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BY TRAVIS LAZARCZYK
Staff Writer 07/06/2008

enlarge Staff photo by Andy Molloy

STAFF ACE: Luke Hammond went unbeaten as a starting pitcher this season, finishing 7-0 as the Rangeley Lakes Regional High School baseball team won the Class D state championship.

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BY TRAVIS LAZARCZYK

Staff Writer

Luke Hammond was ready to go by 6:30 each morning, baseball in hand. Rather than attend Carrabassett Valley Academy for the winter, as he had in the past, Hammond stayed at Rangeley Lakes Regional School, where every morning he would try and get a little better at throwing a baseball.

"I really wanted to improve my arm strength," Hammond said. "I'd get there and throw. I was just trying to get stronger."

Hammond wasn't driven by how good he is now. What kept the junior lefty from hitting the snooze button was how good he'll be.

For his strong season, Hammond has been named the Morning Sentinel Baseball Player of the Year. Waterville's Eli Fitzgerald also was considered.

"He's pretty focused and that's his main strength," Rangeley coach Mark Gordon said. "He has the desire."

That desire to improve has moved Hammond from Rangeley to Portland, where this summer he's playing baseball for American Legion powerhouse Nova Seafood. In the fall, Hammond will begin his senior year at Portland's Deering High School, winners of the last two Class A state titles and seven state championships in the last decade.

"I was looking for a change of scenery. I'm looking to broaden my baseball horizons," Hammond said.

Hammond's winter workout regimen paid off, big time. The Lakers won their first Class D state baseball championship, and Hammond was a big piece of that success. Hammond went 7-0 for the Lakers, striking out 91 hitters in 50 innings, and finished the season with an earned run average of 1.62.

When not on the mound, Hammond patrolled center field for the Lakers, and he was solid offensively all season. Hammond hit .391 with five home runs and 13 runs batted in, and had 14 stolen bases. Hammond drove in the game-winning run in the Western Maine final against Richmond, and drove in the winning run in the Lakers' 3-2 win over Katahdin in the state championship.

On the mound is where Hammond really dominated. While striking out an average of nearly two hitters per inning, Hammond allowed an average of less than a runner per inning, giving up just 24 hits and 18 walks all season.

"He definitely has the velocity. He's got a good curveball, he's got pretty good control," Gordon said.

Hammond has always had a good fastball. He was clocked at 84 miles per hour while pitching in the underclassman showcase game last month. The curve was a work in progress until this season. Toward the end of the winter, Hammond made a slight adjustment to his curveball grip, and noticed immediate improvement.

"I was just screwing with my grip and I made a tweak of my thumb," Hammond said. "I got a good 12-6 break out of it."

In the season opener at rival Richmond, Hammond struck out 12 Bobcats in a 2-0 win (The result was later overturned when it was discovered Rangeley used an ineligible player).

"That first game at Richmond, I was making them look foolish with (the curveball)," Hammond said. "It became my go to pitch."

Hammond also improved his composure on the mound. In the past, he took every hit or walk personally. With a strong team behind him, Hammond worried less about making the perfect pitch and focused to the task at hand.

"I didn't have to worry about me doing all the work. Before, if I gave up a hit, you could see I was upset," Hammond said, "but we had a really good team, and I knew if they hit the ball, my teammates would make the play."

Hammond is still getting to know his Nova Seafood teammates. Some, like Regan Flaherty and Matt Watson, Hammond has known for awhile. They've helped make the transition a little easier.

"This is a great group of kids, a great group of ballplayers," Hammond said.

Hammond hopes to pitch in college, and thinks playing at a higher level this summer and next spring will help to achieve that goal.

"This is a big summer as far as (college is) concerned," Hammond said.

Travis Lazarczyk -- 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com

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