Mountain Valley’s Hunter Ames is all smiles as he rounds second base after hitting a grand slam during a game against Dirigo last month. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)

RUMFORD — Two years away from Mountain Valley gave Hunter Ames a new perspective on what it would take to become the player he wanted to be, and how badly he wanted it to happen at Mountain Valley.

And it has happened in this, Ames’ senior year. After establishing himself as the ace of the pitching staff last year, he worked hard to become a vital part of their potent lineup. 

“I want to thank Oxford Hills for dropping him in my lap last year,” Mountain Valley coach Steve LaPointe said. “I knew he was a gamer, but I didn’t know he would hit the ball like this.”

Ames grew up in Rumford and played for Mountain Valley Middle School, then switched from a Falcon to a Viking when he moved with his family to the Oxford Hills area before his freshman year.

Ames was glad to spend two years in a program rich in baseball tradition, but wasn’t very optimistic he would see much varsity time with the Vikings, so he welcomed the news that his family would be moving back “home” before his junior year.

“I didn’t really get the opportunity I wanted at Oxford Hills,” he said. “There is definitely a lot of ambition over there and I liked playing (baseball) there and football there. But I think there’s a lot more passion here. You know, it’s a small town that loves winning and really counts on its teams to win.”

Oxford Hills coach Shane Slicer gave LaPointe a positive scouting report on Ames, one that quickly played out on the mound last year.

“We put him in for five innings of relief in a game that we lost, but he shut the other team down, and he was in the rotation from then on,” LaPointe said.

A southpaw, Ames quickly asserted himself as LaPointe’s top pitcher. He posted a perfect 6-0 record, including the victory in the Falcons’ preliminary round upset of Morse.

“He’s been Mr. Consistency on the mound,” LaPointe said. “He’s just going to battle and battle and battle and keep you in the game.”

Ames’ record isn’t perfect this season (5-2), but, at his best, may be more dominant than last year thanks to an expanded repetoire and a better sense of when to pitch and when to overpower hitters. 

“He’s sneaky fast,” LaPointe said. “He throws pretty hard but he also knows how to pace himself.”

He can do that thanks to a reliable third pitch, a split-fingered fastball, to complement his fastball and curve. He throws the splitter with some movement that opponents sometimes confuse it with a knuckleball.

“It’s pretty much become his out pitch,” LaPointe said.

“I wasn’t as comfortable with it last year as this year,” Ames said. “Some people have said it looks like a fastball. Some have said it looks like a knuckler. I just split my fingers pretty wide and let it go.”

Ames wasn’t very comfortable with a bat in his hands last season and never got to swing one in a game as a result. After an off-season spent working on his swing in Florida and with Central Maine Community College coach (and former Oxford Hills and University of Southern Maine star) Ryan Yates, he seized the cleanup spot in a lineup that has scored 150 runs in 14 games.

“His hitting mechanics were a little messed up last year. But he has worked really hard on that this year,” LaPointe said. 

Another key for Ames, a standout linebacker on the Falcons’ football team last fall, was hitting the weight room and improving his upper-body strength. 

“Not hitting last year was rough,” said Ames, who is hitting .380 with three home runs and 21 RBIs this season. “But I worked hard in the cages (at In the Zone Sports Center) in South Paris and worked on my upper-body and using my hips more. I’ve been in the weight room keeping at it.”

Ames’ contributions have helped the Falcons raise their team batting average from around .250 last year to .375 this spring. 

Ames said his confidence in his and the team’s offensive production has been a boon for his confidence on the mound, too.

“We’re solid one through nine in the lineup,” Ames said. “I don’t think I’ve ever had that feeling where, especially as a pitcher, I know if I give up a couple of runs, I know we’re going to get those back.”

The Falcons’ balance has them at 11-3 and a possibly poised to host their first home playoff game in nearly a decade. Ames, who has committed to attend Division III Hilbert College in Buffalo, N.Y. to play baseball and study sports management next fall, would like to be a part of some other program firsts before his high school career ends. 

“I’m just really glad that I’ve helped Mountain Valley baseball turn it around,” he said. “There’s a lot of pride with this team and everyone would be really pumped up if we can go all the way this year.”

Mountain Valley’s Hunter Ames gobbles up a ground ball hit to him during a game last month against Dixfield. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)