Greely pitcher/third baseman Marky Axelsen hit .449 with eight doubles and two home runs last season. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

Alex Allain, Fryeburg sophomore shortstop: A first-team Western Maine Conference pick at second base as a freshman, Allain hit .308 with 22 runs and 17 RBI. He will move to shortstop and support top returning starter Ethan Lord (4-2, 1.83 ERA) on the Raiders’ staff.

Max Andrews, Kennebunk junior shortstop: Andrews, coming off an injury that curtailed his football season, has verbally committed to play at Northeastern. He moves to short after being a second-team SMAA third baseman as a sophomore, when he hit .332 with three homers and 14 RBI.

Marky Axelsen, Greely senior third base/pitcher: A workout fiend and one of the top overall players in southern Maine, Axelsen is a four-year starter with a potent bat (.449, eight doubles, two homers among his 25 hits and a 1.296 OPS). He will move back to third, the position he’ll be playing at Bentley University.

Reegan Buck, Portland senior center fielder: A four-year varsity player, Buck is a premier fielder and a year ago hit .260 with 12 runs and 11 steals. He’s part of a good nucleus of Bulldogs intent on improving after an uncharacteristic 2-14 season.

Spencer Carpenter, Wells senior pitcher/outfielder: Carpenter was the Western Maine Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2023, when he went 5-1 with 0.57 ERA. He also hit .440 with nine doubles and a home run, driving in 12.

Yarmouth’s Andrew Cheever was a Varsity Maine All-State selection last year. He had four saves and a 0.93 ERA, and batted .406 for the Class B South champions. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer

Andrew Cheever, Yarmouth senior shortstop/pitcher: One of six returning Varsity Maine All-State players in southern Maine, Cheever helped Yarmouth win the Class B South title with stellar defense, strong hitting (.406 average, 17 runs) and four saves and a 0.93 ERA as a relief pitcher. He has signed a national letter of intent to play at Division I Merrimack College.

Jeremiah Chessie, Thornton Academy senior shortstop/pitcher: A four-year starter and one of two returning starters back for the Class A South runner-up, Chessie is also expected to handle a regular turn in the starting rotation for a young, talented squad.

Liam Emmons, Freeport sophomore pitcher/first baseman/outfielder: The Falcons have many strong upperclassmen, but Emmons is coming off a good freshman season in which he hit two homers with 12 runs and 10 RBI, and recorded three saves without an earned run allowed, striking out 11 in 6 1/3 innings.

Noah Fitzgerald, Marshwood senior pitcher/outfielder: A returning Varsity Maine All-State pick, Fitzgerald is one of the top starting pitchers in Maine, coming off a 7-2 season with a 0.38 ERA and 74 strikeouts over 54 2/3 innings. His presence makes the Hawks a top contenders in Class A South. He also hit .263 with nine doubles.

Ben Gill, Sanford senior pitcher/first base: Third-year coach Kyle Bernier thinks the Spartans can be a top-four team in Class A South. Gill heads a strong senior class. He was a first-team SMAA first baseman in his first year playing the position and has polished his pitch repertoire, including a fastball that reaches 90 mph.

Gavin Haggett, Biddeford junior pitcher: Haggett compiled a 3.44 ERA against many of the top Class A South teams as a sophomore. He now leads a veteran staff that should be strong enough to get the Tigers back into the playoffs after just missing out with a 7-9 record in 2023.

Finn Harkins, Boothbay/Wiscasset senior pitcher/outfield/infield: Boothbay, with two players from Wiscasset, returns seven players and plenty of pitching, and this season will compete in Class D South in the playoffs after playing a strong Class C schedule. Harkins leads the group as a middle-of-the-order hitter and top pitcher.

Gabe Harmon, Cape Elizabeth senior shortstop/pitcher: Another returning Varsity Maine All-State pick, Harmon went 1-1 with five saves and a 0.70 ERA as a relief pitcher. He’s also a dangerous offensive player with speed who hit .450 and scored 23 runs. He’s committed to play at Babson College.

Brady Harvie, Windham senior pitcher/infielder: Harvie struck out 41 hitters and posted a 1.40 ERA over 39 innings for the Eagles, who expect to improve on last season’s 6-11 record. He also hit .250 and stole nine bases.

Falmouth senior catcher Ethan Hendry, center, batted .395 with 20 RBI and a team-high 14 steals last season. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

Ethan Hendry, Falmouth senior catcher: A rare four-year catcher in the Class A South ranks, Hendry was a Varsity Maine All-State pick in 2023 after hitting .395 with 20 RBI and a team-high 14 steals. He threw out eight of the 12 runners who tried to steal against him. He will play next year with NCAA Division II Embry-Riddle.

Lucas Houghton, Lincoln Academy senior center fielder: A four-year varsity player, Houghton leads a team that returns most of its starters from a 6-10 squad. Houghton hit .500 with 14 steals and did not make an error in his junior all-KVAC season.

Hudson Iacuessa, South Portland sophomore first baseman/pitcher: One of two starters back for the defending Class A champions, Iacuessa was the regular right fielder and hit .276 as a freshman. He is the only Red Riot with any varsity pitching experience, throwing five scoreless innings against Deering.

Cole Lambert, Waynflete/NYA senior pitcher/shortstop: A four-year varsity pitcher, Lambert went 6-1 with a 1.73 ERA and hit .292 last season for the Class C co-op team that went 14-4 overall and reached the regional semifinal. In his career, Lambert is 12-2 on the mound.

Bryden Marcotte, Massabesic senior catcher: The Mustangs were a solid 7-9 last year and nearly upset No. 6 Marshwood in the Class A South preliminary round. Marcotte, a four-year starter who hit .354 and has a strong arm, is one of six returning starters for a team looking to take another step forward.

Chris Murphy, Cheverus senior second base/pitcher: A four-year varsity player and strong defender who hit .280 as a junior, Murphy will be expected to log innings as a starter for a team that has talent but is mostly untested after going 10-8 with a playoff win a year ago.

Brennan Rumpf, Falmouth senior pitcher/infielder: A four-year varsity player and returning Varsity Maine All-State selection, Rumpf was the SMAA Pitcher of the Year in 2023 and went 7-0 with a 0.28 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 49 1/3 innings. The University of Maine commit also hit .388.

Erik Swenson, Scarborough junior pitcher: With Swenson and seniors Zak Sanders and Harrison Griffiths (Bentley commit), the Red Storm (11-6 a year ago) have three strong pitchers who each had ERAs well below 2.00. Swenson’s was 0.58 in 35 2/3 innings.

Caleb Vacchiano, Sacopee Valley shortstop: The UMaine-bound Vacchiano put up eye-popping numbers as a junior, hitting .645 with nine home runs, 23 steals and 44 RBI as the Hawks went 18-1 and reached the C South final.

Jacob Watkinson, Oceanside junior pitcher/right fielder: The Mariners went 11-6 last season with an extremely youthful roster. Watkinson was a big reason for the success, going 5-2 with five complete games and a 2.28 ERA while hitting .384 from the cleanup slot. Oceanside lost one starter from last year’s team.

CJ Whitehead, Gorham senior catcher/outfielder: A four-year starter who first-year head coach Ed Smith calls Gorham’s catalyst, the strong-armed Whitehead hit .362 with 15 RBI and 11 steals as a junior.