GORHAM, Maine –  Preparing for the upcoming 2023 season, seniors Arlo Pike (Buxton, Maine/Bonny Eagle) and Jason Komulainen (Gorham, Maine) and junior Bryce Afthim (Windham, Maine) have been named co-captains of the University of Southern Maine Huskies' baseball team.  Veteran head coach Ed Flaherty, now in his 38^th season with a record of 1098-490-4, made the announcement prior to Southern Maine's 10-game stretch at the RussMatt Baseball Invitational in Florida. 

Picked to finished first in the 2023 Little East Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Huskies begin their season on Friday, March 10 versus Roger Williams (5:00 pm) in Auburndale, Fla.  USM's first home game is schedule for Saturday, April 1 – a Little East Conference doubleheader against UMass Dartmouth (12:00/3:00 pm).

Afthim returns to the mound for the Huskies after two strong seasons and a 14-4 record and 2.41 career earned run average. A 2021 ABCA Division III All-Region first team, D3baseball.com All-Region third team, and All-Little East Conference third team a selection as a freshman, Afthim earned LEC second team honors as a starting pitcher in 2022. Appearing in 10 games with seven starts, Afthim fired 61.0 innings and had a 2.36 earned run average. Second on the team in strikeouts with 55, Afthim had three complete games and was 4-3 overall with one save. 

Earning post-season honors for the first time in his career in 2022, Komulainen was a second team All-LEC pick at catcher last season, hitting a career-best .329 (52-for-158) with 31 RBI, three home runs and 12 doubles.  Defensively, Komulainen fielded his position well (.991) with 25 assists and 293 put outs and throwing out 10 would-be base stealers.  In 146 career games, Komulainen is a career .274 hitter with 121 hits, including 28 doubles, with 70 RBI. 

A D3baseball.com All-Region and first team All-Little East Conference designated hitter Pike led Southern Maine with a .345 batting average, collecting 48 hits in 139 at-bats.  With 11 doubles and seven home runs, 37.5 percent of Pike's hits went for extra bases for a 1.015 OPS and a .576 slugging percentage. Scoring 25 runs and driving in a team-leading 34 RBI, Pike had 15 multiple hit games during the season, highlighted by an outstanding 4-for-4 effort in a 5-2 Little East Conference win over Rhode Island College (April 2).  Pike's numbers jumped in LEC action as the Huskies' junior hit .388 (19-for-49) in 14 conference games with six doubles and 11 RBI and nine runs scored.

Returning a significant number of seasoned and talented student-athletes to the mix, Southern Maine is looking to return to the NCAA postseason for the ninth time in the last 11 years after missing the 2022 season. The Huskies have earned a bid to the NCAA Division III National Tournament 26 times.