The re-entry rule is re-entering American Legion baseball this year, and central Maine coaches couldn’t be happier.
After several years of following Major League Baseball rules, the American Legion decided to bring back the rule that allows coaches to put players back on the field if they left the game for a pinch-hitter or pinch-runner.
Coaches in Maine Zones 1 and 2 welcomed the change.
“I like it. We’ve already used it,” said Messalonskee Post 51 co-coach Rusty Mercier. “We had a 14-inning game (Monday night) against Brewer (a 7-6 win). And when you’ve got 15 or 16 kids at a game, it gives you the ability to keep all of the kids involved.”
Numbers have been declining for quite some time in Legion baseball and coaches believed the idea of sitting on the bench for an entire game made it less appealing for kids and frustrated coaches looking to distribute playing time more evenly.
“I love it,” Augusta Elks coach Tim Rodrigue said. “They want you to carry 18 kids on your roster, and trying to get them all in was hard to do.”
Coaches, meanwhile, are learning or re-learning the art of taking full advantage of the rule.
“It could be very helpful,” Franklin County coach Kyle Gunzinger said. “I haven’t used it yet. The major league rule is so ingrained. You’ve got to get readjusted, so to speak.”
Zone 2 opened its season June 14. Zone 1 started playing ball Monday.
Zone 2, which underwent a dramatic realignment last year, has undergone a few more changes for this season. Tri-Town, based in Poland, folded, and Andy Valley, the Turner-based club that had to fold at the start of last season, remains dormant. Highland Green (Topsham) merged with Brunswick and will now be known as Brunswick.
The top eight teams in the nine-team zone will advance to the zone tournament, which will be held at Augusta’s CARA complex July 18-20. The zone regular season and tournament champions will advance to the state tournament, which will also be held in Augusta July 27-31.
Defending zone champion Bessey Motors (Oxford Hills) will be among the favorites again this year, along with Pastime Club (Lewiston) and Rogers Post (Auburn).
Augusta should be able to challenge with a roster drawing from Cony, Erskine, Hall-Dale and Maranacook high schools. Rodrigue touts his pitching depth, which includes Mountain Valley Conference player of the year Ryan Sinclair of Hall-Dale and Kolbe Merfeld and Justin Rodrigue of Cony. 2015 Kennebec Journal Player of the Year Cam Brochu, formerly of Maranacook, highlights the post-grads returning.
Gardiner, which draws from Gardiner and Oak Hill high schools as well as Monmouth Academy, has solid pitching with Gardiner’s Hunter Chasse and Monmouth’s Nick Sanborn and Hunter Richardson leading the way. Gardiner’s Devin Maschino and Oak Hill’s Dalton Therrien and Jonah Martin give them strong defense up the middle and get the offense in gear at the top of the lineup.
Franklin County, which draws from Mt. Blue, Spruce Mountain and Rangeley high schools, experienced a lot of turnover and has one of the younger teams in the zone. Mt. Blue products Colton Lawrence and Ryan Pratt are among the top veterans returning.
In Zone 1, defending champion Messalonskee Post 51 of Oakland, which draws from Messalonskee, Lawrence, Waterville and Winslow high schools, also experienced a lot of turnover with just a handful of players returning from last year. But it should still be a force in the zone and state tournaments with Winslow’s Jake Trask, Lawrence’s Derek Bowen, Messalonskee’s Jared Cunningham and post-grads Trevor Gettig of Messalonskee and Danny Pooler of Waterville among the contributors.
Post 51 will battle two-time defending state champion Coffee News of Bangor, Hampden and Brewer for the zone title. Skowhegan/Madison also looks to contend with a roster that features recent Valley graduate Cody Laweryson, who is headed to the University of Maine on a baseball scholarship, as well as Madison’s Chase Malloy and Ryan Emery.
The top six teams in the eight-team zone qualify for the zone tournament, with the top two teams from the regular season earning a first-round bye. All games will be played at the site of the higher seed.
The state’s Junior Legion league has 22 teams this year, with Augusta, Lawrence, Messalonskee and Skowhegan competing in the nine-team Northern Division.
Randy Whitehouse — 621-5638
rwhitehouse@mainetoday.com
Twitter: @RAWmaterial33
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