ORONO, Maine — Billy Cather seemed to have everything going for him early last summer.
After a productive junior season at the University of Maine during which he batted .328 with 25 RBIs, the center fielder was invited to play for Yarmouth-Dennis in the Cape Cod Baseball League.
The talents of the Worcester, Mass., native also were recognized by pro scouts as Cather was drafted in the 33rd round by the Washington Nationals.
After some soul-searching and an unspectacular contract offer by the Nationals, Cather decided to return to UMaine.
“I almost felt that I wasn’t ready,” said the 6-foot, 190-pound senior. “I had a lot to finish up on here.
“I think this year we’re all going after one goal and I think that has helped me to really concentrate on baseball and know that we have this goal of winning a championship.”
Cather hopes to be a catalyst during the last two weekends of the regular season as UMaine chases an America East postseason berth starting with this weekend’s critical four-game series against Binghamton at Mahaney Diamond.
The lefthanded-hitting Cather is batting. 341 with four home runs and a career-best 31 RBIs. He leads the team in at-bats (185), runs scored (48), hits (63) and walks (28).
“I’m having a better year than I did last year, better than I ever have,” said Cather, who will finish this semester five credits shy of his degree in business administration.
“This extra year, being a captain, has helped me become more mature as a baseball player,” Cather said. “I’m much more confident than I was.”
Cather is a four-year fixture in the UMaine outfield. He is patrolling center field for the third straight season and takes great pride in his defense.
Cather, who idolized Ken Griffey Jr. during his formative years, combines excellent speed with the ability to read the ball well coming off the bat. He covers a lot of territory.
“He’s made some big-time catches for us over the years,” said UMaine head coach Steve said. “He has that center fielder mentality where he wants to catch anything. He goes back on balls very well.”
Cather focuses on getting the ball quickly and cleanly back into the infield.
His speed also is put to good use on the basepaths, where he has stolen 15 bases in 20 tries this spring. He has 59 career steals.
“He can hit, hit with power; he drives runs in, he can steal bases for you and he can lay bunts down. He’s got a couple different tools,” Trimper said.
Cather’s Cape League stint was a brief one (three games) as he aggravated a shoulder injury and was forced to sit out the rest of the summer.
He returned home to Worcester and did more conditioning rather than playing ball. It proved a beneficial and welcome deviation from the norm.
“I rehabbed and I started working out, put on about 20 pounds, so I think that really helped,” said Cather. “Taking that summer off, I couldn’t wait to get to fall ball, be out there with the guys and start playing baseball again.”
The workouts helped Cather make the move from the top of the order to the No. 3 spot.
“We moved him down a little bit to put him in more RBI situations and he’s put up some of the biggest numbers of his career,” Trimper said.
Cather has been trying to drive the ball into the gaps and to the opposite field. He also has been challenged by facing more curveballs and pitches on the outside part of the plate.
Cather has taken great pride this season in his role as a team captain. Even though he isn’t the most vocal leader, he tries to set a good example for the younger players.
“Billy is one of our most ‘professional’ ballplayers,” Trimper said. “He prepares extremely well, mentally and physically, and he goes out and he’s a very consistent player. He plays the game extremely hard.”
Cather is pleased with the way this group has gotten along and competed hard together.
“We didn’t want to treat anybody as though they weren’t as good,” he said. “We wanted everybody to feel comfortable and I think that really helped with the chemistry of the team.”
Cather played his high school ball at Worcester Academy for Peter Kostacopoulos, the brother of former UMaine coach Paul Kostacopoulos.
He credits his parents, John and Gail, with helping him develop perspective when it comes to playing ball and being a solid student and citizen.
“They’ve always preached the right things to me: If you treat people with respect, you’ll get respect,” Cather said. “That’s why I want to do well in baseball is for them. It’s nice seeing the joy in their face when I do well.”
Cather, whose father operates batting cages, has had the chance to work with former Red Sox catcher Rich Gedman.
Cather hopes his efforts this season at UMaine will earn him another shot at pro ball.
“This extra year I think will help a lot. They [the scouts[ should still be around,” he said.
In the short term, Cather is committed to helping UMaine make a strong stretch run.
“You’ve got to get hot at the right time and that’s the thing that we’re really looking forward to doing,” Cather said.
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