The snow is starting to melt, and most of the students at KHS are counting down the days until the start of spring sports.  This will be the last season for the majority of Kennebunk Rams competing in the WMC before the move to SMAA.  Girls Softball and Boys baseball kick off their seasons on March 20th for pitchers and catchers.  The other spring sports begin their seasons on March 27th. Here’s an inside look at each varsity spring sport at KHS:

Baseball

      Head Coach: Brian Dill

      First Game:   April 5 at Massabesic

Justin Wiggins says he is excited for the beginning of his senior season. He says the team goals for this season are to “reduce the amount of errors in games and keep the opponents from staying on base.” The boys finished last season with a 6-10 record which landed them in 12th place, the last slot for playoffs.  The baseball team got to play at Hadlock Field where they lost to South Portland 12-3, which ended their 2016 season.  Junior Cole Hoffman believes “this will be [the baseball team’s] best season in terms of regular season wins before moving to the SMAA”.  The baseball teams believe that they have a good change of placing highly in their class.  The baseball team graduated a lot of seniors last year, so the team is on the lookout for younger players to step up and fill big roles.  The team believes the leadership of the team needs to be players who take the game seriously and care about the welfare of the team.

      Player to Watch:  Derek Smith

Softball

      Head Coach:  Kortney Nadeau

      First Game:    April 14 @ KHS vs York

The girls softball team is coming off a 4-12 season from last year, which put them in 15th place.  Junior Kylie DeFeo says, “This season I’m looking forward to improving from last season. We will have some new people in the program so I look forward to seeing where they fit in the team and getting to play with new people. I would say the biggest goal we have as a team is to make playoffs.”

Player to Watch: Allie Gregoire

Girl’s Lacrosse

      Head Coach: Annie Barker

      First Game:   April 8 at Massabesic

The girls lacrosse team is coming off a strong season with a undefeated 2016 state title.  The girls lost 13 seniors coming into this season, five of which continued to play at the collegiate level.  The team has a strong defense, only allowing an average of 3.5 goals per game in the 2016 season. Underclassmen have the opportunity this season to have an impact on the team.  The team has strong leadership under captains Hallie Schwartzman, Gabby Fogg and Marran Oakman.  Senior Gabby Fogg says “it’s a building year for us.  We have good talent through the seniors and underclassmen and that will help us out.”

Girl’s Lacrosse Player to Watch:  Erin Gorton

Boys Lacrosse

   Head Coach: Dan Seavey

   First Game: April 7 vs Gould (Home)

Senior Camden Connor says the team’s ultimate goal is to “make it to states”. The boys capped off the 2016 season in third place and an 8-4 record. The boys lost in a 10-9 battle against Falmouth in the semi-final round last season. The boys lost a core group of seniors to graduation last year, but are looking for leadership in Camden Connor and Brenden Whitten, as well as young talent from underclassmen.

    Player to watch: Dante Delorenzo

Track and Field (Boy/Girls):

  Head Coach: Joshua Viola

  First Meet:    April 28 at York High School

According to Mr. Viola, the girls Track team is looking strong this year.  He says, “We have a strong sophomore class with strong senior leadership.” Captain Louise Holway is coming off a strong indoor season in which she competed at New England’s.  

The boys team is very young with a strong freshman boys class.  Lucas Marquis,  Scott Lightbody, Simon Butterfield and Alden Shields are predicted to be on the bus to states this year.   Coach Viola is “excited for this season because he believes the girls team has a chance of excelling at the state meet.”  

   Track athletes to watch: Zack Sullivan and Chloe Smith

Boys Tennis

   Head Coach:  Paul Gaylord

   First Match:   April 26 @ Falmouth

The boys tennis team was so close to making the cut for playoffs last season, finishing in 9th place in an eight team tournament bracket.  The boys finished with a 2-10 record last season.  The boys are coached by Paul Gaylord who has a strong tennis background and loves to play the game himself.  The boys tennis team is hopeful to win some more matches this season and hopefully make playoffs in 2017.  

Player to Watch:  Caleb Eickmann

Girls Tennis

     Head Coach: Jacquelyn Holmes    

      First Match: April 25 @ KHS Home Court

The Girls tennis squad are headed into a new season with a new Coach, Jacquelyn Holmes.  The team is combined with Wells Girls Tennis players, Grace and Rosemary Campanella being large impact players on the team.  Senior Captain Grace Mastrangelo says “we are a Class A but we are only playing one other Class A team in the season.  We have a couple of really competitive girls playing and we hope to excel as a team this season.’  The Girls Tennis team finished with a 1-11 record, which seeded the team in 15th place.

    Player to Watch: Grace Campanella