Baseball

Coach: Mike Rutherford

Last year’s record: 13-6, lost in the Western Maine finals to Biddeford in extra innings.

Key returning players: The Blazes are led by Scott Heath, who was an all-state pitcher and outfielder last season with a .421 batting average, 18 RBIs, two home runs, and a 7-2 record with a 0.72 ERA. Sean Murphy, who was hurt last year and could not pitch, now returns to the mound for the Blue Blazes. When he last played, he batted .357 with six doubles as the designated hitter. Zach Collett hit .452 with 18 RBIs and seven doubles. Finally, Joe Quinlan had a .389 batting average, and Matt Weimer pitched to a 5-1 record with a 2.33 ERA.

Season outlook: Last season’s heartbreaking loss to Biddeford in the regional finals should give Westbrook some motivation going into this spring. The Blazes are a talented team with a great deal of experience and that should be a big help as the team tries to get to the state championship game this season. Still, Rutherford knows that, even with one of the strongest teams in Class A, the Blazes still need to find ways to win close games, a problem that hurt the team last season. “With eight position players and all three starting pitchers back, the team should be ranked as one of the best in the state,” Rutherford said. “Scott Heath, Zach Gardiner and Zach Collett have been starters since their freshman year. Westbrook has been to two Western Maine finals in the last three years. Sean Murphy is returning from an arm injury to bolster the pitching staff. Last year the team lost six games by a total of seven runs (four in extra innings) so for this team to win it all it has to find a way to win the close games!”

Girls Lacrosse

Coach: Deb Henry

Last year’s record: 6-6

Key returning players: The Blue Blazes will call upon the skills of Vanessa Bradbury, Ciera Bellino, Maryssa Arsenault, Sarah Howard, Megan Niehoff and Olivia Marsden to get through the 2011 campaign.

Season outlook: While Westbrook is fortunate to have a great many key players from last season return to the roster, the team does have a big hole to fill in net, the coach said. But Henry is bolstered by the fact that there are some new faces joining the team for the first time this spring, so she thinks the Blazes will be blessed with a deep roster. “We have our top scorers and defenders back this year, but we lost Lizzy Conley, a four-year starter and two-time SMAA all-star goalie, who will be hard to replace,” Henry said. “We have some new kids who are very athletic coming out for lacrosse this year, which should add to our team depth.”

Softball

Coach: Melanie Craig, first year

Last year’s record: 3-13

Key returning players: The Blazes are looking for a strong season from Lindsay Driscoll, Nicole Nutter, Kayla Winton, Katie Clark, Allison Lemay, Kayla Tibbets, Katelyn Benson, Haley Berry, Kaelyn Galipeau and Kayla Doiron.

Key games this season: “As a program trying to re-establish itself, every game is important,” Craig said. “It will be important for us to bring a strong work ethic, enthusiasm and consistent execution to every game.”

Season outlook: While Craig is new to Westbrook, she is not new to local softball, having previously coached at Gray-New Gloucester, where she also served as the school’s athletic director. She inherits a Westbrook softball program that has had some tough times, but she said she thinks that with some hard work, Westbrook softball can rebuild itself into a contending program. “The Lady Blazes are looking to establish itself as an emerging, competitive program that exemplified commitment, pride and teamwork,” Craig said.

Girls

outdoor track

Coach: Jessica White

Key returning athletes: White said that the Blazes need a strong season from Audrey Cobb in throws, Courtney Mailly in high jump and hurdles and Amanda Ross in sprints and long jump.

Season outlook: White said she has high hopes for the Blazes on the track this spring, especially considering the fact that more girls have joined the team, giving the Blazes the chance to compete in more events. “Westbrook girls track is looking forward to a great season,” White said. “Our numbers have doubled from last spring. With the increase in size, coaches are hoping to field more events and strengthen the relay teams.”

Boys

outdoor track

Coach: Scott Rush-Donohue

Last year’s record: The Blazes finished 13th at the Class A state championship meet

Key returning athletes: “There are many state championship qualifiers returning this season,” Rush-Donohue said. “These include Manny Vincent (sprints/jumps), Zachary Dugas (hurdles, high jump), Magnes Lewis (jumps), Chris Bowden (sprints, jumps), Ivan Jimenez (sprints), John Grondin (pole vault), Steven Wescott (javelin) and the distance crew of Glenn Emery, Jon Murray, James Wheatley and Fred Thompson.”

Key meets this season: “Every meet is a preparation for the county, SMAA and ultimately the Class A state championships,” said Rush-Donohue.

Season outlook: Like the girls team, the Westbrook boys track team will benefit from having more athletes this season. “Our coaches are excited, as our numbers are near 50 members, which certainly will improve our overall rankings,” Rush-Donohue said. “There are many outdoor and indoor returners who have helped in the scoring, and there will certainly be many ‘hidden gems’ in our new talent pool. It should be a very rewarding spring program for all that are involved.”

Boys Tennis

Coach: Tim Gillis

Last year’s record: 6-6

Key returning players: The Blazes will look for excellent seasons from team leaders like Matt Cottrell, Ian Karby, Dylan Gillis, Nathan Mailly and Graham Strondak.

Key matches this season: Gillis expects tough competition from Windham, Cheverus, and Kennebunk

Season outlook: “We have everyone back, save one, so we aim to improve on last season’s eighth-place finish,” Gillis said. “We hope to add depth and competition for spots, especially in the doubles department. Cheverus and Kennebunk look strong, and Windham is always good, so we know we have some big challenges ahead.”

The boys lacrosse and girls tennis previews were not available as of press time.

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