By Lloyd Jones
Conway Daily Sun 
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FRYEBURG — Young but get better and improving with each passing day. That's how new head coach Kris Kroski describes the Fryeburg Academy baseball team.

Kroski takes over a program that has missed the playoffs the past two seasons, but he sees a world of potential in his squad.

Kroski, a patrolman for the Conway Police Department, knows the game of baseball. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners as a catcher/first baseman and spent from 2002-09 in the Seattle and Cincinnati Reds organization reaching Triple-A, where he tore his ACL.

"It was great," Kroski, who grew up in Connecticut, said. "It was an unbelievable experience."

Kroski, who also coaches a U18 team based out of Home Run Sports Training Center in Conway, has made a smooth transition from playing to coaching the game he still loves.

"It's different," he said. "I'd much rather be a player. It seems like all the loses go on me. I know it's a team game, but I want our guys to have fun and taste success, let me worry about the (wins and loses)."

Coach Kroski will carry 14 boys on the varsity squad, including five freshmen.

"I don't mind having the younger kids," he said. "When you get them you can start them out the right way so they don't learn bad habits."

Stew Frost is Coach Kroski's assistant.

"Stew had been great to coach with," Kroski said. "He's going to help me out a lot, especially with some of the substitution rules in high school baseball."

Fryeburg is scheduled to open the season on the road this Thursday, traveling to Cumberland to play Greely at 4 p.m.
Kroski's troops have had a solid preseason. They haven't been on a field as much as a they'd like to curve ball Mother Nature has delivered for early April. The Raiders were able to host Kennett High for a scrimmage on Thursday and then entertained Mountain Valley for a doubleheader on Saturday.

Following the Greely game Thursday, Fryeburg is slated to play three exhibitions in Madison this Saturday.

Aside from the scrimmage the Raiders have been outdoors a few times with the outfielders able to see fly balls. Infield work has been relegated to the gym primarily.

"It's a lot different taking infield in a gym than on a diamond outside," Kroski said.

"The scrimmage with Kennett was bittersweet," he said, smiling. "A lot of the Kennett guys play for me (in AAU), and while it was nice to see them do well it was against my team. My guys are all young, and I told them there are going to be some days where teams hit the ball where we aren't, and we'll have days like that, too, that's just the game of baseball, it's why it's so great."

This year's captains are seniors Hunter Day, Nick L'Heureux-Carland and Matt Boucher.

"We've got three natural leaders," Kroski said. "I'm very pleased with our captains. These are the perfect players for our younger guys to learn from."

Day should be the ace of the Raiders' rotation. The vocal leader will also see time at shortstop when not on the mound.
L'Heureux-Carland will be a corner outfielder (mostly in right-field) and is also expected to pitch. He hit .308 last year.
"Nick is big, tall and lanky and throws a three-quarter angle," Kroski said. "If he's dialed in he'll do well."

Freshman Oscar Saunders will also see mound time when he's not patrolling centerfield.

Fellow freshman Braden Bartlett, a middle infielder, will also pitch, along with Keegan Jones, who will be the team's primary first baseman, but can be a sneaky lefty for two or three innings.

Sophomore Matt Fuller will open the season at second base and "has a good stick," according to Kroski.
Junior Damian Eldridge also possesses good pop in his bat. He will play left-field and shortstop this season.
Boucher will primarily be a catcher, but can other spots on the field due to his versatility.
Freshman Tucker Buzzell and junior Reese Greaney also have catching experience.

"I think we look good," Kroski said. "I feel real comfortable with my team."

Kroski said the team has talked about goals.

"I could see a realistic goal for us being a .500 team and getting into the bottom half of the playoffs," he said. "For us, we want to do better each day. If we can do that and get a good seed in the playoffs, anything can happen."