors, so match play experience will be a challenge, however, it is not how you start but how you finish. I expect our veteran leadership to play a big part in our development. The season will be a series of question marks until the dust settles, especially early on. Our goal never really changes. We try to have fun, improve every match and learn to compete doing our best.

“I am getting to know all new girls. It’s a great group of young ladies with good effort and focus. Most have very limited varsity experience after no season last spring. Preseason has been encouraging with some nice improvement so far, however, nothing replaces veteran experience. Still, it is fun to be on the courts. First and foremost, is to get to know the team and the players.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Yarmouth’s tennis program is under one coach this season, as Shardlow, who led the boys’ team to the 2019 state title, takes over the girls’ squad as well. He has plenty of talent across the board to work with.

The boys’ return four players with doubles experience, Augur, Hagedorn, Lockwood and Ruth. Sophomores William Best, Quin Federle and Ethan Lombard and freshman Andi Cobaj are also in the mix for spots. The Clippers will figure it out as the season progresses and will become a very formidable foe by the postseason. Perhaps good enough to win another title.

The girls’ squad looks to bounce back this spring. Coolidge, Hill and Sanokklis return. They’re joined by promising freshman Sofia Mavor, who could quickly become a star. Look for Yarmouth to improve upon its 2019 win total and make a tournament run.

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.