By Roger Brown
MaxPreps.com
Certain NHIAA regular-season baseball games will have a professional feel to them this spring.
Nine high school games will be played at Manchester's Merchantsauto.com Stadium as part of the High School Baseball Series. Merchantsauto.com Stadium is the home field for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Each of New Hampshire's four divisions (Class L, I, M and S) will be represented in the nine games. The first contest will be a Class M contest between Mascenic Regional and Newport on April 12.
"The NHIAA is again very excited to be continuing its relationship with the Fisher Cats," NHIAA executive director Pat Corbin said. "As we enter the third year of working with the Fisher Cats, the student-athletes who play baseball for our member schools continue to be afforded a unique and thrilling opportunity through the High School Baseball Series and the hosting of our tournament games at Merchantsauto.com Stadium.
"Feedback from past participants, student-athletes and fans alike has been consistently positive with respect to the ability of our teams to play at a professional stadium."
The High School Baseball Series allows schools to purchase 250 tickets to a Fisher Cats game at $3 below face value. Those tickets can then be sold at face value to raise $750 for the school's baseball program.
"The High School Baseball Series has proven to be a terrific opportunity for area schools to raise money for their programs while also getting the chance to play a game at the state's premier outdoor facility," Fisher Cats president/general manager Rick Brenner said. "We're happy to see small and large schools alike from all over the state benefiting from this unique program."
This year's schedule includes the following games:
April 16: Concord vs. Goffstown (Class L)
April 26: Franklin vs. Winnisquam (Class M)
April 28: Bow vs. Merrimack Valley (Class I)
May 1: Hopkinton vs. Somersworth (Class M)
May 5: Milford vs. Souhegan (Class I)
May 11: Coe-Brown vs. Pelham (Class I)
May 22: Moultonborough vs. Pittsfield (Class S)
May 23: Derryfield vs. Wilton (Class S)
Souhegan Hires New AD
Chris Lavoie, who is currently a physical education teacher and the athletic director at Profile High School, has been hired to replace Bill Dod as Souhegan High School's athletic director. Lavoie, 32, will begin his new duties in July.
"I've been to Amherst four times now and everyone tells me the same thing: 'Man, you have some big shoes to fill,'" Lavoie told the Nashua Telegraph. "Obviously Mr. Dod has done a fantastic job, and he's been fantastic to me."
Lavoie played college baseball at the University of Connecticut and the University of Vermont. He graduated from Vermont in 1999.
This year will be Lavoie's fifth season as Profile's baseball coach. He's been the athletic director for the last four years.
Football: It's Miller's Time
David Miller has been named the varsity football coach at Stevens High School.
Miller, a Stevens graduate, served as the team's offensive coordinator last season. He was also the school's junior varsity head coach.
Miller is an English teacher at Stevens.
