For the past five summers, Chickering has reunited with his fellow Oxford Hills teammates as a member of the Bessey Motors American Legion baseball team, a consistent title contender.

Playing under the Bessey name is becoming somewhat of a trend for Chickering since he started playing college baseball at the University of Maine at Farmington this past spring under coach Chris Bessey. Whether playing for Bessey Motors or for Bessey’s Beavers, Chickering has all the intangibles for being a great baseball player. 

“Great teammate,” Bessey Motors coach Shane Slicer said. “I love him to death. He’s hard on himself, but he’s a very good teammate. He works hard. That’s what makes him special is his intensity and his work ethic is outstanding.” 

Chickering was thrown right into the thick of it during his freshman year with the Beavers. He saw action in UMF’s season opener against Medaille when he pitched three innings of relief. He allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out one.

His first start came a few weeks later against Colby on April 13. Chickering tossed five innings, surrendering three runs (one earned) on five hits, walking four and striking out two. 

Chickering said there were many adjustments he’s had to make going from a high school pitcher to a college hurler. The biggest was making sure he hit his spots. 

“Those guys, pitches that you throw in high school that strikes them out they rip for a double,” Chickering said. “It’s a huge adjustment. You have to locate your pitches. That’s the biggest thing.” 

Helping with that adjustment is long-time friend and teammate Nick Attaliades-Ryan. Chickering and Attaliades-Ryan grew up down the road from each other and have played baseball together since they were young, whether it was with Oxford Hills, Bessey Motors or UMF.

Ryan found success at the plate in his freshman year with the Beavers, going 6-for-19 with a home run, two RBIs, six runs scored and a .316 batting average in 13 games. 

“Me and Nick live 30 seconds down the road from each other,” Chickering said. “I don’t think we’ve played a game without each other since we were five. We definitely help each other through it and we’re always working together, doing drills together and always just making each other better. That’s the biggest thing is we’re always pushing each other to make each other better.” 

Although he’s still searching for his first collegiate win when he returns to the UMF campus for his sophomore season, he carries some momentum from his final start as a freshman. In a 2-1 loss to Castleton on April 26, Chickering went the distance, pitching seven innings of three-hit ball, allowing two runs while striking out four and walking three. 

Chickering joined a relatively young pitching staff that consisted of two juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen. His 21 innings pitched was second-most on the team to junior Jimmy Neal. 

After completing his first year at UMF, Chickering had a decision to make. Did he want to play one final year of American Legion baseball for Bessey Motors as a post-grad, or take the summer to unwind? The choice was simple. 

“I love playing for these guys,” Chickering said. “I love playing for Slicer. I love playing for this community. We were returning a lot of guys from last year and I love playing with these guys. We have high expectations for this team and we want to play to our best abilities.” 

Factoring in the decision was just how close Bessey Motors got to winning the state championship last year. The Oxford Hills ball club came within one game of hoisting the title. It even handed Bangor its first lost of the season in the state tournament with Chickering on the mound, forcing a winner-take-all game in the double-elimination bracket. 

“I still lose sleep over it,” Chickering said. “You just want it so bad. To come that close and not get it, that just makes you want it that much more this year.” 

Slicer was more than happy to see his ace return for one final season and has noticed more of a leadership quality in him. 

“He’s confident and happy,” Slicer said. “He really wanted to give it another run. We got so close last year. You can just see it when he goes up there. He commands his pitches very well. He’s probably put on some strength so he’s a man now. He expects to win every time he goes on the field and so does his teammates, so I think he’s becoming more of a leader.” 

Chickering picked up three wins in last year’s state tournament and he’s started this year right where he left off. The lefty is 3-0, going the distance in all three starts. He was named Zone 2 player of the week after recording 20 strikeouts in his first two starts while giving up just one earned run. 

He didn’t blow away batters in his third start, striking out just one Gardiner hitter Friday, but Chickering said that was more indicative of his pitching style. His goal on the mound is to command his pitches. 

“I’ve had quite a few strikeouts this year in Legion so far, but traditionally I’m a ground ball pitcher,” Chickering said. “My biggest thing is being able to throw a strike with all three of my pitches. When I can throw strikes with all three that keeps hitters off-balance and that’s what gets you ground balls.” 

Chickering said his three pitches are his fastball, slider and curve ball.  

Slicer has coached Chickering for the past five years in high school and American Legion. With Oxford Hills, they made the playoffs the past three seasons, advancing to the regional final in 2014. Oxford Hills lost to Messalonskee all three years. 

To Slicer, Chickering’s toughness is what stands out the most during their years together. 

“He’s one of the toughest kids I’ve ever coached,” Slicer said. “He wasn’t feeling all that well in the playoffs last summer, but he gutted through it. He’ll give you everything he’s got whether he’s injured or tired or sore. He just wants to play baseball and that toughness is contagious and you can see it with our catcher as well. They’re not going to come out of the game for any reason.” 

Chickering hopes when it’s time to hang up the glove and cleats as a player that it doesn’t mean the end of being around the game he loves. He’s going to school to be a teacher, history being his subject of choice, but would also love the opportunity to coach. 

For now, Chickering is focused on his final American Legion season with Bessey Motors. He has his eyes on a North Atlantic Conference title down the road with the Beavers, as well.