Kennebec Journal
COLLEGE BASEBALL: Summer means more baseball
By Gary Hawkins
The longest season of their baseball careers continues for several
central Maine collegians who have hooked on with teams this summer.
click image to enlarge
STILL PLAYING: Messalonskee High School graduate Sam Dexter is
coming off a strong freshman season in which he helped the University
of Southern Maine reach the final game of the Division III College
Baseball World Series. He is currently playing for the Mohawk Valley
Diamond Dogs of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League.
Photo by Graham Washatka for Portland Press Herald
click image to enlarge
Contributed photo by Robin Harper/Franklin Pierce Athletics Hall-Dale
High School graduate Ryan Leach, a junior at Franklin Pierce
University, is playing for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod League
this summer.
Franklin Pierce University junior and Hall-Dale graduate Ryan Leach
joined the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod League a couple of weeks
ago and has pitched three innings of relief in two games so far.
“I love it,” Leach said. “There’s a lot of good competition. It seems like
(I’m going to pitch) almost every other day.”
Leach fanned three and allowed one hit in a two-inning stint three
days ago. He was used almost exclusively in relief for the Ravens this
year, posting a 3.41 ERA while averaging nearly 11 strikeouts per nine
innings. Franklin Pierce played 56 games this season and finished fifth
in the Division II College World Series.
“I’m going to shoot for the all-star team,” Leach said.
The University of Southern Maine also played 56 games this season,
finishing second in the Division III World Series. Gardiner Area High
School graduate Forrest Chadwick drew the attention of major league
scouts but when he didn’t get drafted, he returned to Mequan, Wis. to
play for the Lakeshore Chinooks of the Northwoods League.
A junior at USM this spring, Chadwick batted .380 with eight home
runs and 44 RBIs. He was also a first-team all-conference and all-New
England selection in the postseason.
Teammate and Messalonskee graduate Sam Dexter enjoyed a banner
year for the Huskies and is playing for the Mohawk Valley Diamond
Dawgs of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League in upstate New
York.
Dexter, who set a school record as a freshman for doubles (23) and
assists (194) at USM, has started eight of nine games at shortstop for
the Dawgs and is starting to hit.
“Lately I’ve been getting hits here and there,” he said. “It’s a little
different with the wood bats. It’s definitely good competition. There’s a
lot of Division I guys.”
As Leach does, Dexter lives with a host family and spends a lot of his
free time working out at the local YMCA. Games, he said, draw as
many as 2,000 fans.
“It’s much more intense than I thought it would be,” he said.
Dexter still has a year of eligibility for his American Legion team and
thinks he may be back in time for the playoffs.
While many of his teammates are playing ball this summer, Nick Grady
is considering major league tryouts and hoping to hook on with an
independent team. The Erskine graduate finished his career at USM
with a .395 batting average and 60 RBIs. His 96 hits were the most of
any Division III player in the country and he was named
ABCA/Rawlings and D3baseball.com first team All-American.
“I’m hitting when I can, I’m working out when I can,” Grady said. “I’m
hoping somebody would like me to play for them. I really, really would
like to continue to play.”
Erskine grads and USM freshmen Shyler Scates and Ryan Pulver are
playing in the Portland Twilight League. Scates, who pitched nine
scoreless innings on Friday, expects to pitch once a week.
“My arm’s good,” said Scates, who was a spot starter for the Huskies
and also pitched in relief. “This year I didn’t throw nearly as much as I
did last year.”
Scates would like to get his fastball up to 86-87 mph by the time fall
ball begins at USM. He pitched 50 innings for the Huskies with a 3.96
ERA.
Messalonskee graduateand USM pitcher Nate Veilleux is also playing in
the Twilight League this summer. Those too old for American Legion
ball are hooking on with teams where they can.
Waterville graduate and Husson University freshman J.T. Whitten is
playing in a wooden bat league once a week while Erskine graduate
and University of Maine at Farmington freshman Tom Grady is also
playing in a men’s league.
Gary Hawkins — 621-5638
[email protected]