Staff Writer

 Tim Quinn and Chris Carmain were all smiles when they walked into their new summer home Monday afternoon.

The baseball players, just days away from the home opener for the Raging Tide in Old Orchard Beach, were awed by both the Ballpark and the community that is waiting to embrace them.

“The buzz in the air is unlike anything I’ve experienced,” said Quinn, a catcher from Assumption College in Worcester, Mass. “Everyone’s excited. It’s real cool to be a part of it.”

The Raging Tide, a New England Collegiate Baseball League team, relocated to Old Orchard Beach this year from Lowell, Mass. The league features high-level college summer baseball throughout New England, including the Sanford Mainers. Teams play 42 games in June and July and playoffs are in early August.

The Raging Tide’s arrival marks the first time a team has called the Ballpark home since the Maine Guides left town in 1988. The stadium fell into disrepair as it sat empty, but volunteers in the past couple years logged thousands of hours wielding hammers and paint brushes to renovate the facility.

Doug Ayotte, team president and general manager, said both the team and Ballpark are ready for the home opener 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Gov. Paul LePage will throw out the first pitch.

Ayotte’s father, Harry, founded the team, previously known as the Lowell All-Americans, in 2000. Harry Ayotte died two months ago and will be honored with a moment of silence at each opening game in the league.

Ayotte was already looking to move the team from Lowell when he heard about renovation efforts at the Ballpark. In Lowell, the team competed with the Lowell Spinners and drew few spectators.

“We really couldn’t stay there. We were losing money,” he said.

Once he saw the Ballpark, Ayotte said he knew he had found the perfect home for the Raging Tide.

“It was just a great fit for us. We want to become the hometown team,” he said.

Both Carmain and Quinn – the team’s only two returning players – said the Ballpark is a drastic improvement over the Lowell field and impressive in comparison to other fields in the league.

“It’s definitely a step up from Lowell,” said Carmain, a pitcher and first baseman for Northeastern. “The facilities are amazing, the town is amazing.”

“It’s just beautiful, everything about it,” added Quinn. “It’s like a pro ball park. It’s like you’re in the minor leagues. It’s pretty cool.”

Ayotte said the Ballpark will be the shining star of the league. In Sanford, players change in the parking lot, he said. The Ballpark, with a capacity of 5,500, is the largest stadium in the league. Ayotte hopes to draw 1,000 to 1,500 fans per home game.

“The kids who are getting here for the first time are just thrilled with the Ballpark,” he said.

Though he is excited about the Ballpark, Ayotte said Old Orchard Beach has more to offer than just a facility. It is hard to ignore the community’s efforts to bring back the stadium, he said.

“It’s something really special,” Ayotte said. “The whole idea of the community being behind the team is what we’re looking for.”

Ayotte said the team’s 28 players will live with host families in town once the team hears from more volunteers. For now, they are staying in a local hotel. Living with host families is an important part of the connection to the community for players, he said.

Ayotte said each family that hosts a player will receive season tickets for all home and away Raging Tide games. Anyone interested in hosting a player should contact him at 774-248-4595 or dayotte@ragingtide.com.

Carmain said the community’s excitement for the team was readily apparent to him when he arrived in town. He said players are eager to develop the strong fan base they couldn’t find in Lowell.

“It’s awesome to have the community backing you,” he said.

Sal Accardi, assistant general manager, said he also looks forward to watching the team build its fan base.

“When you have the extra element of the community pulling for the team, the kids enjoy it a lot more,” he said.

The team has already found a fan in Town Manager Jack Turcotte.

“We wanted to have a team to call our own,” said Turcotte, who has season tickets. “It’s going to be really exciting.”

Turcotte, who previously was superintendent of Sanford schools, said he saw how Sanford embraced the Mainers.

“I saw the spirit of the community and the involvements the Mainers were able to bring to town,” he said. “I hope we can do the same in Old Orchard Beach.”

Paul Crossman of the Ballpark Commission said the stadium is ready not only for the Raging Tide but a busy summer of events. The season started in May with a college playoff tournament and has continued with games played by area teams. The Ballpark will host the American Legion Northeast Regional Tournament in August, the first time in two decades it has been held in Maine.

Crossman said improvement projects are ongoing at the stadium. A new scoreboard has been installed, a new PA system is ready to go and the field is in great shape, he said.

“A lot of dedicated people went to a lot of effort to put this field together,” Crossman said. “The only thing missing is the fans.”

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.