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Mar. 26—The arrival of pitchers and catchers week means a time for baseball and softball teams to condition, limber up and begin the transition to the spring season.
Or, in the case of the Deering and Portland softball team, it's an opportunity to start building a bond.
The two schools are combining to form a softball team this year, which will be known as the Phoenix. And as coach Anais Aguirre presided over the first session Monday while a late March snow fell outside the Deering High gym, the theme wasn't about fine-tuning windups and framing pitches as much as it was about forging a union between students of rival schools.
"Oh, definitely. Most definitely," Aguirre answered when asked if team-building is more of a priority this season than in others. "We're up against the old-school Portland-Deering rivalry, and trying to show we're just basically a bunch of ballplayers that want to play a game we're all passionate about and love."
It's only been a few days. But Bulldogs and Rams joined under the Phoenix umbrella are eager to give it a shot.
"We all have a lot of talent; I've known them since we were little," Deering senior Julia Krush said. "I know what they all can do, so we just need to work on playing together instead of against each other like last year."
Some of the players are familiar with each other already. Deering's Krush and Addie Blackburn, for instance, have played Little League with Portland's Ruby Chase, Lili McCullum and Leanne French. Now, they'll share a dugout in high school as well.
"It's super new," said Blackburn, a Deering junior. "Nobody really knows about this. I've been telling people almost every day about this team and how it's coming together, and they're like, 'What? I had no idea.'"
Portland and Deering have already merged in field hockey, swimming, skiing and ice hockey, and softball became the latest sport to combine shortly after the start of the New Year. Co-ops aren't unheard of, even in Class A softball — South Portland and Westbrook combined in 2023, as did Kennebunk and Sanford — and they've had success. The South Portland/Westbrook and Kennebunk/Sanford teams both earned top-five seeds in A South that season.
The 25 players who signed up for the Phoenix this season are hoping that pooling resources can likewise provide a boost for two programs that otherwise would have struggled with numbers. Portland graduated seven seniors after going 14-5 and reaching the South semis, and Deering went 4-12 and then graduated five.
"They're excited to be a more competitive team on the field," said Aguirre, who coached Deering the previous four seasons. "There were a lot of hesitations about just not knowing each other. That's what we have today, it's a very quiet practice. ... But they are all open to it, and just need a couple more days of being together with the coaches and seeing that we're now one."
Team-building has been a work in progress. Before the season, the Phoenix held a team meeting during which they discussed coming together, with each player providing either bread or an ingredient for a sandwich bar. They held a show and tell, with each player bringing a favorite or funny item and sharing it with their teammates.
The bonding continued Monday. Phoenix gear wasn't in yet, so some players showed up wearing their Portland or Deering clothing. Aguirre had them turn the shirts inside out, to help them buy into the new identity.
"Let's be one team, right from the get go," Aguirre said.
The players received Deering/Portland sweatshirts at Tuesday's practice.
Chase, a Portland senior who wore an inside-out shirt, supported the message.
"It's different," she said. "Obviously, we're the Phoenix now, so that's kind of fun. ... It's been good. It's been nice to kind of separate the two schools to show that we are one now."
Building a new culture is only one of the items on the to-do list, however. The team lost almost all of its pitching, as Deering's Bella McBrady is now at Gorham and Portland's Sadie Armstrong is now at Longwood University, so the Phoenix will use this week to start assessing who can be counted on to take on some innings.
"I have everybody going right now, to see what I have," Aguirre said. "We are relying on some pretty strong-headed and strong-willed girls that are willing to get on the mound and work."
Chase, Blackburn, French, McCullum and Nora Lewicki are among the players who could help handle the pitching load. Krush and Hadleigh McPartlan will be in the mix for innings at catcher.
"It's just going to be great," said McPartlan, a Portland senior. "I'm just excited to work with them and get to know people from other schools better. ... It's a point to get to know people younger and older than you that have the same love for the sport."
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Or, in the case of the Deering and Portland softball team, it's an opportunity to start building a bond.
The two schools are combining to form a softball team this year, which will be known as the Phoenix. And as coach Anais Aguirre presided over the first session Monday while a late March snow fell outside the Deering High gym, the theme wasn't about fine-tuning windups and framing pitches as much as it was about forging a union between students of rival schools.
"Oh, definitely. Most definitely," Aguirre answered when asked if team-building is more of a priority this season than in others. "We're up against the old-school Portland-Deering rivalry, and trying to show we're just basically a bunch of ballplayers that want to play a game we're all passionate about and love."
It's only been a few days. But Bulldogs and Rams joined under the Phoenix umbrella are eager to give it a shot.
"We all have a lot of talent; I've known them since we were little," Deering senior Julia Krush said. "I know what they all can do, so we just need to work on playing together instead of against each other like last year."
Some of the players are familiar with each other already. Deering's Krush and Addie Blackburn, for instance, have played Little League with Portland's Ruby Chase, Lili McCullum and Leanne French. Now, they'll share a dugout in high school as well.
"It's super new," said Blackburn, a Deering junior. "Nobody really knows about this. I've been telling people almost every day about this team and how it's coming together, and they're like, 'What? I had no idea.'"
Portland and Deering have already merged in field hockey, swimming, skiing and ice hockey, and softball became the latest sport to combine shortly after the start of the New Year. Co-ops aren't unheard of, even in Class A softball — South Portland and Westbrook combined in 2023, as did Kennebunk and Sanford — and they've had success. The South Portland/Westbrook and Kennebunk/Sanford teams both earned top-five seeds in A South that season.
The 25 players who signed up for the Phoenix this season are hoping that pooling resources can likewise provide a boost for two programs that otherwise would have struggled with numbers. Portland graduated seven seniors after going 14-5 and reaching the South semis, and Deering went 4-12 and then graduated five.
"They're excited to be a more competitive team on the field," said Aguirre, who coached Deering the previous four seasons. "There were a lot of hesitations about just not knowing each other. That's what we have today, it's a very quiet practice. ... But they are all open to it, and just need a couple more days of being together with the coaches and seeing that we're now one."
Team-building has been a work in progress. Before the season, the Phoenix held a team meeting during which they discussed coming together, with each player providing either bread or an ingredient for a sandwich bar. They held a show and tell, with each player bringing a favorite or funny item and sharing it with their teammates.
The bonding continued Monday. Phoenix gear wasn't in yet, so some players showed up wearing their Portland or Deering clothing. Aguirre had them turn the shirts inside out, to help them buy into the new identity.
"Let's be one team, right from the get go," Aguirre said.
The players received Deering/Portland sweatshirts at Tuesday's practice.
Chase, a Portland senior who wore an inside-out shirt, supported the message.
"It's different," she said. "Obviously, we're the Phoenix now, so that's kind of fun. ... It's been good. It's been nice to kind of separate the two schools to show that we are one now."
Building a new culture is only one of the items on the to-do list, however. The team lost almost all of its pitching, as Deering's Bella McBrady is now at Gorham and Portland's Sadie Armstrong is now at Longwood University, so the Phoenix will use this week to start assessing who can be counted on to take on some innings.
"I have everybody going right now, to see what I have," Aguirre said. "We are relying on some pretty strong-headed and strong-willed girls that are willing to get on the mound and work."
Chase, Blackburn, French, McCullum and Nora Lewicki are among the players who could help handle the pitching load. Krush and Hadleigh McPartlan will be in the mix for innings at catcher.
"It's just going to be great," said McPartlan, a Portland senior. "I'm just excited to work with them and get to know people from other schools better. ... It's a point to get to know people younger and older than you that have the same love for the sport."
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