As of April 2, the University of Southern Maine baseball team is off to a great start to the season with a 13-4 record (5-0 in their LEC conference). Junior Colin McDonald, who is pitching right where he left off last season, is the second Husky to have been named the Maine College Baseball & Softball Association (MCBSA) Pitcher of the Week, on March 24.
According to the Southern Maine athletic director’s press release, McDonald was dominant on the mound in a 15-1 (seven innings) Little East Conference win over UMass Dartmouth, striking out a season-high nine batters while allowing just five hits and no walks.
McDonald retired 11 straight hitters from the fourth through the seventh inning, including five by strikeout, and punctuated the outing by striking out the side in the fifth. McDonald’s game 1 win over the Corsairs helped Southern Maine earn the LEC sweep on the weekend of March 21. Currently McDonald has pitched 26 innings and has an ERA of 1.73.
Other leaders featured for the Husky baseball squad include upperclassmen Kyle Douin (23 hits) and Peter Keblinsky (25 hits), who have paced the team offensively. Freshman pitcher Hayden Stroud earned rookie of the week on March 17, while junior infielder Evan Baschnagel was named player of the week on March 6. Gabe Gifford and Carson Black have also pitched well for the Huskies, solidifying their rotation.
Transfer Caleb Vacchiano, who previously played for UMaine, has been a steady bat offensively with three triples, a homer and a .276 average. Gorham natives Quinn Dillon and freshman Josh Polchies are hitting .311 and .400 respectively.
Head coach Scott Heath is in his second year at the helm, replacing long-time Hall of Fame coach Ed Flaherty. Heath previously served as an assistant coach at the University of Maine.
Good luck to the Huskies the rest of the season.