ORONO, Maine — Hunter St. Denis and Troy Carpenter had to make a number of adjustments as freshmen for the University of Maine’s baseball team: adapting to college life, more experienced pitchers at a higher level and the cold weather that neither one is used to.
First baseman St. Denis is from Laytonsville, Maryland, 24 miles north of Washington, D.C., and third baseman Carpenter hails from Kathleen, Georgia, which is 30 miles south of Macon.
They both played at prestigious baseball academies in Florida last season: St. Denis at the ELEV/8 Sports Institute in Delray Beach and Carpenter at the IMG Academy in Bradenton.
And they have made major impacts in the middle of the batting lineup for the Black Bears, who are 21-30 overall and the third seed heading into Wednesday’s 5 p.m. play-in game against sixth seed Albany (15-33) in the first round of the six-team America East Tournament at the Bearcats Baseball Complex in Vestal, New York.
The 6-foot-5, 225-pound St. Denis, who hits third, is the team’s second-leading hitter with a .295 average.
He is also second on the team in hits with 56 and slugging percentage at .500 and tied for second in runs-batted in (38) and runs scored (36). He is third in doubles (9), homers (10), total bases (95) and on-base percentage (.372).
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Carpenter, the clean-up hitter, is tied for the team and America East lead in homers with 14 and his 48 RBIS are tops for the Black Bears and third-most in the conference.
His 14 homers tie him for fourth in the country among freshmen at the 304 Division I schools.
His 96 total bases and 25 walks are second most on the team and his 36 runs scored has tied him for second with St. Denis. His .497 slugging percentage is third-best.
He is hitting .238.
Graduate student-right fielder Juju Stevens, who leads the team in seven offensive categories, said St. Denis and Carpenter “go about their business in a mature way. You can see it day in and day out and they are reaping the rewards of their hard work.”
Both have been happy with their seasons but said they want to continue to get better.
“It has been pretty cool. My first year here in college has been good. I’ve got a lot of great guys around me and I’ve had the opportunity to play,” St. Denis said.
He has tried to stay focused and has kept working on his game and honed in on “staying through the middle of the field and then adjusting.
“I was hoping to have a season like this, but I was a little worried at the start of the year because I was making solid contact, but the balls were getting caught. Then they started falling in and things started coming together,” said St. Denis, who has had 16 multiple-hit games and is hitting .370 over his last 12 games with six homers and 11 RBIs.
“I feel like I’ve gotten better. I’ve been hitting the ball harder more consistently,” St. Denis said.
Carpenter always comes into a season with a “big head and a big mentality to succeed.”
“It has been very special,” he said. “I’ve been very blessed to have a season like this so far. The Lord has blessed me in a big way this year.”
His experience in Georgia and then at IMG Academy has been beneficial.
“Last year at IMG, we faced a lot of guys down there who were among the best arms in the country,” Carpenter said. “It has been an adjustment but it’s just the consistency part. Coming to play and competing on every pitch.”
He said he wants to cut down on his strikeouts. He leads the team and the conference with 58 strikeouts.
“I want to get more hits, get my average up and then, with that, there will be more power, more homers, more extra base hits. Clean up the little things,” said Carpenter.
St. Denis and Carpenter are roommates and both feel it has played a role in their success.
“It has been a blessing. It is good to live with somebody with a like mind,” Carpenter said.
“Being roommates, we can work together. We can come down here and hit whenever we want together,” St. Denis said.
Both players said it took time to get adjusted to the cold Maine winter and the weather conditions, in general.
“The winters are a little colder, for sure, and the weather gets interesting at times with rain and hail,” St. Denis said. “But it’s been good. I like it here.”
“It’s been very gritty with how cold it is. I’ve never really played in the snow and the cold before,” Carpenter said. “It has been an adjustment but it’s been really fun.”
Derba didn’t know they would become entrenched in the middle of the order right away “but I knew they had the potential to be at some point.”
“The future is pretty bright, offensively, with those two guys here,” Derba said. “They’re a pretty good one-two punch.”
He said St. Denis has had a “very good freshman season” and his power numbers will increase as he continues to develop and Carpenter has put up impressive power numbers and “his average will get better as he continues to develop.”
Stevens (.307-14 homers-38 RBis), St. Denis and Carpenter have been UMaine’s offensive catalysts along with redshirt junior second baseman Albert De La Rosa (.290-3-21), sophomore left fielder Quinn Murphy (.287-5-21) and senior center fielder Brody Rasmussen (.275-5-21).
Jason Krieger (3-6, 4.37) and Vaun Larisa (3-4, 4.72) have headlined the pitching staff and Sebastian Holt has five saves.
Albany has been led by America East Pitcher of the Year Dylan Banner (2-5, 3.94) and fellow All-AE first teamer Matthew Mariano (5-1, 3.25), a relief pitcher, along with left fielder Michael Maggio (.323-0-16), right fielder Tre Mariano (.301-7-29), first baseman Jaxon Mueller (.287-3-22) and second baseman Patrick DeSarno (.278-2-16).
