FARMINGTON — Tom Grady bounced around the outfield and lineup as a freshman last season for the University of Maine at Farmington baseball team.
Stability comes this season for the Erskine Academy graduate.
UMF Capsules
Softball
Coach:Cyndi Pratt (5th season)
Last season: 11-16, 5-3 in NAC
Key players: SS Amy Jones, OF/1B Shelby Bryant, P Emily Soule, C Mery Bond, IF Jillian Withee,
Outlook: UMF was picked by coaches to finish fifth in the North Atlantic Conference. The Beavers return their top two hitters in Jones and Bryant. Jones, a former Cony standout and second team All-NAC member, hit .344 with two home runs and 21 RBI. She also had a team-high 32 hits. Bryant hit a team-high .387, although just two of her 29 hits went for extra bases. Bryant played left field and first base last year. Soule returns as the top pitcher on the staff. She went 6-5 with a 2.04 ERA last season. She struck out 53 in 79 innings.
Baseball
Coach: Chris Bessey (4th year)
Last season: 9-23, 8-16 in NAC
Key players: 1B Ben Keene, OF Tom Grady, IF Jory Humphrey, P Kyle Peterson, P Joe Sullivan
Outlook: NAC coaches picked the Beavers to finish tied for fifth in the conference this season. Keene returns after a dominant freshman season, in which he earned rookie of the year honors in the NAC. He hit .403 with 13 RBI. Grady hit .267 with 10 RBi as a freshman last season and should see time acros the outfield. Humphrey, who like Grady is an Erskine graduate, hit .263 last season. The Beavers did losetheir most reliable starting pitcher – Casey Ashey – to graduation, and they will look for others to step into that role. Returning pitchers Joe Sullivan and Kyle Peterson lead the pitching staff.
Women’s lacrosse
Coach: Molly Wilkie (7th year)
Last season: 5-8, 3-3 in NAC
Key players: A Ayla Allen, A Maddi Kadnar, A Mara Balboni, M Chelsea Morley, G Hannah Goodenow, M Molly Corbin, M Lyndsey Grundy.
Outlook: Allen returns as one of the top scorers in the NAC. She earned rookie of the year honors last season after scoring 41 goals and 15 assists for 56 points. Kadnar, a Messalonskee graduate, was second on the team in scoring last season with 26 goals and 13 assists. Fellow Messalonskee graduate Balboni also returns as a key scorer for the Beavers. She finished with 25 goals and 8 assists for 33 points. Goodenow returns as the starting goalie. She
Men’s lacrosse
Coach: Tom Sheridan (2nd year)
Last season: 4-7, 4-4 in NAC
Key players: M TC Peters, A Jake Linkletter, A Sean Berce, D Mike Foley, G Ben Altmaier, M Zack Rowland, M Chris Roberts.
Outlook: The Beavers were picked to finish sixth in the conference by NAC coaches. However, the team retuns its top eight scorers from last season. Peters led the team with 12 goals and 10 assists for 22 points. Linkletter, a Madison graduate, led the team with 17 goals. Berce was third on the team in scoring with 8 goals and 10 assists for 18 points. Foley will lead the Beavers defensively. The two-time All-NAC selection had 64 groundballs and caused 24 turnovers. Ben Altmaier, a Mt. Blue graduate, is the top returning goalie.
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“He’s going to play centerfield every day and he’s going to hit right in the middle of our lineup,” UMF baseball coach Chris Bessey said. “Our expectation is that Tom is going to have a big year. It’s saying a lot because he is only a sophomore, but he’s ready.”
Oh, is Grady ready.
The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Grady, a Whitefield native, spent the bulk of last season adjusting to the collegiate game.
He played in 32 games for the Beavers, hitting .267 with four doubles and 10 RBIs. Grady also struck out 18 times, second most on the team.
“Last year I didn’t know what to expect,” Grady said. “I didn’t know what I was up against.”
Added Bessey: “He probably struck out more than he expected. But he was facing pitchers, good pitchers, who could change speeds and locate. There was a big difference to what he was used to. We had to shorten his swing up a bit, make it more compact.
“But he’s a natural hitter, and we’re going to need him this year.”
Indeed, UMF will.
The Beavers last season finished 9-23 overall and 8-16 in the North Atlantic Conference. The eight NAC victories were the most for the team since 2003.
With a young and talented roster, the Beavers set their sights on a top-four finish in the NAC, which would earn them a postseason berth.
However, two would-be key players — catcher Matt Woodbury and outfielder/catcher Colin Mello — didn’t come out this spring, leaving Bessey and staff a few holes in the lineup.
“We lost a little bit on the offensive side, no doubt,” Bessey said. “Those two guys would’ve been key. But we still have some hitters back.”
Grady, who will hit third or fourth, bulked up in the offseason with the anticipation of playing a greater role this season.
He enjoyed a strong fall baseball campaign, as well as establishing himself what Bessey called a “gap to gap hitter.”
“He doesn’t get cheated,” Bessey said. “He makes contact. He can go to all fields.”
Grady, who will also pitch in a relief role this season, said he hopes his increased strength and added experience will help him bring some power to the lineup.
“I look at myself as a power hitter,” he said. “I feel I can be a big bat in our lineup. I’ve worked hard in the offseason. I worked out a lot to get bigger and stronger. I’m ready for this season.”
The Beavers open the season Friday with a pair of NAC games against Colby-Sawyer at Winter Haven, Fla. They will play four more games over the weekend in Florida before returning home.
The top four teams in the NAC will make the conference playoffs this season, something UMF hasn’t done in three years.
Bessey said he hopes that streak will end this year.
“We have a good team,” he said. “We’re young, but we should be competitive. We want to get 10 conference wins.”
Added Grady: “We have two huge games right off the bat this weekend. We want a top-four finish, and I think we can do it.”
Bill Stewart — 621-5640 bstewart@centralmaine.com Twitter: @billstewartkj
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