2022 Spring Team Preview: South Portland
March 30, 2022
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2022 Spring Team Preview: South Portland
SOUTH PORTLAND, Me. - The 2020 season was expected to be “the year” for South Portland. While the campaign was unfortunately canceled, the Red Riots made a remarkable run to a state championship in 2021, the first at South Portland since 1952.
“We were heavy favorites the year before, but with Covid we had no season and then graduated 14 seniors,” reflected South Portland head coach Mike Owens.”Last year we went in as a six seed and had a nice run.”
Richard Gilboy's bases-loaded walk brought home the winning run in the bottom of the seventh in a 3-2 victory over Bangor in the Class A title game.
“We have a lot of guys back,” noted Owens, who enters his 12th year at the helm with a lot of success along the way, including four regional championship game appearances and a loss in the 2015 state finals to Bangor. “We graduated our ace, but we have our two and three back.”
While Bradley McMains is gone, a southpaw who threw a two-hit shutout in the regional finals, junior right-handers Nolan Hobbs and Andrew Heffernan return, giving Owens a pair of promising hurlers. Hobbs pitched in three postseason games a year ago, including the state finals, while Heffernan came on in relief to pick up the win in the championship game.
Senior Kenny Carlisle and junior Nick Swain bring two more arms with potential. Hobbs, Heffernan and Carlisle combined to go 9-4 a year ago with 106 strikeouts in 90 innings.
“I like the depth and the experience with a couple of kids,” Owens said.”They’re multi-sport athletes, guys that throw hard and guys that throw everything. They’re all strike throwers and they compete.”
Gilboy, a first baseman as a sophomore, may move to catcher this season after the left-handed hitter led South Portland in hitting a year ago. Finn O’Connell, the right fielder last year, is another potential catcher for the Red Riots, which lost Noah Dreifus to graduation. Swain is also in the running to go behind the plate.
There are a number of candidates to play first base, including Gilboy who was the three-hole hitter in 2021.
Connor Dobson graduated leaving a hole at second base with senior Jack Houle a likely replacement.
Junior Johnny Poole returns at shortstop with Heffernan the third baseman when not pitching.
Ryan Thurber will likely be in center field after splitting time between left and center as a junior with O’Connell another potential outfielder if not behind the plate. Senior Lex Domingos gives Owens another possible outfielder.
“Even though we are replacing some important positions, we have a lot of players back that are experienced and battle-tested playing in big games,” Owens explained. “We balance speed with a little pop and we play good defense. I like the balance with this team. It can do a little bit of everything.”
Of course, there are also some concerns following up a big year like 2021 when South Portland finished 16-5 overall, the losses coming by a combined seven runs.
“Even though we won it all last year, four of our six playoff games were decided by one run,” Owens pointed out. “If one bounce goes the other way the result goes the other way. Hopefully, we can score enough runs this year to put it all together.”
League play will be another challenge.
“We play in the best league in Maine this year, no exception,” Owens said. “There is some real tough pitching in our league with a lot of Division 1 arms.”
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