GORHAM, Maine –  The 1997 National Champion University of Southern Maine Huskies baseball team and one of its stars, Mike McCullum '05, will be honored by the Huskies' Athletic Department for their respective inductions into the Little East Conference Hall of Fame during a special game day presentation on April 30, 2022 at Ed Flaherty Field on the Gorham campus of the University of Southern Maine. The Huskies are schedule to face LEC opponent Keene State College in a doubleheader beginning at 12 pm.
 
Already inducted into the Husky Hall of Fame in 2010, McCullum became the first USM baseball player chosen for the Little East Conference Hall of Fame in 2020.  The '97 baseball team, the Huskies' second national championship squad in program history, became the first team enshrined into the LEC Hall of Fame when chosen in 2020. 
 
"Mike and the 1997 national championship team are both part of the rich tradition associated with the Huskies' baseball team and part of the stories of success, determination and grit associated with USM athletics," noted long-time University of Southern Maine Athletic Director Al Bean. "As a department, we are excited to be able to come together to celebrate the worthy induction of the 1997 team and Mike into the Little East Conference Hall of Fame."
 
A former Little East Conference Player of the Year and ABCA Division III All-American, McCullum was a four-year starting center fielder for the Huskies baseball team from 1996-1999, helping lead the Huskies to two of the first three Little East Conference (LEC) baseball championships and the 1997 NCAA Division III national title.
 
McCullum's most decorated season was his final one, which saw him named the LEC Player of the Year and an American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Third Team All-American after he batted .362 with 71 hits, 70 RBI and 54 runs scores. The first team All-LEC and All-New England selection slugged .536 that season with 11 doubles, four triples and five home runs, while posting a .950 fielding percentage in his 119 total chances and stealing 30 bases in 35 tries. The 1999 season saw the Huskies win 36 games on their way to the LEC tournament title and the NCAA Division III regional final.
 
The Portland, Maine, native started in all but one of USM's 48 games in 1997, which saw the Huskies claim the inaugural LEC tournament crown on their way to winning the 1997 NCAA Division III national championship, capping their season with a 15-1 triumph over Wooster to win the program's second national title. McCullum batted .333 that season with 61 hits, 41 runs scored, 27 RBI, 22 stolen bases and a perfect fielding percentage.
 
McCullum batted .338 over his four seasons at Southern Maine, and concluded his collegiate career as the program's all-time leader in plate appearances (678) while ranking second in games played (178) and stolen bases (74), third in runs scored (163), fourth in hits (229) and RBI (159) and fifth in total bases (317). His 70 RBI in 1999 stood as the program record until 2009, while his nine sacrifice flies that year were the most in program history until 2017.
 
When the Little East Conference expanded its selection process to include teams, the '97 baseball team was a natural selection to be announced as the inaugural team to be enshrined in the LEC Hall of Fame.  While the LEC was formed 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 head coach Ed 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 Division III 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 UMass 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 with a perfect 3-0 record, posting a 23-3 victory over Amherst and twice defeating LEC rival Eastern Connecticut (6-3 and 4-1) to punch its ticket to the 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.
 
"I'm looking forward to welcoming this outstanding group of former student-athletes back to campus to celebrate their achievements and honor this recognition by the Little East Conference," said veteran head coach Ed Flaherty. "The 1997 season was a great ride, and ended at the pinnacle of achievement with a national championship.  The amount of talent and hard work displayed day in and day out is something that stays with you as a head coach and is the reason for their success.  I would put this 1997 squad up against any of the great teams from this program and in NCAA Division III."
 
With his 2020 selection, McCullum became the first player from the 1997 squad to be inducted into the LEC Hall of Fame, while Flaherty was inducted into the LEC Hall of Fame in 2013.  To date, Cory Adams, Jason Jensen, Jason Crepeau, McCullum, Bill O'Brien, Denny Webber, and assistant coaches Greg Coppeta and Vinnie Degifico, both of whom starred on the field at USM before joining the coaching staff, are members of the Husky Hall of Fame.