St. Dominic and Dirigo have combined to win eight Class C baseball championships  in 11 seasons since 2005.

Rare is the spring in which one of those programs is not considered a prohibitive favorite to win it all, or at least reach the regional final.

Yet that is where are entering the 2016 campaign. In an informal poll of MVC coaches, most consider Monmouth and outsider Sacopee Valley the definitive top two heading into the season.

“I’ve already told Eric (Palleschi, Monmouth coach) that if he doesn’t win it this year,” St. Dom’s coach Bob Blackman quipped, “then he has to come back and be my assistant.”

No pressure, right?

Palleschi, whose Mustangs lost in the semifinals to Sacopee in 2014 and Winthrop in 2015, knows that the margin is slimmer in Class C than in the more highly populated ranks.

“You never know when you’re dealing with 14-to-18-year-old kids,” he said. “Last year we started the season off well, and then Gage (Cote) went down and we got kicked around a little bit before he came back and we made a little run at the end. Hopefully we have a fun year and keep everybody healthy and eligible.”

Cote suffered a broken hand in a freak accident when he bounced it off a dugout wall in frustration during a midseason loss to St. Dom’s. Monmouth’s catcher and leadoff hitter was lost for the remainder of the regular season.

He was able to bunt, steal bases and play center field in the playoffs, and Monmouth’s season reignited with an upset of No. 3 Sacopee in the quarterfinals. The Mustangs scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning to tie No. 2 Winthrop before dropping a 9-8 verdict in the semis.

In addition to Cote, who might remain in the outfield where his speed is such an asset, Monmouth welcomes back a rock-solid rotation of senior left-hander Nick Sanborn, junior Hunter Richardson and senior Chandler Harris.

“The experience is there, and the ability is certainly there,” Palleschi said. “If we play with the right mindset and the right attitude, a lot of good things can happen.”

Monmouth’s infield should be outstanding defensively, with three-year starters Jariah Caissie and Richardson at third base and shortstop, Mat Foulke at second and Travis Hartford at first.

Nick Dovinsky’s emergence as a catcher gives Palleschi the luxury of putting Cote in other spots.

Sacopee won the regional title two years ago and has been relatively unchallenged by the smaller schools of the WMC.

“We’ve started a good little rivalry. Two years ago when they won at our place, they took some of our infield dirt home with them. That didn’t sit well with us,” Palleschi said. “When we went to their place, I brought a shovel on the bus. After we won, Hunter ran to the bus and got the shovel, and we put a scoop of dirt in our bucket.”

Don’t count out the two usual suspects in the title chase, in part because both the Saints and Cougars have an established ace.

Defending state champion St. Dom’s has a sophomore, Gavin Bates, with a mid-80s fastball. Bates threw a no-hitter and got stronger as his rookie season progressed, in part from catching the Saints’ now-graduated one-two of Mike Bryant and Mitch Lorenz.

“He’s ready to take over that role,” Blackman said. “We may have to mix and match a couple after him.”

Sophomore Mack Pelletier and freshman Riley Volpe are the most likely candidates. Nate Richard, the lone returning senior, moves to center field. Catcher and shortstop Justin Keaney and outfielder Bobby Shelley also started the state game.

Volpe, Hunter Hughes and Ben Gosselin headline a promising freshman class. Blackman also is enthusiastic about the potential of hockey standout Austin Roy, who made the transition from lacrosse for his senior season.

“We’re prepared to get after it and step up and try to fill the void,” Blackman said. “We’re probably due for that rebuilding year, but we’ve said that before and had it turn out better than anyone expected.”

Dirigo will lean on southpaw Gavin Arsenault as its clear No. 1 pitcher and leadoff hitter. Arsenault was 5-1 with an 0.77 ERA and 54 strikeouts as a junior.

“He will be our horse, and we will need his arm to get us wins,” Dirigo coach Ryan Palmer said.

Gus Brown will combine with Arsenault for an electrifying top of the order when he returns from an injury sustained during wrestling season.

Gavin Hebert (first base) and Cooper Chiasson (third base) each made significant contributions a year ago and are key pieces of the pitching staff. Bryce Whittemore is the heir apparent to Tyler Frost behind the plate.

Two of the school’s best athletes, senior Riley Robinson and sophomore Luke Lueders, are new to varsity baseball but should anchor the middle of the infield.

“We have some younger players who will need to step up this year,” Palmer said. “Our motto is to work hard every day and try to do a good job with whatever we are working on.”

The Cougars have fallen victim to the Saints at home in the playoffs each of the past two years. They won back-to-back state titles in 2012 and 2013.

Lisbon returns one of the top pitchers in the MVC, lefty Tyler Halls. His starts will take on added importance with another top player missing due to eligibility issues.

The Greyhounds have veterans behind the plate (Nick Lerette) and on the right side of the infield (Austin Fournier at first, Ryley Austin at second).

“We’re a mixture of veterans and first-year players,” Lisbon coach Randy Ridley said. “Hopefully we jell together before we get too far into the season. Most of the teams in the MVC have their aces back, so it will be interesting to see how everybody matches up.”

Graduation hit Winthrop harder than most teams. Six starters are no longer in the mix.

“We lost a lot of hits,” Winthrop coach Marc Fortin said. “All those guys batted over .300, and a couple them over .400.”

Basketball star Jacob Hickey must make the jump from the Ramblers’ No. 3 pitcher to its No. 1. Matt Ingram, Bennett Brooks, Antonio Meucci, Spencer Steele are the other anchors of a team without seniors.

Collectively, that group will make up Winthrop’s infield and throw a bundle of innings.

“We think we can contend,” Fortin said.

Telstar and Mt. Abram combined for only five wins last season but return with their rosters largely intact.

The Rebels look to Hunter Williamson, Josh Eliot and Tanner Wheeler for hits at the plate and outs on the mound.

“Many of our players from last year are back and are a year older,” Telstar coach John Eliot said. “Our program is growing, with some players returning to the game from other sports.

Growth for the Roadrunners has been stunted by the rough winter weather in recent years. For the first time in a while, Mt. Abram got outside well before its first scheduled league contest.

Seven seniors, including pitchers Cody White, Austin Ladd and Seth Thomas, fuel coach Frank Orcutt’s optimism. Third baseman Gavin Haggan, shortstop Hunter York and catcher Mitch Wallace all return.

“We’re hoping to make a run at one of the playoff spots,” Orcutt said. “That’s my goal, and the kids agree. We lost a couple of close games last year, and we think we can pick them off this time.”

koakes@sunjournal.com