The 1997 University of Southern Maine baseball team was the first to capture a NCAA Division III national championship playing under the Little East Conference (LEC) banner, and as such owns the distinction of being the first team to be inducted into the LEC Hall of Fame.
While the LEC was founded in 1986, baseball did not become a conference sport until the 1996-97 academic year, which proved to be a banner year for the Huskies as Ed Flaherty’s squad posted an overall record of 39-9 on its way to winning the first-ever LEC regular season and tournament championships, and USM’s second DIII national title.
The Huskies posted an 11-3 record in conference play to claim the top spot in the league’s North Division before going undefeated in the inaugural LEC championship tournament, securing the conference title with an 11-5 victory over UMass Dartmouth. The Huskies totaled seven All-LEC selections in the conference’s first baseball season, which saw third baseman Tony Miner named the 1997 LEC Player of the Year and Flaherty named LEC Coach of the Year.
Southern Maine then went on to capture the 1997 Division III New England Regional with a perfect 3-0 record, posting a 23-3 victory over Amherst and twice defeating LEC rival Eastern Connecticut (6-3 and 4-1) to punch its ticket to the College World Series in Salem, Virginia.
The Huskies opened the national tournament with three straight victories, defeating Wooster (7-1), North Carolina Wesleyan (14-4) and Carthage (6-5) before dropping a 2-1 decision to SUNY Cortland. Despite the loss, USM remained one win away from winning it all, and went on to rout Wooster 15-1 to secure the program’s second national championship in six years.
In addition to their LEC postseason honors, Miner was named a First Team All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) for the second consecutive season, and the 1997 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Player of the Year. Three USM players were named to the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) All-New England Team - pitchers Matt Harbour and Jason Jensen, and Miner. Harbour and Miner also garnered All-ECAC honors.
With his 2020 selection, Mike McCullum became the first player from the 1997 squad to be inducted into the LEC Hall of Fame, while Flaherty was inducted into the LEC Hall of Fame in 2013. To-date, Cory Adams, Jason Jensen, Jason Crepeau, McCullum, Bill O'Brien Denny Webber, and assistant coaches Greg Coppeta and Vinnie Degifico, both of whom starred on the field at USM before joining the coaching staff, are members of the Husky Hall of Fame.