BASEBALL

Coach: Don Dutton (second year)

2023 record: 14-4-1 (Lost, 4-2, to Yarmouth in Class B South Final)

Top returning players: Gabe Harmon (Senior), Charlie Song (Senior), Jameson Bryant (Junior), Andy Choi (Junior), Jimmy Hollowell (Junior), Brady Inman (Junior)

Pivotal games: April 22 YARMOUTH, April 24 @ Wells, May 6 WELLS, May 10 @ Yarmouth, May 13 @ Greely, May 22 GREELY, May 28 @ Freeport

Coach’s comment: “I think this year’s team is better than last year’s team that was one win away from competing in the state championship game. We have a solid foundation, as well as veteran leadership. The players are committed to being successful and are ready to prove that we’re a top contender in Class B South.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Dutton enjoyed a dream debut season right up until the regional final when the Capers dug an early hole against Yarmouth and couldn’t quite rally. This year’s team could be even better when all is said and done.

Harmon is one of the state’s elite hitters. Last year, as a first-team league all-star, Harmon hit .500, scored 22 runs, drove in 14 and had 12 steals. He’s a top pitcher as well. Last season, Harmon gave up just one run in 11 innings while fanning 10 batters. Bryant (4-0, 1.16 earned run average, 35 Ks) and Inman (0.96 ERA) will be atop this year’s pitching rotation. Choi (1-0, 1.34 ERA, 10 Ks) and Harmon will also see key innings. Hollowell will be behind the plate. He didn’t commit an error last spring and hit .404 with eight RBI. Song can also catch, but his primary position is the outfield. Song hit .330 last year, leading the team in bases on balls with 18 while posting an .875 on-base percentage. Inman (.255, nine runs, five RBI) is a top middle infielder. Bryant and Choi will anchor the outfield. Senior outfielder Ceroi Mello, sophomore infielder Caiden Johnson and freshmen outfielders Max Hayward and Jackson York are key newcomers.

Cape Elizabeth opened with a 3-2, eight-inning home win over Poland Monday. Harmon homered and got the win in relief and Inman added two hits. The Capers are motivated to finish what last year’s team started and have the pieces in place to excel from start to finish.

SOFTBALL

Coach: Danica Gleason (second year)

2023 record: 7-9 (no postseason)

Top returning players: Grace Callahan (Senior), Sophia Chung (Senior), Lauren Steinberg (Senior), Anna Macisso (Junior), Molly McKibben (Junior), Phoebe Caton (Sophomore)

Pivotal games: April 22 YARMOUTH, May 1 YORK, May 8 @ Lake Region, May 10 @ Yarmouth, May 13 @ Greely, May 15 @ Poland, May 17 @ York, May 22 GREELY

Coach’s comment: “We’re still a young and inexperienced team. We’ll use both pitchers to get us through every game. We’re asking Finn (Gilbert), Shyla (McVeigh) and Kelsie (Law) to step into big roles and they’re ready. The more games we play the better we’ll get, so we’ll peak at the right time.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Cape Elizabeth fell just short of the playoffs last spring, but that was an aberration. The Capers should be right back in the hunt this season and could make a deep run if all goes well.

Chung was a first-team league all-star in 2023. She’s a top shortstop and hitter and will play an integral role in this year’s team’s success. Caton and sophomore Finn Gilbert will both see time on the mound. Steinberg, a second-team all-star last year, is back behind the plate. McKibben will play second. Sophomore Shyla McVeigh can catch and play third base. Gilbert and sophomore Kelsie Law can play multiple positions. Callahan and Macisso anchor the outfield.

Cape Elizabeth will score its share of runs. The Capers have a learning curve on defense and on the mound, but will never be out of a game. Some early success will go a long way for this group. Look for a return to prominence as the season progresses.

BOYS’ LACROSSE

Coach: Ben Raymond (26th year, 329-50 overall record, 14 state championships)

2023 record: 17-0 (Beat South Portland, 17-6, to win third consecutive Class A state title)

Top returning players: Colin Blackburn (Senior), Sam Cochran (Senior), Mike Foley (Senior), Tom Hennessey (Senior), Keegan Lathrop (Senior), Jake Leiss (Senior), Bobby Offit (Senior), Alex van Huystee (Senior)

Pivotal games: April 24 @ Falmouth, April 30 @ Yarmouth, May 11 THORNTON ACADEMY, May 15 FALMOUTH, May 21 @ Thornton Academy, May 29 YARMOUTH

Coach’s comment: “This is an exciting season for our seniors who are looking to be the first class in a long time to go four-for-four. It will be a very difficult task, but one that this group of seniors I know is focused on. They have been doing the work it will take to at least have a shot at such a cool accomplishment. We have a group of very talented seniors but after that group the underclassmen have not had a lot of big-game experience, so they will need to improve throughout the season to be ready for playoffs. We should be pretty strong on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball and be able to play multiple styles successfully. It is an excellent group of players that enjoys competing with and against each other on a daily basis.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Cape Elizabeth has long been the gold standard in Maine high school boys’ lacrosse, but what the Capers have done post-COVID has simply been breathtaking. Entering the season, Cape Elizabeth has won 47 of its last 49 games and it has rolled to each of the past three Class A state titles. The Capers haven’t “four-peated” since the turn of the millennium, but they have what it takes to keep the good times rolling, as evidenced by a decisive 17-4 win over South Portland in last week’s regular season opener, Cape Elizabeth’s 24th consecutive victory over three seasons.

The offense will be prolific yet again. Lathrop, who will play at the University of Delaware next season, is the biggest name. An All-American and first-team league all-star in 2023, Lathrop is simply unstoppable on attack, but he’s more than happy to defer to his teammates when the opposition sends extra bodies his way. Second-team all-star Cochran (four goals, four assists in the opener), Offit (four goals in the first game) and freshman Max Backman are other top threats up top. The Capers’ midfield is sensational as well. That group features van Huystee (five goals in the first game), Hennessey, senior faceoff specialist Will Picarillo (who won 18 of 20 opportunities last week against the Red Riots), senior Ben Gordon, juniors Aiden Connolly, Tully Haydar and Logan McVeigh, sophomore Alex Mainville and freshman Bennett Hooper (who will see time on faceoffs as well). While the offense gets most of the attention, Cape Elizabeth’s defense is always a difference-maker, as the Capers pounce on ground balls and shut down opposing scorers better than anyone. Blackburn’s already stymied South Portland standout Beckett Mehlhorn this season and he’s far from finished. Blackburn (a first-team all-star in 2023) is joined by Leiss, senior Seamus Jennings, junior Cam Leonhirth and sophomore Callum Mitchell. Foley, another reigning all-star, returns in goal. When he does have to come up with a big save, Foley doesn’t disappoint. Senior James York and junior Luke Gagne will cycle in and get an opportunity between the pipes as well.

Everyone is gunning for the Capers, but this group again appears to be at another level. Perhaps Falmouth or Thornton Academy can find a way to deny it another piece of hardware, but until someone actually proves Cape Elizabeth is mortal, it’s the clear team to beat. Just the way the Capers like it.

GIRLS’ LACROSSE

Coach: Alex Spark (ninth year, 57-56 overall record, two state championships)

2023 record: 4-11 (Lost, 14-10, to Yarmouth in Class A state preliminary round)

Top returning players: Lucie Boudreau (Senior), Kierith Gentilini (Senior), Kaity Woods (Senior), Heather Campbell (Junior), Campbell DeGeorge (Junior), Libby Hooper (Junior)

Pivotal games: April 23 @ Kennebunk, April 27 YARMOUTH, May 2 GREELY, May 9 YORK, May 14 FREEPORT, May 21 @ Yarmouth, May 29 @ York

Coach’s comment: “This group is all in. We finished last season hitting our stride at the end and now, we’re starting in a better place. We’re locked in. We are ready for the challenges this season. We did not have any seniors last year, so we’re back this spring with the same group, and the addition of some underclassmen talent, and are ready to work hard. We’re excited to have a good group of senior leaders for this season. They all bring something positive to the team. This is a very talented and motivated group of players that is capable of doing great things. We know what we’re capable of. We’re looking forward to seeing the top teams and the tough games. We strive to learn and get better with every game and practice and hope to make a big postseason run.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Cape Elizabeth was extremely young a year ago and took its lumps, but the Capers finished strong and are primed to be a top contender in Class A this spring. Cape Elizabeth hopes to build on the momentum it established when it gave Yarmouth a mighty scare in last year’s playoffs and after opening with a 12-4 victory at North Yarmouth Academy last week, it appears the Capers are on the right track.

Woods was a first-team league all-star in 2023 and returns as a top player and captain this spring. She’ll be in the midfield and will do a little of everything. DeGeorge (six goals in the opener), Hooper (three goals last week) and Campbell are other top threats in the midfield. Hooper also will take the majority of draws and create instant offense. Freshman Wylie Stoecklein is poised to step in and be a top scorer as well. Boudreau, a junior captain and all-star a year ago, and Gentilini (another reigning all-star) pace the defense. Junior Belle Reeves and freshman Ella Royer will both see time in goal.

For a couple of years, Cape Elizabeth came back to the pack, but the Capers, who lost their second outing Monday, 13-12, in overtime to Gorham, are on the brink of returning to prominence. This group is only going to get better and we’ll be hearing about them well into June.

OUTDOOR TRACK

Coach: Doug Worthley (27th year, two state championships)

2023 record:

(Boys) tie-21st @ Class B state meet

(Girls) 12th @ Class B state meet

Top returning athletes:

(Boys) Will Fougere (Senior), Oliver Hardin (Senior), Sebastian Hesser (Senior), Parker Merriam (Senior), Finn Morris (Senior), Kian O’Reilly (Senior), Logan Schwartz (Senior), Simon Shyka-Brown (Senior), Danny Gray (Junior), Mason Shur (Sophomore)

(Girls) Hadley Mahoney (Senior), Emma Young (Senior), Ava Daviault (Sophomore), Reagan Gajan (Sophomore), Sloan Gardner (Sophomore), Molly Nagel (Sophomore)

Coach’s comment: “With a strong veteran squad and many athletic rookies, the boys’ team could do well at the conference meet and send several boys to the states. While the girls’ team is quite young, we look forward to sending a strong squad to the state meet and hope to place in the top 10.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Cape Elizabeth hopes to hold its own in the regular season and looks to move up the standings at states this year.

The girls’ squad returns Gardner, who was fourth in the shot put in 2023. Sophomore Maisie Rayback and freshman Lily Davis will also take part in the throws. Gajan is a top jumper. On the track, Daviaut, Davis, Nagel and Rayback all compete in the sprints. Mahoney and Young will be strong in the longer races.

On the boys’ side, a veteran distance core, featuring Hesser, Merriam, Morris and Shyka-Brown, will be formidable. Fougere hopes to score in the racewalk. Schwartz paces the sprinters, with help from O’Reilly and freshman Javi Angie-Sutherland. On the field side, Gray, Hardin and Shur are throwers to keep an eye on. Junior Eli Morse and freshmen Owen Beauregard and Josh Weise look to step in and help the cause as well.

BOYS’ TENNIS

Coach: Andy Strout (45th year, 16 state championships)

2023 record: 9-5 (Lost, 4-1, to eventual state champion Yarmouth in Class B South semifinals)

Top returning players: Gabe Berman (Senior), Owen Bromage (Senior), Hunter Colpitts (Senior), Luke Fredericks (Senior), Theo Rodrigues (Senior)

Coach’s comment: “With our senior leadership and good depth, we hope for a long run in the playoffs.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Cape Elizabeth, like everyone else, had no answers for the Yarmouth juggernaut a year ago, but this season, the Capers could take the next step.

Berman, a first-team league all-star in 2023, is the top returner. He’ll be in the first singles spot. Rodrigues (a second-team all-star a year ago) projects to play second singles and Bromage will be at third singles. Colpitts and Fredericks are in the mix to play first doubles. Freshmen Liam O’Brien and Kenyon Smith will also have an opportunity to show what they’re made of.

GIRLS’ TENNIS

Coach: Sarah Boeckel (13th year, one state championship)

2023 record: 9-5 (Lost, 3-1, to Lincoln Academy in Class B South semifinals)

Top returning players: Maddie Hansen (Senior), Aurora Milton (Senior), Elena Rosenberg (Junior), Emma Gebhart (Sophomore), Gillian Lench (Sophomore)

Coach’s comment: “We have five out of our top seven returning from last year. We’re a young team, looking for growth throughout the season, and hopefully playing our best at the end.”

The Forecaster’s forecast: Cape Elizabeth is once again on the short list of top teams in Class B South, hoping to go a little further than it did a year ago.

Hansen was a first-team all-star a year ago and will again be a top singles player, along with Milton (second-team) and Rosenberg. Gebhart and Lench saw playing time as freshmen and will be involved in doubles.

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net.

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