Shawn Graham coached Houlton girls basketball for eighteen years, won two state championships, and put the Shires in four straight regional title games. He stepped off the basketball court a few seasons ago and Aroostook County collectively assumed he was going to enjoy a quiet retirement.
He is in fact running Houlton/GHCA softball this spring, and they are five and one.
Per The County, Graham's basketball receipt list: state titles in 2015 (Class C, over Maranacook) and 2016 (Class B, over Gray to New Gloucester), four straight regional title games from 2015 to 2018. He had also done a turn coaching Houlton varsity baseball back in 2013. The dugout is not new to him. The softball part is. The softball part is working.
Now the lineup. Amelya Matwyko is the engine. In the circle she is carrying a 1.68 ERA with a 1.000 fielding percentage. 1019 The Rock named her Spring Week Two Athlete of the Week after two complete game wins, twenty five combined strikeouts, and a five for six week at the plate. Year to date she is hitting .625 with ten hits, six RBI, six runs, two triples, and a team-best 1.125 slugging percentage. She pitches, she hits cleanup, she walks back out the next day and does it again. Her most absurd outing so far: April 29, 9 to 1 over Fort Kent, complete game, two hits allowed, sixteen strikeouts, then three for four with two RBI from the box.
Mylee Sylvia is the leadoff problem. Team-best .667 batting average, team-best 10 runs scored, team-best 9 stolen bases, team-best .765 on base percentage. If she sees a pitch she likes she is on first. If she sees a catcher who is not paying attention she is on second. She is on base three out of every four trips.
Kylah Tuttle keeps the line moving in the two hole: .583, seven hits, seven runs, three steals, .722 on base. When the table is set in this order Matwyko walks up to a runner already standing on second. That is why this team's at bats look short.
Leah Swallow rounds out the heart of the order at .500 with seven hits and six RBI of her own, plus a 1.000 fielding percentage. Her box against Fort Kent on April 29 was two hits and two RBI. She does the quiet damage the box scores undersell.
Now bring in the analytics.
Through six games played our Heal Points page has the Shires sitting at rank 4 in Class C North with a Tournament Index of 25.577 and a Preliminary Index of 14.00. The teams ahead of them: Washington Academy (10-0, TI 59.755), Bucksport (9-1, TI 47.997), Narraguagus (6-3, TI 29.777). Behind them at rank 5 and 6: Mattanawcook (6-1, TI 23.047) and Sumner (5-1, TI 22.219). That is the seed line fight.
On the Power Index page the Shires carry a GameIQ Power Index Rating of 63.5 and a Maine HS softball rating of 1588.6. They already have one shutout, two close wins (decided by two runs or fewer), and two blowout wins (margin of ten or more). The trifecta. They have proven they can win the squeaker, win the romp, and put a zero on the board when the bats go quiet.
What GameIQ thinks about the next two games.
First up is Calais at home today, May 15. The Slate has Houlton/GHCA at an 87.6 percent win probability with a projected final of 12 to nothing (well, 12 to negative one in the raw GameIQ output, which is the engine's way of saying "please call this one early"). Margin of victory call: plus thirteen.
Then it's the road game at Calais five days later, May 20. GameIQ keeps the Shires favored at 76.9 percent with a projected 9 to 1 final and an 8.4 run margin. The smaller win probability is the home-field bump GameIQ gives Calais on the second meeting. Even with that bump, the predicted score sheet still has Houlton on top by eight runs.
After Calais comes the schedule's actual test: Washington Academy at home on May 22 (the rank 1 in Class C North), Presque Isle on May 27, the road trip to Caribou June 1, and Mattanawcook home on June 3. That stretch is where the Tournament Index either moves up the seed line or holds. The Class C North playoff bracket opens June 8 with prelims. As of right now the Shires are sitting inside the quarterfinal bye line.
Eighteen years of regional title games in basketball did not prepare Class C North softball to look up in mid May and find Shawn Graham sitting at rank 4 with a pitcher striking out sixteen at a clip and a leadoff hitter who reaches base three quarters of the time. That is on Class C North.