By: Cullen McIntyre, Sports Editor
Baseball
Head Coach Ed Flaherty heads into his 34th season in charge of Men’s Baseball for the Huskies coming off a 37-9 record in 2019. The Huskies are ranked sixth overall in the nation by d3baseball.com’s Preseason Top 25. The team lost in the Little Eastern Conference (LEC) Championship last season 2-0 against UMass Boston, who ranks 16th in the Preseason Top 25.
Senior starting pitcher Ben Lambert (Business Management) was named to the d3baseball.com Preseason All-American Team, after being named 2019 New England Region Pitcher of the Year as well as the 2019 first-team All-New England Region team. Lambert posted an immaculate 1.38 ERA last season with a 10-1 record over 71.2 innings pitched last season.
The Huskies claimed first place in the 2020 LEC Preseason Baseball Coaches’ Poll with 62 points, with UMass Boston coming in second with 56.
Flaherty’s team opens the season on Friday, March 13 against Roger Williams University in Lexington, South Carolina at 12:00 pm. The first home game for the Huskies is against UMass Boston on Tuesday, March 31 at 3:30 pm.
Softball
Southern Maine Softball finished 2019 with a 22-18 overall record and a LEC record of 8-8. Finishing fourth in the conference last year, the Huskies lost in the LEC tournament 6-0 to second place Plymouth State.
The team, coached by Sarah Jamo going into her seventh season, placed fourth in the 2020 LEC Preseason Softball Coaches’ Poll with 40 points, below first placed Eastern Connecticut (60), Plymouth State (52) and UMass Dartmouth (48).
The Huskies start their season in Clermont, Florida against Millikin University on Saturday, March 14 at 3:15 pm. The first home game for the team is a doubleheader hosting UMass Boston on Tuesday, March 31 at 3 and 5 pm on the USM Softball Stadium.
Women’s Lacrosse
The Women’s Lacrosse team is coming off an impressive 2019 season, finishing second place in the LEC with a 10-6 overall record and 6-1 conference record. The Huskies made it to the LEC Championship, beating third placed Western Connecticut 15-9 in the Semifinal, but lost to first placed Plymouth State 12-7 in the final.
Coached by Ashley Durepo, her team ranked third in the 2020 LEC Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Coaches’ Poll with 43 points. Plymouth State ranked first with 53, as they were picked to win their fourth straight conference title. Western Connecticut placed above the Huskies with 51.
The Huskies’ season has already begun, beating the University of New England 17-16 in double-overtime last Wednesday at Hannaford Field. Junior Alex Farley (Criminology) scored the winning goal to add to her team-leading five on the day. The next game for Women’s Lacrosse is Tuesday, March 10 at Bates College at 4:30 pm.
Men’s Lacrosse
Men’s Lacrosse finished the 2019 season with a 6-8 overall record and a 3-5 conference record, finishing seventh in the LEC. The Huskies closed their season with a 23-11 loss to Keene State, who went on to win their sixth consecutive LEC title.
In the 2020 LEC Men’s Lacrosse Preseason Coaches’ Poll, coach Sam Manders’ team is tied for eighth with Castleton University on 21 points. Keene State was picked to finish first yet again with 81 points.
The team began their season at the University of New England last Wednesday, losing 24-10. Sophomore Colin Kinney (Mathematics) led the team with three goals, but UNE outshot Southern Maine 66-28 in the first loss of the season.
The Huskies host Thomas College at Hannaford Field on Tuesday, March 10 at 4:00 pm.
Men’s Tennis
Southern Maine Men’s Tennis finished seventh in the LEC last season with a 1-9 overall record and 1-6 conference record. The team, coached by Eric Haase ‘94, closed the 2019 campaign with a 7-2 loss against UMass Dartmouth.
The Huskies were chosen to repeat their seventh placed position in the 2020 LEC Men’s Tennis Preseason Coaches’ Poll with 18 points, placing above Castleton with 17 points. UMass Boston was chosen for first place with 50 points, and Salem State in second with 48.
The team hosted Norwich in their first match of the year, losing 9-0. The Cadets swept all three doubles and six singles. The next match for the Huskies is at Western Connecticut State on Saturday, March 28 at 1:00 pm.
Women’s Outdoor Track & Field
Coming off a LEC Championship victory for Women’s Indoor Track & Field, the Huskies will look to bring their success to the Women’s Outdoor Track & Field season. The Women’s Staff was named LEC Women’s Track & Field Coaching Staff of the Year, led by first-year head coach Rob Whitten, Mike Drummey, Jim Giroux, Jim Karcanes and Mike Roscoe. Southern Maine has earned the award five times in the six years it has been given.
The team finished fourth among eight teams at the LEC Championships last season with 83 points, and seventh among 13 teams at the New England Alliance Championships with 71.50 points.
The Huskies first meet of the year will be the Snowflake Classic at Tufts University on Saturday, March 28 at 10:00 am.
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field
Men’s Indoor Track & Field will look to repeat their success from the 2019 LEC Championship victory with 169 points. The team also finished second among 13 teams at the New England Alliance Championships with 118 points.
Head Coach Ryan Harkleroad has led the Huskies to five straight Outdoor Track & Field LEC Championships, and will look to do the same coming off a second place finish at the Men’s Indoor Track & Field LEC Championships this Winter.
The first meet of the 2020 Men’s Outdoor Track & Field season is Saturday, March 28 at Tufts University for the Snowflake Classic.