Lucy Gray moves from shortstop to pitcher for the Hall-Dale softball team, which is trying to win its fifth straight Class C title. Her move is one of many the Bulldogs will make this spring as they try to fill in for graduated players. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Central Maine has produced some of the top softball teams in recent years, including one knocking on the door of history.

Among those top teams, there’s one key element they must overcome to find success again during the 2025 season: Key losses to graduation.

In Class C, Hall-Dale became the third team in state history last season to win four consecutive state championships. The Bulldogs are 74-2 over the past four seasons, but in their quest for a fifth straight title, they must replace half of their starting lineup, including their pitcher and catcher. Ashlynn Donahue was 15-1 last season with 0.62 ERA and 172 strikeouts, and catcher Zoe Soule was the Mountain Valley Conference player of the year, recording a .469 batting average with three home runs and 30 RBI. Both are now playing for NCAA Division III schools.

“We’ve got our core back, but we’ve got a little more rebuilding (to do) than in previous years,” said Hall-Dale coach Steve Acedo. “We’ll have to have some of the younger kids step up, take some spots. And a new pitcher, new catcher, new first baseman, new shortstop and a new outfield. There’s a lot of spots to fill.”

The Bulldogs have some talent returning, including seniors Lucy Gray (moving from shortstop to pitcher), Torie Tibbetts (infield) and Jade Graham (third base). Gray has previous experience in the circle, while Tibbetts, an MVC first-team selection, has provided clutch performances in the past.

Monmouth Academy returns the majority of its roster and could knock Hall-Dale off its perch in Class C South. The Mustangs, who finished 13-5 last year, return all three of their MVC first-team picks in pitcher Shannah Parsons, shortstop Rileigh Chase and third baseman Riley Smith.

Nokomis broke through and won the Class B title last season. The Warriors have some holes to fill in their quest for a repeat. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald

After years as a contender, Nokomis won its first Class B championship last season, beating York 2-1 in the title game. Nokomis returns most of its lineup from the 2024 team but must replace three key components: Sydney King at first base, outfielder Courtney Hughes and pitcher Mia Coots. Coots went 17-2 last year, striking out 227 batters in 125 innings. She was a two-time Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference player of the year and a Miss Maine Softball finalist.

Sophomore Hallie Coots (Mia’s sister), the starting catcher last season, will take over pitching duties, along with Makenzie Watson.

“Hallie has come in and surprised us with how well she was throwing,” Nokomis coach J.D. McLellan said. “We said, ‘OK, this is something.’ Makenzie Watson, she worked all winter long. With Hallie, you’re taking a state championship catcher and moving her to pitcher, so now I’ve got to find someone (at catcher), and that’s a huge spot. That makes it a little tougher.”

Another Class B powerhouse, Gardiner, which won a state title in 2022, reached the South semifinals a year ago and finished 12-7. The Tigers, who not long ago had a multitude of pitching and one of the state’s best power hitters in Taylor Takatsu (the KVAC Class B player of the year and a Miss Maine Softball finalist), now carry just six upperclassmen on their roster. Takatsu and Coots are teammates at the University of Southern Maine.

“We’re young. We have a lot of freshmen and a lot of sophomores,” said Gardiner coach Ryan Gero. “The freshmen class is pretty talented, the sophomore class is pretty talented. We’re just working out the kinks … Speed (will be a plus). We’re young and we’re fast. And they take chances. I’m excited to put that group out there and see what they can do.”

Gardiner has three seniors, led by outfielder Taryn Nichols. Gero is high on sophomore infielder Cheyenne Goodman and freshman Molly Takatsu, Taylor’s sister, who will play shortstop and pitch.

In Class A, no central Maine team has undergone as much of an overhaul as Skowhegan. The River Hawks reached the Class A North final for the eighth consecutive year last season, falling 2-0 to Oxford Hills, but graduated nine players. That includes KVAC Class A player of the year Lily Noyes, who struck out 181 batters in 105 innings, had a 0.73 ERA, and hit .444. Skowhegan also lost first-team KVAC selections Annabelle Morris and Maddy Morris.

“Basically, we have two starters back, probably as young as we’ve been in a long, long time,” said Skowhegan coach Lee Johnson. “We’re pretty athletic, young, but the goal is to be really good at the end. We do have some good, young kids. You have to go back to the basics, and don’t take for grant some of the things you think (as a coach) that they should already know. We’re fortunate to have a few kids that play some travel ball.”

The River Hawks have five upperclassmen, including senior catcher/infielder Natalie Gilman, a KVAC Class A first-team pick last year, and junior Lydia Jones, an experienced infielder. Senior Ryleigh Carey and sophomore Abigale Carey will handle pitching duties.