UMaine-Farmington baseball coach Chris Bessey admits he’s still learning as he goes in the recruiting process. But no matter how much experience you have, sometimes you just get lucky.
Bessey was actively recruiting Lawrence High School pitcher Shawn Russell when he happened to learn that Russell’s catcher, Matt Woodbury, also had some interest in attending UMF. Both are now playing for Bessey, and Woodbury has emerged as one of UMF’s top hitters as a freshman.
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“I wasn’t really looking for anything big, and I thought baseball might be an option there,” Woodbury said.
Woodbury leads the Beavers with 10 RBIs and is second on the team in batting average (.326), on-base percentage (.396) and slugging average (.391). In doubleheaders, he’ll catch one game, serve as designated hitter in the other, and bat cleanup in both. Bessey said Woodbury simply started hitting in Florida and was doing too well to be taken out of the lineup.
“Hitting-wise, he’s definitely overachieved anything we thought he could do, especially as a freshman,” Bessey said. “He’s just very smart. He has quality at-bats. If he’s asked to bunt, he can bunt. If he has to hit behind the runner, he can do that as well. He doesn’t strike out a lot, which is rare for a freshman.”
At other Maine schools with larger rosters and more history of success, Woodbury may not have stepped into such important offensive and defensive roles. But Bessey is trying to revitalize a program that hasn’t had a record better than 9-20 since 2003.
“I knew they recently got a new coach, and I knew they hadn’t been doing so well in the past,” Woodbury said. “I thought I might be able to help out, and help build the program.”
But the growing process has led to some frustrating moments, as UMF is 3-16 this season. In Wednesday’s doubleheader against Thomas, the Beavers lost the first game 11-0 and fell behind 12-0 in the nightcap.
“It’s definitely tough,” Woodbury admitted. “Errors are a big problem. We’re not doing the little things, and that’s what the big problem is right now.”
Woodbury would like to improve his own game as well. Although he’s struck out only five times in 46 at-bats, he still feels he could be seeing better pitches.
“I get behind in the count a lot,” Woodbury said. “That’s one of my problems right now. I’ve let myself get down in the count, so I get two strikes on me early, and I don’t really know what’s coming from there. So I think my plate discipline could be a lot better right now. I think that’s my next step.”
As a catcher, Woodbury is polished. He believes he thinks too much before some of his throws, but also believes he’ll fix that with time.
“He’s got a very good baseball mind,” Bessey said. “He understands the game very well. He calls a good game. He’s very good at blocking the ball and getting in the dirt. His arm’s going to improve a little bit, but that will come with experience. He’s a very solid catcher.”
Woodbury has not yet decided on a major at UMF, but is leaning toward elementary education.
“I’ve always got along with little kids,” he said. “I’ve always like working with them.”
Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243
mdifilippo@centralmaine.com
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