It won’t be long before the umpire will be hollering, “Play ball!” Varsity baseball practice began at Wiscasset Middle High School this week. The Wolverines will open the Mountain Valley Conference season at Farmingdale against defending state Class C champion Hall-Dall on Friday afternoon, April 19.

“It looks like another rebuilding year for us,” said Coach Gregg Wood who is returning for his fourth season. A dozen boys have signed up to play. All of them were on hand for the first practice held Monday afternoon in Stover Auditorium.

A lot of questions need to be answered before the team hits the diamond next month, Wood continued. Lost to graduation were starting pitchers Ronald Drake and Andrew Hendrickson. Relief pitcher and starting catcher Josh Dualan transferred.

Haiden Dunning, one of only two seniors on the roster, will be the team’s top hurler. Sophomore Matt Eckert pitched for the team last season but worked mostly in relief. Who else will be on the mound remains to be determined. One possibility is freshman L.J. Travis, a southpaw.

“Casey Mills and Brian Foye, who are both sophomores, pitched for us in a limited capacity last season,” added the coach. “We’ll see what they can do for us.”

Wood said he isn’t sure who the team’s starting catcher will be but Eckert is a likely candidate when he’s not on the mound. “Haiden will play first base when he’s not pitching. I’ll have a better idea what my lineup will look like after we get outdoors.” A layer of snow still covered most of the ballfield so the first outdoor practice will probably be in the parking lot or on the track.

James Hodsdon, a home-schooled student, wasn’t at Monday’s practice but is expected to return. Hodson, a senior, was the team’s starting center fielder last season. Other returnees from the 2018 roster are junior C.J. Robert and sophomores Josh Dalton, Ryan Potter, Archie Brewer and Kyle St. Pierre.

New recruits include junior Zach Brewer, who saw a fair amount of playing time on the varsity basketball team, along with sophomore Kyle Ricker and Dalton Roy. There’s also junior Muhammad Khalique who played cricket in his native Pakistan. Cricket has some similarities to baseball and Khalique is excited about playing.

The Wolverines were winless last year finishing ninth in the Class D South standings with a record of 0-16. This season’s MVC schedule won’t be any easier. WMHS is again playing against all Class C high schools. The only time the Wolverines would face another Class D team would be in a practice game, or if they qualify for the playoffs. Other Class D South teams include Richmond, Temple Christian, Forest Hills, Greenville, Searsport, Valley High and Vinalhaven/North Haven.

In 2016, Wood led the Wolverines to the Class C playoffs. The following season the team was forced to play a junior varsity schedule due to a lack of interest.

Only three boys signed up to play junior high baseball forcing athletic director Warren Cossette to scratch Wiscasset from this spring’s Busline League. Enough girls have signed up to continue playing junior high softball.

With practice and dedication Wood believes the Wolverines can and will be more competitive this season. Nine freshmen made up last year’s roster and most of them have returned. To qualify for the playoffs, the Wolverines will need to win four of five of its MVC games, added the coach.

The Wolverines’ home opener with Hall-Dale is during school vacation week and tentatively scheduled for a 1 p.m. start. The Bulldogs were 15-1 in the MVC last year before winning Class C South and state titles.