Mainers shoot for 11th playoff berth in 13 seasons this summer

In the next two-plus weeks leading up to Opening Day, the NECBL will unveil team-by-team previews for the 2014 campaign, one per weekday leading up to June 5.

Recapping 2013
In Sanford’s 12 years of existence, the Mainers have qualified for the NECBL postseason in 10 of them, including the last five.

Last year, however, that streak was in jeopardy, as the Mainers dropped four in a row toward the end of July to plummet five games under .500 and putting their postseason chances near the brink of elimination.

But just like Aaron Izaryk had done in each of his last four seasons, the former Mainer and UMaine alum rallied his team to a 4-1 record over its last five; that, coupled with Laconia’s own tailspin to close the season, put Sanford into a winner-take-all play-in contest against their Eastern Division rivals, and it would be the Mainers who had the last laugh, winning the necessary Game No. 45 to return to the playoffs.

There, the Mainers would meet Newport for the second straight season in the Division Semifinals, and the reigning league champs bounce Sanford out in a two-game sweep.

The Mainers boasted three All-Stars in dominant closer Steven Rice of Vanderbilt, who finished with six saves and wins in relief, as well as Michigan’s Cole Martin and Maine’s Troy Black.

Players To Watch
Sam Balzano, Outfielder, Maine – Equipped with great speed, Balzano played in 57 games, making 54 starts, while batting .299 on the season with 42 runs scored, 21 RBI and a team-leading 21 stolen bases for the Black Bears. Balzano is returning to the Mainers after appearing in 37 games last summer; in 2013, he batted .310, and boasted a solid on-base percentage of .437 to go along with seven RBI and a double to help the Mainers get back to the postseason.

Sam Dexter, Infielder, Southern Maine – Dexter was a key cog for a Southern Maine team that returned to the DIII College World Series yet again in 2014. He posted a batting average of .366, drove in 26, and finished with an .887 OPS. The rising junior is batting .352  for his career in Portland, and that potent bat should do the Mainers wonders at homer-friendly Goodall Park.

Caden Bailey, Infielder, Georgia State – A two-year starter at Georgia State, Bailey moved from shortstop as a freshman to the hot corner this year, and the results were solid; the former Ocean State Wave earned all-league honors in the last two seasons and in 2014 season batted .293 with 25 RBI and a homer. Last summer, the All-NECBL First Team selection started at third base for the Waves in their inaugural year, batted .298 in the regular season and .500 in the playoffs to finish with a .308 batting average for the entire summer.

Nicholas Poore, LHP, Boston College – Back for a second straight stint with the Mainers, Poore went 1-1 with a 3.25 ERA in seven starts and 27.2 innings last summer while striking out 20. He made 14 appearances and struck out 15 with the Eagles this past spring.

Coaching Staff
Aaron Izaryk returns to lead the Mainers once again in 2014. With five seasons at the helm, Izaryk, a Sanford Mainers and UMaine alum, has led the Moose to the postseason every year. Izaryk has coached 26 league All-Stars during his five seasons of coaching. He is currently the head coach of the Bridgton Academy Wolverines.

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