GORHAM, Maine - Claiming the Little East Conference regular season championship, the University of Southern Maine Huskies will be the host site and the number one seed for the upcoming Little East Conference Tournament Championship, May 6-9, at Flaherty Field. Southern Maine will face sixth-seed VTSU-Castleton in its opening game at 9 am on Wednesday.
The 2026 Little East Conference Champion will receive the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament, beginning with Regional Championships starting May 15. Sixty-four teams will be selected for the championship field. The NCAA will host an online selection show on May 11 (12:00 pm EST) announcing participating teams and regional sites.
The Basics
When: Wednesday, May 6 – Saturday, May 9, 2026
Where: Ed Flaherty Field; University of Southern Maine – Gorham campus
Participating Teams: Eastern Connecticut, Keene State, UMass Boston, UMass Dartmouth, Southern Maine and VTSU-Castleton
Ticket Information:
Tickets will be sold at the gate for the 2026 Little East Conference baseball championship tournament, held at Ed Flaherty Field from May 6-9.
All-Tourney Pass: $15
Single-Day Pass: $5 for adults; $3 for seniors, children under 12, and students with a valid ID
Cash and Credit/Debit Cards will be accepted.
Online Broadcasts:
Links for broadcasts and live stats for all games can be found at: https://littleeast.com/tournaments/?id=99
A FloCollege subscription is required as all games are pay-per-view.
Southern Maine games and information can be found at
southernmainehuskies.com
Parking Information:
The University of Southern Maine is a pay-to-park institution. Parking rates are $1.05 per hour or $6 per day (7:00 am – 11:00 pm).
Learn more about the University's parking at
https://usm.maine.edu/parking-services/
2026 Little East Conference Tournament Seeds
- Southern Maine (26-10, 13-3 LEC)
- Keene State (23-15, 13-3 LEC)
- UMass Dartmouth (19-20, 11-5 LEC)
- Eastern Connecticut (25-13-1, 11-5 LEC)
- UMass Boston (20-19, 8-8 LEC)
- VTSU-Castleton (13-27, 5-11 LEC)
2026 Little East Conference Championship Format
Game times are scheduled for 12, 3:30 and 7 pm. Double Elimination
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Game 1: No. 1 Southern Maine vs. No. 6 VTSU-Castleton - 9:00 am *new start time
Game 2: No. 2 Keene State vs. No. 5 UMass Boston - 12:00 pm *new start time
Game 3: No. 3 UMass Dartmouth vs. No. 4 Eastern Connecticut -3:00 pm *new start time
Thursday, May 7, 2026
Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser 2
Game 5: Winner Game 1 vs. Loser Game 3
Game 6: Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3
If four teams remain after Game 6, the following procedure will be observed:
Friday, May 8, 2026
Game 7: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6
Game 8: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 6
Game 9: Loser Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8
Saturday, May 9, 2026
Game 10: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9
Game 11: If Necessary - Same teams as in Game 10
If five teams remain after Game 6, the following procedure will be observed:
Friday, May 8, 2026
Game 7: Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6
Game 8: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5
Game 9: Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7
If two teams remain after Game 9, the following procedure will be observed:
Saturday, May 9, 2026
Game 10: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9
Game 11: If Necessary: Same teams as Game 10
If three teams remain after Game 9, the following procedure will be observed:
Saturday, May 9, 2026
Game 10: Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 9
Game 11: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10
Southern Maine History:
Southern Maine has won the LEC tournament championship six times (1997, 1999, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2021) and has finished as the tournament runner-up seven times (2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2014). The tournament championship was first sponsored by the Little East Conference in 1997.
In 29 appearances in the Little East Conference Tournament Championship (1997-2025* - no tourney in 2020), Southern Maine has played in 107 games and has a record of 62-44 (.584 winning percentage).
Southern Maine has been the No. 1 seed in the LEC Tournament nine times: 2000, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2026.
Southern Maine has been the LEC regular season champion 14 times: 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2026.
About the 2026 Huskies
Under second-year head coach
Scott Heath, the Huskies claimed their first Little East Conference regular season championship since the 2019 season, and have either been in the Also Receiving Votes or in the Top 30 of the D3Baseball.com Top 25 Poll or the ABCA Division III Coaches' Poll respectively.
Posting a strong 12-2 record at home on Flaherty Field this season, Southern Maine is 26-10 overall and 13-3 in the Little East Conference, marking a six-game improvement from last year overall (20-19) and a two-game improvement in conference (11-5). The Huskies had conference wins over Rhode Island College (2-0), UMass Dartmouth (2-0), UMass Boston (1-1), Plymouth State (2-0), VTSU-Castleton (2-0), Eastern Connecticut (1-1), Keene State (1-1) and Western Connecticut (2-0).
As a team, USM is hitting .340 and is led senior
Kyle Douin (Augusta, Maine/Cony), and juniors
Peter Keblinsky (Ellsworth, Maine),
Evan Baschnagel (Garden City, NY/Chaminade),
Mike Anquillare (North Haven, Conn.),
Carter Higgins (Truro, Nova Scotia) and sophomore
Caleb Vacchiano (Cornish, Maine/Sacopee Valley) who are all hitting at .300 or better.
Douin is hitting .436 (65-for-149) with 57 runs scored and a team-leading 65 RBI. Douin has 12 doubles, four triples and 12 home runs in 2026, and recently set both the USM career mark in home runs (37) and RBI (195). Keblinksy is hitting at .400 (58-for-145) with 55 runs scored and 41 RBI. The Huskies' shortstop has a team-best 19 doubles, one triple and a pair of home runs and became just the fourth Southern Maine baseball player to hit for the cycle in a 19-8 win over Eastern Connecticut to close out the regular season.
In his first season with USM, Baschnagel has primarily been in the lead-off spot of the line-up and his hitting .352 (37-for-105) with 56 runs scored and 29 RBI, including eight doubles and eight home runs. With tremendous speed on the basepath, Baschnagel has 22 stolen bases on the season. Drawing a team-best 30 walks and having been hit-by-pitch 14 times, Baschnagel has a .544 on-base percentage.
Both outfielders, Anquillare and Higgins are hitting .338 and .333 respectively. Anquillare is 44-for-130 with 34 runs and 44 RBI. He has four doubles, two triples and seven home runs in 2026. Higgins is 43-for-129 with 43 runs scored and 32 RBI, including 10 doubles and five home runs. Vacchiano, an infielder, is hitting .302 (42-for-139) with 43 runs and 43 RBI, including seven doubles, two triple and four home runs.
Juniors
Colin McDonald (Gorham, Maine),
Carson Black (Porter, Maine/Sacopee Valley),
Gabe Gifford (Bradley, Maine/Old Town) and freshman
Hayden Strout (Charleston, Maine/Foxcroft Academy) have led the way on the mound for the Huskies. McDonald is 8-1 in 11 appearances (nine starts) and 52.2 innings with a 3.76 ERA. Black is 6-1 in 11 appearances (seven starts) in 45.0 innings with a 3.40 ERA. Gifford has a team-best 2.40 ERA and a record of 4-2 (12 appearances, six starts) in 48.2 innings. He was a team-leading 70 strikeouts. Strout has a 5-1 record (nine appearnces, six starts) in 41.0 innings of work and carries a 2.85 earned run average.
About VTSU-Castleton
Splitting their regular-season finale with UMass Dartmouth, VTSU-Castleton claimed the sixth and final spot in the conference championship tournament. Hitting .288 as a team, the Spartans completed their regular season with a record of 13-27 overall and 5-11 in conference. The Spartans are 3-17 on the road.
VTSU-Castleton has five players hitting .300 or better led by Jack Humbach's .345 average (30-for-87). Carter Dickinson is hitting .333 with a team-leading 36 RBI, collecting 51 hits in 153 at-bats with 13 doubles and four home runs. Trey LaVigne and Tommie Shaw are hitting .310 and .300 respectively for Castleton. LaVigne has a team-best .478 on-base percentage, while Shaw is second in RBI with 35. Justin Strozyk is hitting .300 exactly (36-for-120), with 32 RBI and has a team-leading eight home runs.
Luke Russell and Nick Lescarbeau have seen the most work for Spartan pitchers this season. Russell has 58.1 innings, while Lescarbeau has 51.1 innings. Lescarbeau has a 4-2 record in 16 appearances with three starts and a 4.73 ERA.
Southern Maine swept VTSU-Castleton during their regular season meeting on April 25 at Flaherty Field. Southern Maine won game one 15-8, and game two 17-4. Douin was 6-for-10 over the two games with six RBI and four runs scored. The Huskies' combined for 27 hits over the two games, including 10 for extra bases. McDonald was the game one winner pitching 6.2 innings and allowed six earned runs on two walks and 10 hits with five strikeouts. Gifford won game two going six innings and allowing three earned runs on eight hits with eight strikeouts.
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