UMaine’s new softball facility to host two high school regional title games
By Larry Mahoney, Bangor Daily News Staff
ORONO — The University of Maine’s new softball facility will host two North Regional high school softball championship games later this month.
The Class A and Class C North title games will be held on Tuesday, June 13 at 3:30 and 7 p.m., respectively. The baseball field at UMaine, Mahaney Diamond, will also host the Class C regional baseball championship game on June 13 at 3:30.
The softball complex is one of the renovation projects to athletic facilities at UMaine made possible by a $90 million gift from the Harold Alfond Foundation. The 90,000-square-foot, $9.5 million complex, which had its grand opening on March 31, features a synthetic turf playing surface among other changes, including an enclosed press box directly behind home plate, heated brick dugouts and LED stadium lights.
“It is a fantastic upgrade and I know that the high school teams will enjoy the experience of playing in an outstanding facility like this,” Mike Bisson, the assistant executive director of the Maine Principals Association and the MPA liaison for softball.
Game times could change if baseball and softball teams from the same school are both involved in regional title games. It will cost the MPA nearly $2,000 to rent both facilities for the day, according to the rental agreement. There also could be an extra custodial fee for the upkeep of the restrooms.
The Class B and D North softball championship games will be held the same day at Brewer’s Coffin Field at 3 and 7, respectively.
The South Regional games will be held at St. Joseph’s College in Standish and the University of Southern Maine in Gorham. The Class B (3:30 p.m.) and D (7 p.m.) games will be held at St. Joseph’s with the A (3:30 p.m.) and C games (7 p.m.) being played at USM.
The state championship softball games will be held at USM and Brewer on Saturday, June 17. USM will have the C (12:30 p.m.) and A games (4 p.m.) while Brewer will hold the D (12:30 p.m.) and B contests (4 p.m.).
The state championship baseball games will be held also on June 17 at USM and Mansfield Stadium in Bangor.
USM will host the Class A (1:30 p.m.) and C (4:30 p.m.) games while Bangor’s Mansfield Stadium will hold the B (1 p.m.) and D (4:30 p.m.) title games.
Baseball regional championship games will be held in the North at Augusta’s Morton Field (A) and Mansfield Stadium (B and D) along with Mahaney Diamond while the South title games will be held at USM in Gorham (A and C) and St. Joseph’s (B, D).