University of Maine closer Justin Baeyens was a catcher in high school and for his freshman season at St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkill, New York.
But Spartans head coach Jon Garvey thought he had potential as a pitcher and transformed him into a reliever.
Baeyens eventually became the closer for the NCAA Division II school and had eight saves and 42 strikeouts in 29 innings for the Spartans last season before entering the NCAA transfer portal and landing in Orono.
After spending time with UMaine head coach Nick Derba and his staff, Baeyens said “I knew this is the place I needed to be.”
Baeyens, a graduate student whose two saves in the America East Tournament last weekend gave him eight on the season, is second in America East in saves, just one behind the University of Maryland Baltimore County’s Connor Kelly. And he can catch and pass Kelly this weekend when the Black Bears play in the four-team, double-elimination NCAA Division I Coral Gables Regional in Florida. They will open the tourney against host Miami at 7 p.m. Friday.
It is UMaine’s first appearance in a regional since 2011.
Baeyens said that Derba — who is a fellow New Yorker — and the UMaine culture fit his ideology.
“The mindset is baseball, baseball, baseball. That’s why I came up here,” Baeyens said. “It’s the best decision of my life. I’ve learned a tremendous amount from the coaching staff and the players. I’m very happy to be here.”
He said that the players push each other to get better on the field and in the weight room.
“He has been awesome,” said UMaine sophomore first baseman Jeremiah Jenkins. “He always wants the ball. That’s what I love about him. He just wants to get out there and compete. He wants to be the guy on the mound who shuts the door.”
Baeyens relies primarily on his four-seam fastball that ranges from 90 to 93 mph and has late life. He also throws a slider and a change-up.
“He has a lot of spin on his fastball,” explained senior catcher Ryan Turenne.
Turenne said hitters think Baeyens’ fastball is coming in right down the middle only to have it rise at the last second. That prevents them from getting the barrel of the bat on it.
“I’ve always been a fastball pitcher. I attack, attack, attack,” Baeyens said. “I try to get ahead of the hitters.”
Derba said he and his staff knew Baeyens had the potential to come in and consistently close out games for the Black Bears, and that is exactly what he has done.
Derba said he was familiar with Baeyens through his New York ties.
“He’s a Long Island kid. I knew he was in the portal. I knew he had a good arm and he had a good reference. So I figured ‘All right, let’s see what’s up,’” said Derba, who offered Baeyens a scholarship.
Baeyens has appeared in a team-high 25 games and has a 3-3 record and a 4.81 earned-run average. In 33 ⅔ innings, he has allowed 38 hits and 12 walks while striking out 38.
His statistics are misleading because, over his last 14 appearances spanning 20 innings, he has posted a 2.70 ERA with 21 strikeouts, just six walks and 13 hits allowed.
He retired nine of the 10 hitters he faced in the America East Tournament, going one inning in each game. He struck out two, didn’t walk anybody and threw 41 pitches.
Binghamton’s Kevin Gsell homered off him to lead off the ninth inning of UMaine’s 6-1 championship game victory over Binghamton but Baeyens then induced a groundout and struck out the final two hitters to sew up the tourney title.
“I have never been so nervous in my life,” Baeyens said. “I knew I deserved to be out there. I had to trust my stuff. It was nice to be part of the dogpile on Binghamton’s field.”
Binghamton had won the tournament on UMaine’s Mahaney Diamond a year ago.
The 6-foot, 195-pound native of Lynbrook, New York, said he loves the closer’s role.
“I’ve been battle-tested a million times. That’s where I feel most comfortable. I feel like a bulldog coming in there and throwing strikes,” said Baeyens.
Baeyens believes in himself and his stuff.
His confidence received a boost last summer when he pitched for Bourne in the prestigious Cape Cod League. Bourne won its first title since 2009 and he came on in the fourth inning of the championship game against Brewster and registered a strikeout to strand two baserunners. He then pitched a scoreless inning after that as Bourne won 8-1 to sweep the best-of-three series.
“Pitching in the championship game in the Cape Cod League is the best. It was a great experience. I was able to prove myself there and then I came up here. The rest is history,” Baeyens said. “It has been a long journey to get here. It has been an absolute dream to be here.”
