George Stevens Academy senior Tyler McKenney waits for a pitch during a game against Deer Isle-Stonington on May 30. By Monique Labbe
Blue Hill—For the eighth year in a row, the George Stevens Academy baseball team is heading to the playoffs.
The Eagles are ranked fourth in the Class C North standings with a final regular season record of 11-5, which gives them a bye through the preliminaries into a quarterfinal contest against fifth-ranked Bucksport. That game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Thursday, June 7, at the GSA baseball field in Blue Hill.
While the team saw success in 2016, notching a Class C North championship before losing in the state finals, the Eagles were ousted in the quarterfinals last year in a surprising home loss to Fort Kent.
Last year’s matchup was a team the Eagles were unfamiliar with, having not played them in a regular season game prior to facing them in the playoffs. This year, GSA is better prepared, as they have taken on the Golden Bucks twice this season. The Eagles split the regular season series, losing to Bucksport 2-6 on May 2 before getting an extra innings 3-2 victory on May 28. The team now looks to win the grudge match in the postseason.
George Stevens Academy senior Stefan Simmons crosses first base safely during a game against Deer Isle-Stonington on May 30. By Monique Labbe
The team has been a mixed bag of experience this year, but longtime head coach Dan Kane has been able to find the strengths each player has to offer.
Senior pitchers Stefan Simmons and Ben Cole have come up big for the Eagles, working their pitch counts around multiple game weeks in order to keep their throwing arms healthy. Both players have also lent a hand on the offensive side of the game, each recording several multiple-hit games in the regular season.
Sophomores Austin Snow and Caden Mattson, and junior Ashley Tanner, have also contributed this season, with Mattson and Tanner driving in several runs and Snow coming in for relief innings on the pitcher’s mound.
The bat of senior veteran Tyler McKenney has also come up clutch for the Eagles down the stretch.
Should the Eagles make it past Bucksport on Thursday, the semifinal game is scheduled for June 9, though the location will only be determined following quarterfinal play across Class C North.
George Stevens Academy senior pitcher Ben Cole stares down a runner from the mound during a game against Deer Isle-Stonington on May 30. By Monique Labbe