Players from the University of Maine’s seven College World Series teams will be honored before Saturday’s 1 p.m. regular season finale against Albany at Mahaney Diamond in Orono.
The teams are from 1964, 1976, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1986.
The 1964 team went the furthest in the College World Series, posting wins over Seton Hall, Arizona State and Southern California to finish third. The Black Bears lost to eventual champion Minnesota and runnerup Missouri.
That team was coached by Jack Butterfield, and pitcher Joe Ferris, who was undefeated in three tournament appearances, was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. David Thompson hit safely in all five games and earned a berth on the all-tourney team.
Ferris went 9-0 that season, and the leading hitters for the 21-8 Black Bears were Thompson (.333), Dick DeVarney (.333) and future New York Yankees manager Carl “Stump” Merrill (.327).
The 1976 team was the first of six CWS teams coached by John Winkin.
That team won two games in the CWS over Auburn and Washington State after losing to Eastern Michigan in the opener. The Black Bears were eliminated by Arizona State.
Shortstop Russ Quetti was selected to the all-tourney team, and the 29-9 Black Bears featured Ed Flaherty, Jack Leggett and pitcher Bert Roberge, who went on to pitch for six seasons in Major League Baseball.
Tony DiBiase (.339), John Dumont (.311) and Leggett (.307) were the team’s leading hitters, and the deep pitching staff featured Roberge (9-2), Steve Conley (7-2) and Barry Lacasse (7-1).
The 1981 team became the first in school history to exceed 30 wins as it went 32-14. It lost to Miami and South Carolina in the CWS.
Slugger Kevin Buckley and pitcher Joe Johnson, who went on to pitch in the Major Leagues, were named co-Most Valuable Players of the NCAA Northeast Regional held at Yale University in Connecticut and they were also chosen to the All-ECAC team along with shortstop Peter Adams and outfielder Tommy Vanidestine.
Brad Colton (.438), Buckley (.438) and Vanidestine (.355) were the top hitters and Johnson was 8-1 on the mound with Stu Lacognata going 9-2.
The 1982 team was the last one to register wins in the College World Series, following an opening-game loss to Miami (Florida) with wins over Cal State-Fullerton and Stanford before being eliminated by Miami.
The Black Bears went 35-13 with future Major League pitcher and National League Cy Young Award runnerup Billy Swift going 10-1 on the mound and Johnson complementing him at the top of the rotation. The leading hitters were Ed Pickett (.371), Rick Lashua (.353), All-CWS selection Kevin Bernier (.347) and Jeff Paul (.341). Pickett, Swift, Colton, Mark Sutton and Johnson were named first team All-ECAC.
Swift has been inducted into the UMaine, Maine Baseball and State of Maine Halls of Fame.
The 1983 team went 29-16 and won one of the most memorable games in UMaine baseball history, an 18-inning 5-4 victory over Providence in the ECAC New England Tournament opener at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The game ended at 3:05 a.m. with 34 fans on hand to witness Colton’s game-winning RBI single that scored Bernier.
Swift threw 13 innings and 197 pitches and left fielder Colton threw a runner out at the plate after Winkin had just flip-flopped him and right fielder Dick Whitten because Colton had a stronger arm and Providence had a lefthanded pull hitter at the plate who singled to right.
Paul (.339), Lashua (.326), Bernier (.323) and Bill Reynolds (.319) were the offensive catalysts and Swift (9-3) and Lacognata (6-2) were the aces of the mound staff.
The 1984 team went 33-20, and Orono’s Jeff Paul hit .384 and capped a tremendous four-year career that landed him in the UMaine and Maine Baseball Halls of Fame. He hit over .340 in three of his four seasons and held or shared five school records. Rob Roy hit a lofty .432 to pace the team that season. Right-handed pitcher Scott Morse set the school record with 10 consecutive wins.
Peter Bushway finished off a four-year career in which he hit .294 in 11 CWS games.
The 1986 team became the first one in school history to win 41 games. The Black Bears went 41-23 and Reynolds was named the NCAA Northeast Regional MVP after belting four homers in a 21-8 win over St. John’s. Dan Kane hit .374 on the season, Dave Gonyar hit .333 and Steve Loubier, Morse and future Major Leaguer Jeff Plympton each won eight games.
There are 18 players/coaches from those seven College World Series teams that have been inducted into the UMaine Sports Hall of Fame: Buckley, Butterfield, Colton, DeVarney, Ferris, Flaherty, Johnson, Kane, Lashua, Leggett, Merrill, Morse, Paul, Quetti, Reynolds, Roberge, Swift and Winkin.
