Coach: Terry Hickey (3rd season)

Last season: 11-6, made Western B prelims

Top returners: Delaney Evans (Sr., P-1B-OF), Kelli Rich (Sr., OF), Samantha Mitchell (Sr., OF), Ally Kennedy (Jr., OF), Sarah Maxwell (So., P-1B), Sandy Leimbach (So., OF-C)

Key newcomers: Brynna Bedard (So., IF), Lyndsay Cochrane (So., IF), Amanda LaPorte (So., IF), Heidi Shaw (Fr., C)

Outlook: Hickey calls this easily the fastest team he has had in three seasons at Maranacook. The Black Bears have two fine pitchers in Maxwell and Evans, and were still rounding out the roster at press time.

Coach’s comment: “We do have a nice combination of speed and power, which is something that we’ve never had before.”

Coach: Mike Morin (9th season)

Last season: 6-7 in class B West

Top returners: Sam Whittemore (Jr.), Ethan Gilbert (Jr.), Jackson Witherill (Sr.), Eric Collins (Sr.), Andrew Salisbury (Sr.)

Key newcomers: Jerry Allen (Fr.), Ben Timm (So.), Nick Erving (Jr.), Rob Brown (Jr.), Max Pistner (Sr.), Sean Vallant (Sr.), Trevor Saremi (Sr.), Sean Daigle (Fr.), Chris Pelletier (Fr.).

Outlook: The Black Bears have a lot of players who don’t have a lot of experience. Whittemore and Gilbert will likely be the top two singles players while Collins cold challenge for the third spot.

Coach’s comment: “With the inexperience we have everybody is going to be a challenge for us. We want to minimize errors.”

Coach: Dianna Erb (6th season)

Last season: 6-6 in Class B West

Top returners: Heather Black (Jr.), Hannah Watson (Jr.), Emily Cox (Jr.), Morgan Wick (Jr.), Courtney Anderson (Jr.), Vanessa Randall (Sr.), Meghan Surette (So.), Megan Heath (So.), Hannah Criss (So.), Miranda Savage (So.), Sarah Franzel (So.).

Key newcomers: Jen Monsulick (Sr.), Maren Pedersen (Sr.), Jillian Blouin (Jr.), Carrie Kahl (Fr.), Eliza Johnston (Fr.), Sarah Maffei (So.), Christine Ware (So.).

Outlook: The Black Bears graduated their top three singles players and will have to rebuild around Black. There are a number of strong candidates for the other spot including Watson, Wick, Cox and Surette. Monsulick, Pederson and Blouin are athletic kids playing varsity tennis for the first time.

Coach’s comment: “We don’t have a lot of singles experience and that’s going to hurt, but we have athletic girls.”

Coach: Don Plourde (7th season)

Last season: 16-3, lost in Class B West semis

Top returners: Ryan Martin (Sr., P/SS), Travis Harwood (P/1B, Sr.), Mike Brennan (Sr., C), Mike Rankin (Sr., P/1B); Will Bardaglio (Sr., 3B); Pat Norwood (Jr., OF) Corey Palmer (Jr., OF), Jeff Duplisea (Jr., OF), Eric Ogren (Jr., 2B/C), Devin Gerrity (Jr., P/OF).

Key newcomers: Brian Beane (Sr., INF), Anthony Maffei (Sr., OF), So., David Clough (So., P/INF).

Outlook: The Black Bears return a solid group of players who have been good for the past three seasons. Harwood leads a staff that includes Rankin and Gerrity while Martin and Clough are available for spot starts or relief. The defense is sound.

Coach’s comment: “We should be right in the mix. I think we are competitive as long as we work hard and get better.”

Coach: Ronn Gifford

Last season: 6th in KVAC, 24th in Class B meet

Top returners: Max Hoddwells (Sr., hurdles, long jump); Cameron Madore (Sr., hurdles), Conrad Gilman (Sr., thrower), Jacob Knox (Sr., distance); Nolan Poulin (Sr., mid-distance), Chris McCormick (Jr., thrower), Warren Barger (Jr., thrower), Taylor Schwartz (Jr., mid-distance), Evan Longfellow (Soph., mid-distance), Henry Norwood (Soph., sprinter)

Key newcomers: Justin Greely (Soph., mid-distance), Jon Piccard (Sr., sprinter), Harry Lanphear (Fr., race walk, thrower); Joshua Dugal (Fr., thrower).

Outlook: About 30 boys turned out at the first meeting, giving Gifford the possibility of a deep team this year. Hoddwells, Madore and Gilman should all score in the state meet again.

Coach’s comment: “Hoddwells could score 30 points at the state meet if he stays healthy. Gilman should really improve, too.”

Coach: Ronn Gifford

Last season: 3rd in KVAC, 10th in Class B meet

Top returners: Erin Neptune (Sr., triple jump, long jump, high jump), Taylor Burr (Soph., distance); Alisha Thompson (Soph., sprinter) Chelsea Watts (Soph., sprinter).

Key newcomers: Sarah McFarland (Soph., sprinter)

Outlook: Gifford says he has between eight and 10 girls on the team, but the biggest blow is the loss of Alyssa Neptune, who is recovering from ACL surgery. Neptune was sixth in the 100 and seventh in the 200 at the state meet last season.

Coach’s comment: “Hopefully, we’ll build the team back up. We’re a pretty young team. but we had pretty good numbers.”