If the University of Maine’s baseball team is going to defend its America East championship, it will have to do so without two all-conference starting pitchers, who have been lost for the season due to injury.
All-America East first team righthander Colin Fitzgerald is recovering from summer hip surgery and 2022 America East All-Rookie team lefty Caleb Leys recently underwent Tommy John surgery on his left arm.
Leys was chosen to the America East All-Tournament team last season.
Both are juniors and will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Leys was 5-1 with a 4.94 earned-run average last season in 19 appearances, including 13 starts, while Fitzgerald was 6-2 with a 5.23 ERA in 15 starts. But Fitzgerald allowed 13 earned runs covering just seven innings in his last three starts due primarily to his hip injury.
Nick Derba, who is entering his seventh year as the head coach after spending the 2017 season as the interim head coach, said he expects to have Fitzgerald and Leys back healthy for the 2025 campaign.
Derba, the reigning two-time America East Coach of the Year, said he expects his team to still be a legitimate contender for the America East championship but felt it could have had a shot to win an NCAA regional with Fitzgerald and Leys.
“We may have lost two of our best arms but our bullpen is much deeper than last year. We have a very good group of young arms,” said Derba, whose Black Bears will open the season in Port Charlotte, Fla. on Friday at 1 p.m. against the University of Pittsburgh.
The two teams will play again on Saturday at 1 p.m. and on Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
UMaine went 32-21 a year ago including a 19-5 regular season conference record.
The Black Bears do return two top-of-the-rotation starters in sophomore righthander Gianni Gambardella (6-3, 3.90 ERA) and senior righty Noah Lewis from South Portland (7-1, 4.32).
Freshman All-American and first team America East selection Gambardella was chosen the America East Tournament Most Valuable Player after hurling eight shutout innings in the 6-1 win over Binghamton in the championship game. Prior to his start in the Coral Gables Regional, where he got roughed up by Louisiana, he had posted a sparkling 1.42 ERA over his previous four outings spanning 25 ⅓ innings.
Lewis compiled a 2.25 ERA over his last four appearances of the season including an impressive four-hit, two-run stint over 5 ⅔ innings of work in their NCAA Tournament loss to host nationally-ranked Miami.
Lewis, an All-AE second teamer, allowed only 63 hits in 85 ⅓ innings and struck out 77.
The third spot in the rotation is up for grabs.
UMaine plays three-game series in America East play.
Freshman righty Jason Krieger will get a start against Pittsburgh along with Gambardella and Lewis.
Senior lefty Tyler Nielsen posted a 2.00 ERA over his last six appearances spanning 18 innings after getting off to a rough start and could also be the third starter. Sophomore righty Luc Lavigueur, who allowed one earned run or less in 13 of his last 16 relief appearances and was chosen to the America East All-Rookie team, is another possibility.
Old Town freshman Gabe Gifford had a good fall according to Derba and could be used as a starter or reliever.
Former Oxford Hills of South Paris righty Colton Carson and lefty Geoff Mosseau, both seniors, and junior righty Ryan Scott will be back in the bullpen. Carson had 20 appearances a year ago, Scott had 17 and Mosseau had eight outings.
Derba said freshmen Gifford, Owen Wheeler, Krieger and Bailey Goss have “very good stuff” and bright futures.
“We should have a very good staff for the next four to five years if we don’t lose anyone to injuries or transferring,” said Derba.
The lineup should be productive, according to Derba.
Even though they lost All-AE first teamers Quinn McDaniel (.354 average-16 homers-45 runs batted in, 77 runs scored, 32 stolen bases) and Jake Rainess (.321-16-47, 73 runs, 38 stolen bases), America East Player of the Year and third team All-American first baseman Jeremiah Jenkins is back.
Jenkins hit .365 with 21 homers and 76 RBIs and has been named as one the 55 players to watch on the Golden Spikes list. The Golden Spikes Award goes to the nation’s best amateur player.
Junior Myles Sargent (.273-6 HR-21 RBIs) will be starting at second with sophomore Jeph Hadson-Taylor at shortstop and a healthy Jake Marquez (.248-2-20) at third. Senior Marquez played in just 32 games due to a concussion and broken hand.
Hadson-Taylor played in one game last year.
Graduate student Connor Goodman (.311-2-47) returns after being an All-AE first team designated hitter last season.
America East All-Tournament team selection Nick White (.380-3-13 in 24 games), a senior, will be in left field with senior Colin Plante (.252-2-16) in center and University of Maryland transfer Zach Martin and senior Logan Burrill, who played in seven games last year, being the candidates in right.
Sophomore Dean O’Neill (.283-2-15) will supply the Black Bears with an offensive upgrade behind the plate according to Derba.
Outfielders Evan Baschnagel and Chase Trolaro and infielders Jack Friend and Jonathan Gonzalez are among the promising freshmen.
Derba has 16 in his freshman class.
Derba said he has good speed throughout the lineup and although he doesn’t have base stealers like McDaniel and Rainess, “we could have four guys steal 20 bases.”
He said his team should be “very good defensively.”
