Thomas College freshman Megan Oberholzer has contributed at the plate and in the circle, earning NAC Co-Rookie of the Week honors. Photo courtesy of Thomas College Athletics
The Thomas College softball team finished just short of a North Atlantic Conference title last season.
This season, there’s a new coach leading the Terriers, but the goals of contending for a NAC title are the same.
Jenn Plourde, who was an assistant on NAC title-winning Husson University last season, is the Terriers’ new head coach. It was a tough start to the 2023 campaign for Thomas, which lost its first six games. But it has since won six of its last eight, including a sweep of Saint Joseph’s College of Standish on Friday.
“It’s a learning adjustment, both for myself and the girls,” said Plourde, who was an assistant at Husson for four years. “We’re just trying to make sure that we stay competitive in every single game that we’re in and we want to learn (in) every single game. … Every single moment is a teaching moment, especially with a new head coach. I’m always trying to get on the same page as them and make sure we communicate how we need to and keep the program moving in a successful position.”
The Terriers have a young squad, with 17 players who are either freshmen or sophomores. The team has just two seniors. However, some of that youth is already contributing. Freshman pitcher/infielder Megan Oberholzer leads the Terriers with 13 RBIs and has already been named an NAC Co-Rookie of the Week. Sophomore outfielder Cheyenne Simpson is batting .256 and with 10 runs scored.
Thomas’ top upperclassmen are senior infielder Maddie Rock, whose .279 average leads the team. Graduate student Kelsey Currier leads the Terriers in the circle, carrying a 3-4 record with 44 strikeouts in nearly 46 innings.
Graduate student Kelsey Currier has been the top pitcher for the Thomas College softball team, striking out 44 batters in nearly 46 innings of work. Photo courtesy of Thomas College Athletics
“Defensively, we’re doing pretty decent,” Plourde said. “That’s something that we keep trying to fine tune every single practice. If we make a mistake, we basically have to let it go and move on to the next one. We just keep saying to each other, ‘Get her at the next base,’ meaning we’ll get her the next time. Keeping that mentality of we’re going to keep improving, whether it’s our weakness or our strengths. Even if it’s our strengths, we need to get stronger every single time. To me, there’s never always a strength or best part of your game, it’s always improving and making sure you’re better for the next game.”
The Terriers begin NAC play on Saturday with a doubleheader against the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
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The Colby College baseball team couldn’t have asked for a much better start to its season.
The Mules, who went 24-13 last season, are off to a 9-3 start this spring. They’ve won four straight games entering a game Wednesday against the University of Maine at Farmington.
Colby recently returned from a successful trip to Lake Myrtle, Florida, where it earned victories over St. Lawrence University, St. Olaf College, Washington and Jefferson College and Augustana (Illinois).
“It feels great,” Colby head coach Jesse Woods said. “We had some high expectations this year with the guys we’ve returned and the newcomers. Our group certainly had high expectations, but it’s one thing to have high expectations and it’s another to meet them. These guys have done it. And we’re playing a really challenging schedule, not only from a win-loss record, but they’re doing it against some of the household names of the Division III college baseball level. Some of these schools are out of region, but when it comes to regional and College World Series appearances, the old Colby boys are holding their own against their schools.”
Colby is hitting .304 as a team with 10 home runs and 87 RBIs in its first 12 games. Junior outfielder Marcus Forrester leads the club with a .405 batting average, while junior infielder Brady O’Brien has four home runs and 15 RBIs.
“I just think we’re really deep,” Woods said. “As the coach, I get to write the lineup out and look at all the options we have. There’s so many options we can throw at you and we can win games in so many different ways. I think that’s what makes us dangerous. If it’s a pitching and defense kind of day, we can compete that day. If it’s a day where the offense needs to help the pitching staff out, we can do that, too. The strength is in our numbers.”
Freshman Thomas Rioux (2-0, 1.50 ERA) has been Colby’s top pitcher. He also has 20 strikeouts in 18 innings.
Colby starts New England Small College Athletic Conference play on Friday with a three-game series against Trinity College.
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The UMF women’s Nordic ski team recently wrapped up its season with a successful trip to the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association National Championships in Mammoth Lake, California.
The Beavers finished 10th overall in the 7.5-kilometer classic event. Freshman Ayla Bodach-Turner checked in at 24th, the first UMF skier to finish. She was followed by Jenna Badeau (30th place) and Mullein Francis, who finished 42nd.
Bodach-Turner placed fifth overall in the qualifying round of the 1.5-kilometer skate sprints, with a time of 3:31.2. Bodach would go on to claim the silver medal in the event with a final time of 3:48, the first medalist in UMF women’s Nordic history.
Bodach-Turner also placed eighth overall (49:19.78) in the 15K classic event.
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