Former University of Maine first team All-America East shortstop Jake Rainess is getting a new opportunity with the University of Houston.
Rainess has one year of eligibility remaining and will be a graduate student at Houston, which will be playing in the Big 12 Conference for the first time after leaving the American Athletic Conference.
“I’m looking forward to playing a different brand of baseball in someplace new with warmer weather. It will be a different experience,” said the 23-year-old Rainess, a Baltimore, Maryland, native who came to UMaine via Bridgton Academy.
Rainess had a breakthrough season for the Black Bears in helping lead them to their first America East Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Rainess said this opportunity never would have come his way if it wasn’t for the time he spent at UMaine, time he cherished.
“If it wasn’t for Maine, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Maine will always have a special sense of home to me,” Rainess said, adding that Bridgton coach and former UMaine standout Aaron Izaryk and UMaine head coach Nick Derba motivated him to become a Black Bear. “I am indebted to Maine.”
Rainess initially intended to transfer to the University of Maryland but Maryland head coach Rob Vaughn left to become the head coach at Alabama.
“I didn’t want to go to a school that was in transition due to a coaching change,” Rainess said.
He looked at different schools but was impressed with Houston head coach Todd Whitting and his staff, which includes assistants Sean Kenny, Ross Kivett and Tyler Bielamowicz.
“It’s a good young staff, similar to Maine’s,” said Rainess, who added that it is also similar to UMaine’s staff in that they are “player’s coaches.”
Houston’s starting shortstop last season, Ian McMillan, was a senior and won’t be returning, so Rainess is in line to earn the starting job.
He is looking forward to playing in a “Power 5 Conference” against the likes of Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech, West Virginia and the other teams in the 14-team conference.
Brigham Young, the University of Central Florida and Cincinnati are also going to be first-year members, along with Houston.
Rainess, UMaine’s leadoff hitter, hit .321 with 16 homers, 47 runs-batted in and 38 stolen bases in 46 attempts. His 38 stolen bases tied him for fifth among players at the nation’s 295 Division I baseball schools and his .72 steals per game placed him fifth.
He scored 73 runs and his 1.38 runs per game were tied for sixth. His 73 runs scored tied him for 23rd.
He had 14 doubles, a slugging percentage of .623 and an on-base percentage of .448.
He had 22 multiple-hit games and 22 games in which he scored at least two runs.
The rangy Rainess, possessor of a strong arm, had a .948 fielding percentage.
Rainess will graduate from UMaine with a degree in English in August. He will be on an athletic scholarship at Houston.