By Randy Whitehouse,Staff Writer
Catcher Mike Carpenter put his hockey career on ice to backstop the St. Dom’s baseball team.

AUBURN – Mike Carpenter is very popular with his St. Dom’s teammates, and it’s not just because his mother, Jeanne, hands out delicious home-made goodies after every game to his teammates and coaches.

Carpenter, a senior catcher, will be behind the plate for the Class C state championship game today (5 p.m., St. Joseph’s College). But not that long ago, it appeared the four-year starter was going to pass up a chance to join his best friend and battery mate in trying to defend the Saints’ state championship.

Instead, Carpenter, who played 11 games as a defenseman for the Portland Junior Pirates last season, was going to focus on his hockey career.

The Saints knew losing Carpenter would leave a big void on the team, and might affect the confidence of their pitching staff, particularly ace and best buddy Brady Blackman.

“We were nervous,” said Saints coach Bob Blackman, who is Brady’s father. “He’s been Brady’s catcher for four years now. With Brady’s kind of stuff, we were nervous. Who was going to catch him? Plus, replacing Mike’s leadership was a big concern.”

“I have not seen a catcher block like Michael,” he added. “Michael has a very soft chest and he controls the ball in front of him very well. With a pitcher like Brady who relies on that tight slider/curve ball, we have a tendency that we like to bounce a pitch in the dirt every once in a while. Michael being able to control that is very reassuring.”

Last fall, Blackman talked to family and friends of Carpenter, asking them to convince him to give baseball one more go. The coach’s best weapon was probably his son, who had been close to Carpenter since they enrolled at St. Dom’s

“I told him straight up, I need you.’ I knew if it wasn’t for him I probably wouldn’t be as successful as I am,” said Brady Blackman, a Maine Mr. Baseball nominee. “I have so much confidence with him behind the plate. I can throw any pitch that I want.”

Like a coveted college recruit, Carpenter listened to the appeals. But it was what he saw more than what he heard that convinced him to come back.

“There was a point where I wasn’t going to play. Then I started thinking about it and I went to a couple of Brady’s fall league games (with Frozen Ropes) and then that’s when I started thinking, Well, maybe I should play,'” Carpenter said. “One of his last games I was sitting with Bob and that’s when I decided I was going to go back and play for my senior year.”

Of course, Carpenter had more responsibilities to look forward to than catching Blackman. He’s been an integral part of the success of a young pitching staff that includes junior Andy Allen and sophomore Matt Kohler.

He’s also a catalyst for the Saints’ offense, batting in the No. 3 spot, in front of Blackman

“He’s like a leadoff hitter in front of me because he takes a lot of pitches, if he has to he’ll walk or he’ll take a pitch off the arm or if the ball’s there to hit he’ll drive it and get into scoring position,” Brady Blackman said. “And when he gets on first, you know he’s going to end up on second because he’s got speed and can steal.”

While he has plenty of RBI opportunities in the third spot, Carpenter doesn’t get too greedy. In the last two games, the regional final against Dirigo and semifinals against Winthrop, he drew five walks in nine plate appearances (and was 2-for-4 the rest of the time).

“His patience has been critical the last few games,” Bob Blackman said. “His senior leadership has come out in that aspect.”

“Early in the year I was struggling. I was hitting .180 or something like that and then I started to go back to taking more pitches,” Carpenter said. “I can’t really change my approach. If someone’s in scoring position, obviously you want to knock them in, but if the pitch isn’t there you don’t want to ground into a double play or pop out. If I get on, a lot of times they don’t have a place to put Brady and they have to throw him something. I know he’s going to knock me in.”

After today, Carpenter and Blackman’s paths will diverge. The former will resume focusing on his hockey career with the Junior Pirates. The latter will enroll at the University of Southern Maine as one of coach Ed Flaherty’s prized freshmen. Carpenter would like to make their last game together a memorable one.

“Not a lot of people get a chance to end their career on a winning note,” he said. “That’s what I’d like to do.”