Since taking over the Thomas College softball program for the 2009 season, Terry Parlin has fielded competitive teams, albeit ones that didn’t have much in the way of pitching depth. In terms of quality and numbers, this is certainly the best pitching staff the Terriers have had in many years.

There are three returning pitchers — Chelsea Hale, Faith Robinson, and Nicole Ryder. Then there are three newcomers who are familiar names to central Maine softball fans. There’s sophomore Sonja Morse, a standout at Cony High School, and two more capable freshman pitchers: Taylor Johnson of Skowhegan and Emily McKenney of Madison Area Memorial High School. Johnson and McKenney both starred on state championship teams last spring. McKenney was last season’s Morning Sentinel Softball Player of the Year, and Morse was the Kennebec Journal Player of the Year in 2013.

“I obviously see Sonja, Emily, and Taylor to be a great find for us,” Parlin said. “All three transferred in. I can’t take any credit for recruiting them.”

The Terriers are scheduled to play their first game March 17 at Gordon College, then play 12 games over five days in Clermont, Fla., at the end of the month. Parlin plans to use all six early in the season and in non-conference games, then choose the best pitchers for the conference schedule.

“I’m very concerned about getting them all pitching time,” Parlin said. “I don’t see pitching as being one of our weaknesses. There’s other things that we have to work on.”

Foremost among those is an unsettled outfield situation. Courtney Veilleux and Kate Thibodeau started each of Thomas’ three playoff games last spring, but Thibodeau was a senior and Veilleux is out for the season with an injury.

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“I think finding those three people in the outfield that can play adequate roles, that would be a concern for us right now,” Parlin said. “It’s very difficult for us to play inside as long as we have and not being able to hit a fly ball.”

While the Terriers don’t have many veteran outfielders, they are well above average in their number of Taylor Johnsons. In addition to the freshman from Skowhegan, there’s a freshman from Oxford Hills who is also named Taylor Johnson. They’re listed on the roster as Taylor M. Johnson and Taylor L. Johnson, respectively.

“It has been a little confusing,” Parlin admitted. “But we’ve worked out a way to differentiate between them, give them other names.”

• • •

When Thomas opened the North Atlantic Conference playoffs last May, it came against the University of Maine at Farmington. UMF’s third baseman and No. 3 hitter was Amy Jones, a former star at Cony High School.

Jones, who graduated from UMF in December, is now the Beavers’ head coach. That means every returning player on the roster was a teammate of hers last spring.

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After Cyndi Pratt stepped down, Jones said UMF hired two coaches, each of whom later resigned. Jones said she had been contacted by one of the coaches to serve as an assistant. When the job opened up again, she applied and was hired. Having graduated just a few months ago, this is her first head coaching job at the college or high school level, although she has prepared to be a coach.

“I actually got my coaching minor at Farmington,” Jones said, “And I have been working with the Rec in Augusta since I was 16.”

While Jones was UMF’s captain last season, she acknowledged it’s a tough adjustment to go from teammate to coach in one season.

“It’s been definitely a switch-over,” she said. “I don’t know if I’ve mastered it yet. The biggest for me was obviously gaining that respect, since I played with them last year. So far, I think it’s gone very well.”

Even without Jones — who hit .402 and made first-team all-conference last spring — the Beavers were picked for third place in the NAC preseason coaches’ poll. This is assuming, of course, that they get on the field. The season opener is March 14 against UMaine-Presque Isle at the Mahaney Dome on the UMaine campus, but the first home game is a doubleheader against Thomas on April 8. Jones said the UMF softball field has “at least three feet” of snow on it right now.

“If we don’t have any snow in March, I think we’ll be all set,” she said.

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• • •

The UMaine-Augusta women’s basketball team missed out on the USCAA national tournament. The Moose were 17-10 overall and lost in the Yankee Small College Conference semifinals by 11 points to the College of St. Joseph’s of Vermont. St. Joe’s is the No. 1 seed at nationals. UMA lost in overtime to St. Joe’s in January.

UMA received several other honors this season. Richmond grad Jamie Plummer, a sophomore for the Moose, was named YSCC Player of the Year. In 27 games this season, Plummer averaged 20.7 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. Plummer also had 42 steals, blocked 52 shots, and was second on the team in assists.

“Jamie has been an extraordinary basketball player, motivator, and leader,” UMA coach Jennifer Laney said. “Athletically, we can use her at all five positions, and we’ve done that this year as well. Defensively, really the same thing: We’ve had her guarding teams’ best post players. We’ve had her guarding their best shooter. She can really perform inside and outside at both ends of the court.”

Plummer missed the first month of preseason due to illness, then returned and led the Moose on court and off as a team captain. Laney said Plummer gets everybody going, then keeps them focused.

“She always surprises me,” Laney said. “She always comes in with something new, and is more than willing to work hard, and strive to be the best basketball player and the best athlete she can be.”

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In addition, Laney was named as the YSCC Coach of the Year.

“I was very surprised,” she said. “You don’t really expect it. We certainly have great assistant coaches who make me look good, and the players do as well.”

Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243

mdifilippo@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @Matt_DiFilippo


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