It wasn’t that long ago when Boothbay baseball was in a pickle. The high school team hadn’t won a game in nearly four seasons. The middle school team didn’t field a team for a couple seasons. And participation in Little League for players 9-12 years old was dropping. But in 2019, it seems Boothbay’s baseball diamonds are a field of dreams for the region’s youth as the high and middle school  teams and a revamped youth program are all set to play ball this spring.

On the high school diamond, Ed Crocker starts his second season as the Seahawks’ skipper coming off the most successful season in years. Boothbay won only three games, but the team continues each season making small strides in the competitive Mountain Valley Conference. In 2017, Boothway won twice, and in 2016, it won its first game in over 50 contests.

This season, Crocker has 17 players signed up. Crocker is optimistic that he has a good blend of experience and athleticism on the roster. “There was some uncertainty to start. Originally, we only had 10, but a few more showed up after we knew there would be a season,” Crocker said. “We may not have a lot of experience, but there are a lot of good athletes and I’m really looking forward to starting.”

Crocker is hoping for good weather so his team can practice outdoors in preparation for the season opener April 19 versus Dirigo in Dixfield. Seventeen players may not sound like a large roster, but it might allow Boothbay to play some junior varsity contests. Crocker likes 17 on his varsity roster because it provides some “insurance” in case players become injured, academically ineligible or another reason arises for not playing. 

“As far as JVs go, we want to see how the season goes. We don’t want to schedule games, and not be able to play them,” Crocker said. “But it would be a big plus for our program. We have a couple of classes who haven’t played spring baseball in a couple years because of no middle school team. So getting our freshmen and sophomores a chance to play against similar-aged kids would be great.”

And Boothbay baseball has another reason to cheer this season, as the Boothbay Region Elementary School team returns to Busline League action playing a majority eighth grade schedule. 

The Wildcats have 12 games scheduled against league opponents with a couple against seventh grade teams. Smith Climo is coaching. His assistant is Adam Harkins who has been involved with the local youth baseball and softball instructional programs for several seasons. Harkins reports the Wildcats have 15 players this spring. 

Besides his experience in youth baseball and softball coaching his sons and daughter, Harkins is also a former Seahawk baseball player. A 1993 BRHS graduate, Harkins is excited to see all three youth age groups playing baseball this spring. “We’ve done a lot of door knocking trying  to get kids to play and it’s gratifying to see so many kids playing ball. It’s really a great thing,” he said.

After playing three years of Little League, seventh grader Zaid Osman is ready to play ball on the big diamond. “I’m looking forward to playing ball and having a good time. There is nothing like playing third base so you can rocket a ball across the field to first base and showcase your arm,” Osman said.

Several local 12-year-olds are eligible to play middle school and the newly formed Cal Ripken Baseball League. This is Boothbay’s first year in the league, which has two age divisions: 9 to 10  and 11 to 12. Local youth baseball officials opted to leave Lincoln County Little League this season to play in the new league. The Midcoast Cal Ripken League includes teams from Wiscasset, Boothbay Region, Richmond and multiple squads from Brunswick. 

John Splaine has volunteered as a youth baseball coach for years, but this season he is acting as an administrator. He explained the change to Cal Ripken was so younger players would have a better baseball experience. “The age difference between 9 and 12 year olds was too much. If you have a small 9 batting against a mature 12, they have no chance. The younger kids had a tough time batting,” he said. “But when we took our 9 and 10 year olds to a postseason tournament and played against same age competition, the difference was night and day.”

While Boothbay has made significant strides in attracting more youth to baseball, it still has hurdles to clear. Seventh-grade slugger Luke Morley is playing Cal Ripken, but he’s not playing for the middle school team. He is throwing the shot put for the BRES track and field team. “Football is my favorite sport, but baseball is a close second,”he said. “I’m doing track this spring, but when I get to high school I will probably play baseball for a couple years to see how it goes.”

Osman is also eligible to play both middle school baseball and Cal Ripken, but he is only participating in one. “I’d like to play Cal Ripken, but I can’t. I’m playing AAU basketball this spring,” he said.

Boothbay is teaming up with the Wiscasset Cal Ripken program this season. Each will have a 9 and 10 year old and 11 and 12 year old team, but all the home games will be played in Wiscasset. The teams will play two games per week totaling 12 for the season. On March 21, Boothbay Region had nearly 30 players sign up for Cal Ripken this spring.