GORHAM, Maine  – Senior All-American Kyle Douin (Augusta, Maine/Cony) was named the 2026 Maine College Baseball and Softball Association (MCBSA) as the University of Southern Maine Huskies' baseball team swept the major post-season all-state awards.  Junior Gabe Gifford (Bradley, Maine/Old Town) was named the Pitcher of the Year, while freshman Hayden Strout (Charleston, Maine/Foxcroft Academy) was chosen as the MCBSA Rookie of the Year. Second year head coach Scott Heath was tabbed as the MCBSA Coach of the Year.
 
Douin, Gifford, juniors Peter Keblinsky (Ellsworth, Maine), Evan Baschnagel (Garden City, NY), Mike Anquillare (North Haven, Conn.) and sophomore Caleb Vacchiano (Cornish, Maine/Sacopee Valley) each were named first team All-State. Strout, along with freshman Kaiden Morin (Brewer, Maine), earned second team All-State.  Morin and Strout also earned a spot on the MCBSA All-Rookie Team.
 
Recently named both an American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and D3Baseball.com All-American, Douin was also named the Little East Conference, ABCA Region II and D3Baseball.com Region II Player of the Year.  Ending is remarkable career as the program's all-time leader in home runs (38) and RBI (210), Douin had a standout final season hitting a career-best .443 (81-for-183) with a team-leading 72 RBI, collecting 16 doubles, four triples, and a team-high 13 home runs. Douin's outstanding offensive numbers put him among some of the best in the nation in NCAA Division III, as the Huskies senior was seventh in RBI, fifth in runs (70), sixth in total bases (141), 33rd in home runs, and 23rd in slugging percentage (0.770). Douin finished his career hitting .378 with 246 hits in 651 at bats with 52 doubles, 13 triples, 38 home runs, and 210 RBI.
 
In his first season with the Huskies, Gifford led the Southern Maine pitching staff firing 61.1 innings, finishing his first season in Gorham with a 5-2 record. Named the LEC Pitcher of the Year, Gifford was also an ABCA and D3Baseball.Com All-Region selection, carrying a 2.94 earned run average.  Gifford led Southern Maine and the Little East in strikeouts (82) and is currently ranked 25^th in NCAA Division III baseball. Averaging 11.47 strikeouts per nine innings, Gifford held his opponents to a .224 batting average, and had a 1.32 WHIP.
 
Making his mark on the mound in his first collegiate season, Strout became the 11^th Husky to earn Little East Conference Rookie of the Year honors, and the program's first pitcher to do so. Earning ABCA All-Region honors, Strout is also the first Southern Maine baseball player to be recognized as the MCBSA Rookie of the Year. Making 11 appearances and eight starts, Strout posted a 7-1 record with a 2.86 earned run average in 56.2 innings. Amassing 31 strikeouts, Strout held his opponents to a .218 batting average.
 
Hitting .338, collecting 47 hits in 139 at-bats, Baschnagel put together a tremendous first season with the Huskies, finishing 2026 as a first team All-LEC outfielder while earning both ABCA and D3baseball.com All-Region recognition.  The Huskies' lead-off hitter, Baschnagel scored 67 runs and had a team-leading .518 on-base percentage drawing a team-best 33 walks while being hit by a pitch a team-best 19 times. Rapping out 10 doubles and 10 home runs for 40 RBI, Baschnagel finished with a .626 slugging percentage and a 1.144 OPS. During the LEC tourney, Baschnagel hit safely in each of the Huskies four games and had eight RBI. Baschnagel ranked 13^th in NCAA Division III in runs scored, and first in runs per game (1.76).
 
Hitting a career-best .387 in 2026 with 70 hits in 181 at-bats collecting a team-leading 22 doubles, one triple and two home runs while driving in 49 runs, Keblinsky had a stellar 2026 season for the Huskies earning second team All-Little East honors and both ABCA and D3baseball.com All-Region recognition as Southern Maine's shortstop.  Connecting on 25 extra-base hits for a .564 slugging percentage, Keblinsky's 22 doubles rank second in Husky single-season records.  Recording 16 multi-hit games, Keblinsky had a season-high five hits on a 5-for-5 effort in a 19-8 win over Eastern Connecticut State to help Southern Maine clinch the number one seed and regular season championship. Keblinsky's 5-for-5 effort against the Warriors cemented his spot in USM records as the junior shortstop hit for the cycle in the game, becoming the first Husky to hit for the cycle since Forrest Chadwick did so against Western Connecticut State on April 12, 2014 and just the fourth overall. Defensively, Keblinsky was outstanding with 57 putouts and 107 assists for a .927 percentage while helping turn nine double plays.
 
Earning ABCA and D3Baseball.com All-Region honors and second team All-LEC recognition, Vacchiano is adding first team All-State to his list of accolades after an impressive season at second base for Southern Maine. Hitting .314 (54-for-172) with 54 runs scored and 60 RB, Vacchiano connected on eight doubles, three triples and seven home runs for a .517 slugging percentage. Pelting out three grand slams during the season, Vacchiano had one in Southern Maine's 11-5 come-from-behind win over Keene State in the championship game of the 2026 LEC tourney to earn Most Outstanding Player honors.
 
Earning his second All-State nod as USM's starting left fielder, Anquillare was also chosen to the ABCA All-Region team, and the LEC's second team. Hitting a career-best .354 in 2026, Anquillare was 57-for-161 at the plate with 43 runs scored and 52 RBI, connecting on six doubles, two triples and eight home runs.  The Husky junior connected on his career-best eighth home run of the season during Southern Maine's NCAA Regional run.  Tying the Huskies' single-game record for home runs in a game (3) and RBI in a game (9), Anquillare was 4-for-6 at the plate in a lopsided 23-5 (7 inning) conference win at Plymouth State.  
 
Starting in 29 games at catcher, Morin had a standout rookie campaign for the Huskies, earning second team All-State honors in addition to third team All-LEC honors.  Hitting .349, Morin was 37-for-106 at the plate with eight doubles and 30 RBI.  Drawing 21 walks during the season, Morin had an outstanding .454 on-base percentage. The Huskies' starting catcher throughout the LEC tourney, Morin was season-high 4-for-5 with two runs scored in Southern Maine's 14-6 win over UMass Dartmouth to secure a spot in the LEC title game. I the NCAA regional, Morin continued his strong first season, driving in six runs while starting each game behind the plate. Strong defensively, Morin had 179 putouts and 11 assists, and threw out five baserunners.
 
Heath, the 2026 Little East Conference Coach of the Year, finished his second season with the University of Southern Maine leading the Huskies to the 2026 conference regular season and tournament championship. Defeating Keene State 11-5 for the 2026 crown, the Huskies won their seventh overall LEC title and first since 2021. Earning the LEC's automatic bid to the NCAA tourney for the 27^th time, the Huskies' hosted an NCAA Regional Championship and advanced to the championship game before concluding the season at 32-12, the  most wins for the program since the 2021 team went 34-11.  In two seasons and counting with the Huskies, Heath has a record of 52-31 (24-8 Little East).