The USM baseball team is busy preparing for the 2004 season. The Maine weather has forced the Huskies to practice indoors so far this season, but the team is hoping to get outdoors for a few practices before heading to Clearwater, Florida on Mar. 18 for their opening game against Trinity College.
Last year, the Huskies finished 28-15-1 overall and 10-3-1 in Little East play. However, USM will be one of the youngest teams in the conference this year, with a squad that will consist of eight freshmen position players and seven freshmen pitchers.
“I think how quickly the freshmen progress will determine how well we do as a team,” said Head Coach Ed Flaherty.
The Huskies will have to find ways to replace the offensive production they lost as a result of the graduation of their senior captains. Andy Lang and Tyler Delorme both hit well over .300 and knocked in 72 runs combined for the Huskies in 2003.
However, the Huskies do have some big bats returning. Senior Adam Lemieux, Cumberland, ME, is back to play centerfield for the Huskies. Last season, Lemieux led the team with a .388 batting average and was second on the team in both runs scored and total bases. Senior Third basemen Brian Marshall, Danvers, MA, hit .350 and led the Huskies with 48 RBI.
In addition, the Huskies have some strong starting pitchers returning. Junior Marc Cahill, Lynn, MA, is their ace. Cahill was 7-1 with a 2.24 earned run average in 63 innings last season. “Marc is one of the best pitchers in New England,” said Flaherty.
Junior Eric Kent also had an impressive sophomore year. Kent was 4-1 with a 3.32 earned run average in 43 innings.
The Huskies will count on some veteran leadership from their tri- captains, Lemieux, Marshall, and Jason Thibodeau. “The captains bring a lot of experience to the team,” said Flaherty.
The Huskies also have more depth this season. “We have two or three guys battling for every position. That keeps everybody working hard,” said tri-captain Thibodeau. While the baseball program is looking solid for the next few years due to the abundance of young talent on the team, this is far from a rebuilding year. “There’s a good balance this year and I think a lot of the freshmen are ready to step in and contribute. I think we could be really good,” said Lemieux.
Flaherty always sets high goals for the Huskies. Why not? Since taking over as head coach 18 years ago, Flaherty has experienced nothing but success at USM. The Huskies have enjoyed five seasons of at least 35 wins during Flaherty’s tenure. In addition, Flaherty has led the Huskies to two NCAA Division III championships. “Our goal is to win the conference title and to hopefully make it to the national tournament,” said Coach Flaherty.
The Huskies play their first ten games in the sunshine state before returning to New England to face conference foes UMass Boston and Rhode Island College. USM baseball fans will have to wait until April 4 to see the team in action when the Huskies play host to Wheaton.
Kevin Moran can be contacted at [email protected]