Messalonskee baseball team’s goal for the upcoming season
Senior catcher Michael Achorn is clear and decisive in stating the Messalonskee baseball team’s goal for the upcoming season.
“You got to win the state championship,” Achorn said, “or it’s a bust of a season. That’s the goal every year.”
The Eagles nearly achieved that objective last season. They clinched the Class B North title with a 4-3 victory over Bangor only to fall to South champ Scarborough 7-0 in the state final.
While the Eagles lost a couple of strong hitters to graduation, Achorn said offense remains a strength and sees the depth of hitting talent on the team as being even greater this spring.
Achorn is one of the leaders in this respect, finishing last year with a .409 batting average and a team-high five home runs. Junior Denny Martin, who hit .419, contributes another lethal bat to the lineup.
Athletic director Chad Foye said he sees Messalonskee as once again being one of the leading contenders for a state championship – thanks in large part to the team’s strength in all aspects of the game.
“Relative to other teams, from what I’ve seen (of our team), there’s not a glaring weakness that I can point out right now,” Foye said.
Achorn, too, is confident the Eagles have the all-around skills to compete with the best. At the same time, he sees some areas that have to be reinforced.
“Pitching is a concern,” he said, “in that we don’t have as many people [with varsity pitching experience] this year. We are going to have [to develop] more players into pitchers.”
Achorn said Martin, Jayme Wheeler, and Jordan Lewis provide a strong veteran core on the mound.
The state championship game is still months away, and while a triumph in that game remains the goal, Achorn said the Eagles are not overlooking the many steps that come first.
“All the other teams, you really worry about,” he said. “On any given day, you can lose, which would not be good.”