The races are starting to shake out after the first couple of weeks of the high school baseball season. A few observations.

With a starting lineup that includes a freshman, six sophomores and two juniors, many thought a young Cony team was a year away from contention. But the Rams are 5-1 out of the gate and have shown they can play. Their pitching has been outstanding so far and their hitting timely. As coach Ray Vallee points out, “a lot these kids have played into August the past five years.”
Several team members played on the Babe Ruth team that reached the nationals last year.

Gardiner’s pitching will be tough to match. The Tigers have four bona fide starters and a wealth of relief pitching. They went 3-0 the first week of the season and could well be unbeaten when they face Oak Hill and Maranacook May 15 and 19, respectively. Both those teams have aces in Chris Ellis (Oak Hill) and Travis Harwood (Maranacook) and will likely need them on the mound to stop Gardiner.

This week’s forfeit notwithstanding, Rangeley rates a slight edge over Richmond, particularly with junior lefty Luke Hammond on the mound. Hammond fanned 12 in his team’s 2-0 win over Richmond on Tuesday only to find out a day later his team had forfeited the game for using an ineligible player. Expect these teams to meet again, as they have the past two seasons in the Class D regional final.

Will this be Winthrop’s year to get over the hump? The Ramblers are 3-0 and have the whole package. Their nemesis — St. Dom’s of Auburn — the past two seasons does not appear as strong as years past. Winthrop returns a stopper in senior Forrest Dwyer and has strong pitching at the next two starting spots.

Erskine, Hall-Dale and Monmouth have each played good games so far and should be playoff contenders.