Ray Bernier got a nice surprise from his Thomas College baseball team during its recent trip to Florida.
For a team traditionally strong defensively and at the plate, it’s actually been the pitching that has guided the Terriers so far.
Senior right-hander Andrew Pruell (1-0, 2.38 ERA) has been an early standout on the mound. He allowed no runs and struck out eight in a 7-0 victory over SUNY Canton on March 10. Junior righty Jarrad Willette (0-1, 2.61 ERA) also has put together some strong appearances for Thomas. The Terriers have a 4.24 ERA as a staff through its first nine games.
“It’s funny, (the coaching staff) said our offense and defense would be our strength, and we’ll see what we get out of our pitching,” said head coach Ray Bernier, a former Thomas assistant who was hired to lead the program last summer. “Our pitching was our best of everything down there. It was the best ERA we ever had coming back from the Florida trip, for team ERA. We did a nice job with the pitching, from the top guys all the way down to freshmen who made their first starts.
“Pruell, (Willette) and Garrison Paillet anchor our rotation,” Bernier continued. “Zach Nickerson, Dan May and Ankit Shah are the top relievers that I feel really comfortable with, late in the game.”
Thomas is still getting some early offensive production at the plate, led by junior outfielder Matt Seymour (.333 batting average, 2 home runs, 9 RBIs), aided by junior Samuel Keblinsky (.333, 3 RBIs) and freshman Hayden Dippner (.323, 4 RBIs), a Mt. Blue High School graduate.
The Terriers own a 2-7 record, but have won their last two games, picking up victories over SUNY Canton and Anna Maria College. Even in their losses, the Terriers have remained competitive. Four of their losses have been by two runs or less.
“I’m excited about the group that we have,” Bernier said. “We had a solid season last year, and we have a good core this year. I challenged the team a little bit with this Florida trip. The teams that we played already have 40 combined wins, so we played some good teams down there and were in every game, which was good. I don’t think the record is consistent with how well our team has played.
“In three of those (losses), we either had the lead in the last inning or second to last inning,” Bernier continued. “We need to learn how to win those games and close those out, but we showed the ability that we can beat good teams.”
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It’s only been a month since the season ended for the University of Maine at Farmington men’s basketball team, and already the Beavers are strong on the recruiting path.
This past week, four Maine high school seniors — Tanner McCann of Sanford, Gabe Michaud of Gorham, Zach McLaughlin of Hampden Academy and Liam Jefferds of Scarborough — were announced as new commits to the program beginning in the 2024-25 season.
“We’re a great school for Maine players to continue their career at,” said UMF head coach Sam Leal. “One thing that we take pride in is that we play all the schools across the state. So every season we have an opportunity to show that we’re the best (college) team in the state of Maine. I think that’s attractive to recruits. My accessibility to be able to get to games around the state and build relationships with these guys is an important part of a student athlete finding a home for them.
“The most important thing is, we have really good people on our current team,” Leal continued. “So when recruits visit, they get to meet the players on our current team, they start to build those relationships early on and make recruits feel more at home, feel comfortable in that this is a place that will develop (players) into a better person, play and strive for success as a team.”
The group is a strong class for the Beavers, who finished 18-9 and reached the North Atlantic Conference semifinals before falling to Husson University. Michaud, a point guard, led the Rams to the Class AA state title game, scoring a game-high 27 points in a 62-58 loss to Windham. McLaughlin (23.2 points per game) was one of the top scorers in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference, leading the Broncos to a Class A final appearance. He was also a Mr. Maine Basketball finalist.
The additions may be part of a youth revitalization with the program. Last season, the Beavers got early production from freshmen Jason Reynolds, a Winslow High School alum, and Brewer High School graduate Brock Flagg. Reynolds averaged 9.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game last year, while Flagg averaged 8.1 points per game. Sophomore forward Jordan Anthony (12 ppg, 5.6 rpg) is set to be UMF’s top returner next season.
“(Reynolds) plays with a relentless passion for the game,” Leal said. “With that passion and dedication to do right over and over again, it helped him be so successful in his first season.
“One thing that we were super proud of was how many different guys were leading scorers in different games for us,” Leal added.
The Beavers graduate one of their leading scorers — Zachary Mickle (12.1 ppg) — whom Leal was quick to credit for their leadership and putting UMF in a good place for its future. Fellow senior Simon Chadbourne (12.6 ppg), who has one more season of eligibility, returns next season.
“It’s a great group and I’m super proud of them,” Leal said. “I think they surprised a lot of people because we came back with no experience. Guys really stepped up to the plate and played with a lot of confidence and played very well together.”
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The Colby College women’s lacrosse team is already off and running to a strong start to the 2024 season.
The Mules — who finished 14-6 and reached the NCAA Division III quarterfinal round last season — are 4-1 to start the new year, including a 10-8 victory over Wesleyan in the season opener on March 2.
Senior attack Ally Franz — who scored 39 goals for the Mules last season — has already scored 16 goals in the Mules’ first five games. Freshman attack Tate Ban has nine goals, while senior midfielder Tori Congdon has eight goals.
The Mules entered the season ranked eighth nationally in the ILWomen/IWLCA Division III poll.
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