News and Notes from high school baseball
Todd Kuindersma named baseball coach at Southern Aroostook. Courtesy of Rene Cloukey
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/gETKp1s6WZt1BMKa/?mibextid=WC7FNe
In its 39th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Caleb Vacchiano of Sacopee Valley High School is the 2023-24 Gatorade Maine Baseball Player of the
Year. Vacchiano is the first Gatorade Maine Baseball Player of the Year to be chosen from Sacopee Valley High School.
The award, which celebrates the nation’s top high school athletes for excellence on the field, in the classroom and
in the community, distinguishes Vacchiano as Maine’s best high school baseball player. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport, touting an all-star group of alumni that includes Gary Sheffield (1985-86, Hillsborough High School, Fla.), Alex Rodriguez (1992-93,
Westminster Christian School, Fla.), Clayton Kershaw (2005-06, Highland Park High School, Texas) and Max Clark
(2022-23, 2021-22 & 2020-21, Franklin Community High School, Ind.).
At the time of his selection, the 5-foot-11, 215-pound senior shortstop and right-handed pitcher had led the Hawks
(12-3) to a berth in the Maine Class C state tournament this season. Vacchiano batted .476 with four home runs and
16 RBI through 15 games, scoring 24 runs and producing an OPS of 1.518. He also compiled a 1-0 record on the mound with a 1.31 ERA and 35 strikeouts against just five walks in 26.2 innings pitched. The 2023 Western Maine Class C Player of the Year, Vacchiano hit .635 with nine home runs as a junior and ranks as Maine’s No. 3 player in the Class of 2024 as rated by Perfect Game.
A National Honor Society member, Vacchiano has volunteered locally at Edna Libby Elementary School and as a
peer mentor at Sacopee Valley Middle School. “He’s a top-one-percent elite hitter at our level,” said Paul Grazia,
head coach at Waynflete High School. “He would be wildly successful at any level of Maine high school baseball. During our games, we are fully prepared to intentionally walk him every single time, regardless of situation. When
we don’t, I instantly regret it. He hit a game-tying home run in the state semifinal against us last year and the go-
ahead home run against us in the regular season this year.”
Vacchiano has maintained a weighted A average in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to play
baseball on scholarship at the University of Maine this fall.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of
the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls
basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player
of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection
Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and
determine the state winners in each sport.
Vacchiano joins recent Gatorade Maine Baseball Players of the Year Andrew Heffernan (2022-23, South Portland
High School), Cody Bowker (2021-22, Thornton Academy), Brady Afthim (2020-21, Windham High School) and
Hunter Owen (2019-20, South Portland High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.
As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year also receives a grant
to donate to a social impact partner. To date, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $4.9
million in grants to winners across more than 1,900 organizations.
To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student-
athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow us on social media on Facebook at
facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and X(Twitter) at x.com/Gatorade.
PVC All Conference Class B Baseball
First team: Colin Sullivan & Jay Haney, MDI, Kyle Kenney & Dawson Curtis, Ellsworth, Brenday Mahaney, Jackson Lizotte & Julian Day, Old Town, Brayden Brescia, Caribou, Danny Fowler, Hermon
Second Team: Matt Pelletier, Caribou, Max Hopkins & Mason Kinney, Hermon, Miles Palmer & Jackson Barry, Ellsworth, Preston Tripp & Nick Jacobs, MDI, Aiden Ouellette, John Bapst, Preston Vose, Old Town
Dennis Kiah Player of the Year: Colin Sullivan, MDI
Pitcher of the Year: Jay Haney, MDI
Coach of the Year: Dan Curtis, Ellsworth
PVC All-Conference Class C Baseball
First Team: Jadon Richard, Foxcroft, Trevor Shimbukuro, Washington Academy, Colby Moholland, Washington Academy, Carson Prout, Washington Academy, Gavyn Holyoke, Bucksport, Thomas Day, Foxcroft, Hayden Strout, Foxcoft, Brady Pert, George Stevens, Owen Harper, Mattanawcook, Ayden Maguire, Bucksport
Second Team: Trent Goss, Bucksport, Jack Day, Foxcroft, Calvin Landry, Foxcroft, Logan Williams, Orono, Kason Bagley, Orono, Caden Gray, Orono, McCade Robertson, Narraguagus, Avery Jordan, Mattanawcook, Caden Schwinn, Washington Academy, Will Spratt, Dexter
Third Team: James Welch, Washington Academy, James Trott, Washington Academy, Manny Absalom, Narraguagus, Jason Terrill, Bucksport, Haven Smith, George Stevens, Breton Lebel, George Stevens, Jack Caruso, Foxcroft, Thadon Gentle, Houlton, Bryce Cadieux, Central, Bradly Dill, Mattanawcook
Honorable Mention: Miles Worcester, Narraguagus, Dylan McKenzie, Penquis, Chase Farnsworth, Dexter
Player of the Year- Jadon Richard, Foxcroft
Pitcher of the Year- Trevor Shimbukuro, WA
Coach of the Year- Joshua Jackson, Bucksport
PVC All-Conference Class D Baseball
First team: Evan Curtis, Woodland, Caden Raymond, Stearns, Finn Knowles & Andrew Giden, Lee Academy, Brady Gaw & Noah Kain PCHS/Greenville, Ashton Ellis & Drew Bagley, Searsport, Cole Payne, Bangor Christian, Cameron Atkinson, Schenck
Second team: Gaige Farrar & Isaiah Nicholas, Woodland, Owen Wilson, Zac Doyle & Caleb Shearer, Stearns, Blaze Morris, Bangor Christian, Scott Chadbourme, PCHS/Greenville, Mickey Fitzsimmons, Machias, Austen Jipson & Cohen Noble, Lee Academy
Third team: Brayden Osborne & Owen Wyman, Schenck, Aidan Jamieson, Stearns, Chase Osgood, Scott Lane & Cooper Lindquist, PVHS, Jackson Sabattus, Lee Academy, Brevan Kenney, Jonesport Beals
Player of the Year: Evan Curtis, Woodland,
Pitcher of the Year: Evan Curtis, Woodland,
Coach of the Year: Ryan Lincoln, Woodland
Caleb Vacchiano of Sacopee Valley takes home Mr. Maine Baseball for 2024. Read the full story here-
https://easternmainesports.com/2024/06/19/caleb-vacchiano-named-mr-maine-baseball/
Emerson, GA –Colby Moholland of Robbinston and Teddy Stephenson of Bangor showcased their talents among the nation's top prospects at the PBR Future Games at the Lakepoint Sports facility.
Moholland and Stephenson represented Maine on Team Massachusetts. Team Massachusetts swept the competition against New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey.
The PBR Futures Games feature the most promising prospects from across the county in competitive game scenarios. The games provide a glimpse into baseball's future stars, and it has evolved into the biggest college scouting event in the country, with more than 375 college coaches in attendance. The PBR Futures game is an invite-only event where team members are selected through an intensive evaluation process.
Portland Little League advances to New England region championship game
