Mainers, Raging Tide ready for NECBL openers tonight

That time of the year is upon us again.

Today is Opening Day in the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL), and for the first time, two NECBL teams will reside in York County.

The Sanford Mainers will open the season hosting the New Bedford Bay Sox at 6:30 p.m. at Goodall Park in Sanford. The Mainers had a 23-19 record in 2010, finishing in third place in the East Division, before losing to the eventual NECBL champion North Shore Navigators in the divisional playoffs. Aaron Izaryk returns for his third season as the Mainers’ head coach. He said he has a lot of talent this season.

“This is a bigger team than we’ve ever had, in terms of bodies” Izaryk said. “I like our arms, we’ve got some power arms. Not neccessarily big arms, but guys who have explosive stuff. We’ve got some team speed like we always do. Our strengths will lie on the mound, hopefully. If we throw well and play defense, we’ll give ourselves a chance.”

Three veterens return for the Mainers, as infielders Marlon Calbi and Brett Mollenhauer were both on the 2010 roster. Will Clinard, who pitched for Sanford in 2009, also returns.

“Calbi and Mollenhauer came back for a reason, they’re character guys who do things right all the time, not some of the time,” Izaryk said.

Mollenhauer made the 2nd team All-NECBL Team for his play last season with the Mainers, hitting .260 and knocking in seven RBIs.

“I love it up here, it’s nice to be back,” Mollenhauer said.

Also for the first time in Izaryk’s tenure, three University of Maine players will be on the roster. Pitcher Jonathan Balentina and A.J. Bazdanes, along with catcher Matt Verrier, all played for the Black Bears America East title team this season. It was Verrier who was on the 2010 state champion Oxford Hills team that beat Biddeford in the Maine Class A baseball state championship game.

Tonight also marks the first game in the history of the Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide, the former Lowell All-Americans who moved into York County last fall. It will be the first time The Ballpark has had a full-time tenant since the Maine Phillies left town in 1988.

The team will be run on the field by Inaki Ormaechea, an assistant coach with University of Hartford.

“This is going to be a great situation, not only for our community, but for our players,” Ormaechea said last fall. “You’re not going to get a better situation with the stadium. This is a great situation, and we better win some games.”

The Raging Tide will have three University of Maine players on the roster this summer, with infielder Mike Fransoso, catcher Fran Whitten

and outfielder Pat Thibodeau.

Old Orchard Beach kicks off the season on the road to play the Laconia Muskrats, but return for its home opener on Saturday, against the Mainers, which will be the newest rivalry in the NECBL.

“It’s going to be fun,” Ormaechea said. “I hope we get 5,000 or 10,000 people at that game so we can get some good rivalry games down.”

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