The University of Southern Maine baseball team jumped to No. 6 in the country in the latest d3baseball.com poll. The Huskies received one first-place vote, and a six-game win streak boosted USM’s record to 10-2. The Huskies were ranked 10th in the previous poll.

A handful of area players are off to strong starts for USM. Senior outfielder Devin Warren, a Messalonskee graduate, is hitting .353 and leads the team in runs batted in with 16. Warren also has 14 runs scored and a pair of home runs. Second baseman Jake Dexter, a preseason all-America selection by d3baseball.com, is hitting .346 with one home run and nine RBIs.

As a closer, Dexter has two saves and seven strikeouts in six innings pitched, with an earned run average of 3.00. Dexter already has the USM career record for saves, with 28. He set the Huskies single season mark with 13 saves last season.

Winslow’s Dylan Hapworth has 12 runs batted in and a .340 batting average. Five of Hapworth’s 16 hits went for extra bases, with four doubles and a triple.

Mt. Blue grad Colton Lawrence is 1-0 with a 4.35 ERA in eight relief appearances for the Huskies. Lawrence has 12 strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings, walking just three.

The Huskies are scheduled to play a doubleheader at Rhode Island College on Saturday.

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No matter what happens in the Colby College baseball team’s three-game series this weekend against Williams in Winter Haven, Florida, the Mules spring trip is a success. Colby opened the Florida swing with six consecutive wins. For a team that won seven games in the entire 2018 season, returning north with a winning record is an excellent start.

A 6-3 loss to Williams in Game 1 of a Friday doubleheader dropped Colby’s record to 6-2.

Over the six-game win streak, Colby hit .410 as a team, and posted an earned run average of 4.11. Through the first six games, the Mules used 14 pitchers, with eight posting an ERA under 4.00. Offensively, the Mules hot start was paced by junior third baseman William Wessman, who hit .400, with seven runs, two home runs and 11 runs batted in over the first six games. Outfielder Will Phelps hit .476 with seven runs scored and six driven in over the win streak, while infielder Andrew Russell hit .435 with eight runs, a home run and six runs batted in.

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The fast start could help Colby earn its first winning season since 2015, when the Mules went 20-14. This is the first season for new Colby head coach Jesse Woods, who spent the last eight seasons as an assistant coach at Notre Dame.

The Mules wrap up their Florida trip with a single game against New England Small College Athletic Conference rival Williams on Saturday. Colby is scheduled to host St. Joseph’s on Tuesday in its home opener.

 

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The Thomas College track and field team begins its first varsity outdoor season this weekend by competing in the Emory Classic at Emory College in Atlanta.

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The Terriers enjoyed a successful debut season indoors. Thomas sent three men’s and three women’s relay teams to the New England Division III indoor regional championships. Three athletes also competed in individual events for the Thomas men at the New England meet. Jarrod Hooper placed 25th in the 800, Jarrod Ottman was 25th in the 3,000, and Alexander Thompson tied for 18th in the pole vault.

On April 14, the Terriers will host an outdoor meet for the first time, the Thomas Invitational, at Colby College. Thomas hosted an indoor meet at Colby on Feb. 9, the Thomas Small School Open. The men won that event, while the women placed second.

 

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The Colby women’s lacrosse team completed a successful road trip this week, winning three games in three states in five days.

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The Mules ended the mini tour with a 13-6 win over Montclair State in New Jersey on Wednesday. On Sunday, Colby took a 12-2 win at Roger Williams in Rhode Island. On Saturday, it was a 12-7 NESCAC win at Connecticut College.

The wins improved Colby’s record to 6-1. Ranked No. 11 in Division III, Colby is home for a tough conference game against No. 12 Wesleyan on Saturday at noon. Robyn Pirie leads the Mules with 18 goals while Grace Langmuir has 13 goals.

 

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM


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