Nick Derba, who guided the University of Maine’s baseball to a shared regular season championship and the top seed for the America East Tournament, has been named the league’s Coach of the Year.
The fifth-year head coach led UMaine to a 21-9 conference record and an overall record of 27-20. The 21 conference wins is the most since the 1993 team won 22.
The Black Bears rattled off 14 consecutive wins at one point this season.
UMaine shared the regular season with Stony Brook. It is the first time UMaine has won or shared the regular season championship since 2013.
The tournament is being held at UMaine’s Mahaney Diamond in Orono and begins on Wednesday. UMaine will play its first game Thursday since the top two seeds earned first-round byes.
UMaine was picked to finish fifth in the conference in the coaches’ preseason poll.
Sophomore second baseman Quinn McDaniel and three graduate students — first baseman Joe Bramanti, starting pitcher Trevor LaBonte and right fielder-pitcher Jordan Schulefand — earned All-America East first team honors. Graduate student closer Matt Pushard and freshman first baseman-designated hitter Jeremiah Jenkins were second team selections.
Jenkins and starting pitcher Caleb Leys were picked to the All-Rookie team.
Stony Brook senior third baseman Evan Giordano was the Player of the Year. New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Ryan Fischer was the Pitcher of the Year, and Binghamton designated hitter Evin Sullivan was the Rookie of the Year.
Derba said he has a “great coaching staff” and the award is shared by all of them.
“My name is on the plaque because of them, not because of me,” said Derba, whose coaching staff comprises Scott Heath, Ryan McClaran, Zach Scott, Mychal Bealieu, Tom Erick and trainer/sports performance coach Ben Rendall.
Derba also singled out Ronald Gillis, the assistant director of marketing, and Kyle Emerson, the sports information specialist.
Schulefand has had an outstanding season for the Black Bears after transferring in from Richmond.
His .359 batting average is third best in the league, and he is also third in on-base percentage (.469) and fifth in OPS (on-base and slugging percentage) at 1.008. His 25 stolen bases are sixth, and he hasn’t committed an error. He has also pitched, primarily in relief, and shares the team lead in wins with LaBonte with five. He is 5-2 with a 7.66 ERA.
He has 13 doubles and five homers and is hitting .500 over his last 14 games. He is fourth in runs scored with 49.
Bramanti leads the league in runs batted in with 62 and shares the league lead in homers with 15, and he is third in doubles with 17. His .609 slugging percentage is fourth in the league. He is hitting .272, and he has also scored 41 runs.
Eliot’s McDaniel is hitting .330 and leads the conference in runs scored with 62, is tied for fifth in homers with 10 and tied for sixth in walks with 29. His 62 hits are seventh. He has also hit three triples and has 22 stolen bases. He is sixth in slugging percentage (.574) and seventh in OPS (.988). He also leads the league in sacrifice flies with seven.
He is hitting .396 over his last 15 games.
LaBonte, the University of Maryland transfer from York, is 5-4 with a 4.67 earned run average and a save. He ranks ninth in the conference in ERA and has struck out 57 and walked 35 in 68 ⅔ innings of work. He is eighth in the league in innings pitched.
Brewer’s Pushard, a graduate student, leads the league in saves with nine. The hard-throwing righty has struck out 43 in just 29 innings. He has allowed 32 hits and 17 walks.
Jenkins and Leys have had outstanding freshman seasons.
Jenkins is hitting .282 with seven homers and 26 RBIs. He also has six doubles and three triples. Lefty Leys is fourth in America East with his 4.18 ERA and has been a mainstay in the starting rotation.
He is 3-3 and is eighth in the league with 66 strikeouts. He has thrown 64 ⅔ innings and has given up 59 hits with 44 walks. Opponents are hitting .245 against him.
