Franklin County coach Rob Dippner said strong pitching coupled with a heads-up defense gives him a lot of confidence going into Tuesday’s opening game of the Maine American Legion baseball state tournament.
The Flyers, who enter the tournament with an 11-2 record as one of the top teams from the south region, will square off against the North’s C&L Aviation Comrades (11-5) of Bangor at McGuire Field at the Capitol Area Babe Ruth League Complex in Augusta, beginning at 11 a.m.
The Flyers’ pitching-and-defense combination has worked out well, with the team giving up only 27 runs through their first 12 games.
“Honestly, I think all eight (teams) that are left are really good teams,” Dippner said. “Up north, Bangor, the Hampden Riverdogs … that won it last year, and four in our zone, everybody has played really good baseball.”
The Flyers have an influx of talented players from three area high schools that steered Franklin to its success.
“We are made up of Mt. Blue, Mt. Abram and Spruce Mountain,” Dippner said.
Dippner did not hesitate to point out that the Flyers’ pitching, combined with solid defense, produce a stellar record.
“Trevor Phelps out of Mt. Abram, who is actually at Central Maine Community College, and Isaac Parker out of Spruce, they have been very solid,” he said. “We’ve played a lot of good defense and then put up runs.
“Obviously when pitchers are throwing strikes and letting your defense play, everything else seems pretty easy.”
Dippner really can’t point to one overpowering hitter on the team, but he said the Flyers are good situational hitters. With the majority of the team made up of Dippner’s Mt. Blue team, the summer Legion season has been an extension of sorts from the spring high school season.
“The make-up of the kids, I would say across the board, from top to bottom, we have guys hitting for average — guys hitting situationally,” Dippner explained. “There is not really one (hitter) that stands out. We just had a lot of good at-bats.”
While the Flyers rely heavily on pitching and defense, Dippner said the key to Tuesday’s game will be timely hitting.
“Obviously, Bangor is a storied program. They are always good,” Dippner said. “(Coach Dave) Morris has been doing this a long time and he knows how to win. I think tomorrow we are going to have to have some clutch hitting from top to bottom — and if we do that, I think our pitching and defense keep doing what they’ve done all year, we will be in a pretty good spot to compete.”
Fans watch an American Legion baseball game between visiting Skowhegan and hometown Capital Area on July 6, 2022, in Augusta. The Capital Area Recreation Association complex in Augusta is hosting this year’s Legion state tournament, which begins Tuesday. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
The Flyers will have their hands full with a talented Comrades squad, Dippner admitted.
“Bangor’s Matt Holmes is good. Wyatt (Stevens) is going to Husson as well,” he said. “They just have high-level players.”
Dippner is not as up to date about the rest of the North teams — for one reason.
“This year we didn’t cross over any games, so we didn’t get to see or play the North teams,” he said. “There will, I am sure, be some standouts and stuff we aren’t aware of, but yeah, they are going to be loaded from top to bottom for sure.”
Dippner likes the set-up in Augusta and he is delighted the weather is cooperating.
“You know, the games are earlier in the day,” he said. “They have two fields, so we should be able to keep things going. Now, hopefully for us, personally, we have a good showing tomorrow, and with it being a double-win tournament, you can kind of win, lose or draw the first one and at least rebound. Yeah, we are looking forward to it.”
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