Riding a 17-game winning streak, the USM baseball team nabbed the #1 ranking in the country, according to the latest D3Baseball.com poll, only to lose against conference foe UMass-Boston three days later, 5-0 in Gorham. The Huskies then took two games from Rhode Island College to claim the Little East Conference regular season title, and the chance to host this year’s tournament.
“It’s really nice to be recognized as the best team in Division III college baseball at this point in the season. It shows how hard we worked in the off-season, but right now it doesn’t hold a whole lot of meaning for us. It’s whose number one at the end of the year that counts,” junior relief pitcher Andrew deBethune says. “I think we definitely deserve to be one of the top teams in the country, but the people who vote haven’t really seen us play, and we haven’t seen any of the other top teams. We are just trying to do our job and win every day.”
The Huskies’ bid to hold onto their #1 ranking hit a significant road bump last Friday when they ran into UMass Boston lefty Andrew LeBrun, who quieted the potent USM offense. USM mustered only six hits and did not score a run for the first time this season.
But the Huskies didn’t let the upset ruin their weekend as they bounced back to sweep the pesky Anchormen of Rhode Island College 3-0 and 14-11 in two totally different games.
Senior Tim Therrian (New Portland) stymied RIC in game one, scattering six hits and striking out nine. In game two, the USM offense awoke from their longest offensive lull of the season to bang out 15 hits, including a backbreaking two-run homer by junior Josh Mackey (Danvers, MA) in the fifth inning.
Therrian, whose prowess is often overshadowed by the USM offense, is now 7-0 on the season. The right-hander has a 3.14 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 51.2 innings. He’s only walked 11 batters on the season, good for a 4-to-1 strikeout/walk ratio.
“Being number one has given us confidence and it’s great to be nationally recognized as one of the top teams in the country. We’re a good team but there still are a lot of holes that have to be filled to make us a great team. Right now we’re just focused on the road ahead and take it game by game, and we are trying always get better to become the best team we can possibly be,” added junior 1b/P Collin Henry, who is now 2-1 on the mound and is 12 for his last 21 at bats, bumping his batting average up to .333.
The Huskies certainly have the offensive statistics to warrant their number one ranking. Despite their streaky offense this weekend, the team is still hitting a .351 clip with seven starters hitting over .300.
Accolades galore
Senior centerfielder Ryan Pike (Saco) had a great week off the field. The former Thornton Academy standout won a trio of awards, including D3Baseball.com National Hitter of the Week. In the eight game stretch, Pike amassed an amazing 28 RBI. He batted .447 (17-for-38) with 13 runs scored, five doubles, and three home runs. Pike’s week was highlighted by his two-home run, nine RBI effort against St. Joseph’s. Pike also received LEC Player of the Week as well as ECAC Div. III Player of the Week awards.