(Courtesy of the Little East Conference)
USM '97 National Championship Baseball Team Inducted into LEC Hall of Fame
GORHAM, Maine -- The Little East Conference (LEC) announced recently that the 1997 University of Southern Maine national championship baseball team will be honored as the first team inducted into the LEC Hall of Fame. The '97 Huskies baseball team is the first to be honored as the conference expanded its Hall of Fame selection process this year to honor a team for the first time.
In addition to the Huskies' 97 team's selection, the LEC recently announced that former baseball All-American Mike McCullum '05 and two-time LEC women's basketball Player of the Year Allison Gagnon Gray '95 will be inducted into the LEC Hall of Fame. McCullum and Gagnon Gray are among the 11 athletes, along with one former coach and USM's '97 baseball team, that comprise the LEC Hall of Fame Class of 2020.
Established in 2012, the LEC Hall of Fame now includes 81 individuals and one team with the inclusion of the Class of 2020. Plans to celebrate the inductions of McCullum, Gagnon Gray and the '97 team will be announced at a future date.
The Southern Maine baseball team was the first to capture an NCAA Division III national championship playing under the Little East Conference banner, and as such received the distinction of being the first team to be inducted into the LEC Hall of Fame.
"The '97 team, myself being biased, was the best Division III team I have ever seen," said veteran head coach Ed Flaherty. "It had four great starting pitchers and a strong bullpen. It had tremendous speed all over the field, power in the middle of lineup, and great hitters throughout the lineup."
While the LEC was founded in 1986, baseball did not become a conference sport until the 1996-97 academic year, which proved to be a banner year for the Huskies as Flaherty's squad posted an overall record of 39-9 on its way to winning the first-ever LEC regular season and tournament championships, and USM's second DIII national title.
The Huskies posted an 11-3 record in conference play to claim the top spot in the league's North Division before going undefeated in the inaugural LEC championship tournament, securing the conference title with an 11-5 victory over the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. The Huskies totaled seven All-LEC selections in the conference's first baseball season, which saw third baseman Tony Miner named the 1997 LEC Player of the Year and Flaherty named LEC Coach of the Year.
Southern Maine then went on to capture the 1997 Division III New England Regional title with a perfect 3-0 record, posting a 23-3 victory over Amherst and twice defeating LEC rival Eastern Connecticut State University (6-3 and 4-1) to punch its ticket to the Division III College World Series in Salem, Virginia.
The Huskies opened the national tournament with three straight victories, defeating Wooster (7-1), North Carolina Wesleyan (14-4) and Carthage (6-5) before dropping a 2-1 decision to SUNY Cortland. Despite the loss, USM remained one win away from winning it all, and went on to rout Wooster 15-1 to secure the program's second national championship in six years.
In addition to their LEC postseason honors, Miner was named a First Team All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) for the second consecutive season, and the 1997 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Player of the Year. Three USM players were named to the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) All-New England Team - pitchers Matt Harbour and Jason Jensen, and Miner. Harbour and Miner also garnered All-ECAC honors.
With his selection, McCullum becomes the first Husky player from the 1997 squad to be inducted into the LEC Hall of Fame. Flaherty was inducted to the LEC Hall of Fame in 2013.
To-date, Cory Adams, Jason Jensen, Jason Crepeau, McCullum, Bill O'Brien, Denny Webber and former assistant coaches Greg Coppeta and Vinnie Degifico, both whom starred on the field at USM before joining the coaching staff, are members of the Husky Hall of Fame.
-30-
