ORONO, Maine — As a youngster, Tony Patane spent many hours practicing his baseball skills.
Whether it was playing catch, taking ground balls or hitting, he was eager to put in the time necessary to improve.
Patane was fortunate to have someone guiding and motivating him every step of the way —his uncle, Les Damon.
“I might as well call him ‘dad,’ said Patane, who is enjoying a strong senior season at the University of Maine. “He’s just an amazing guy. He’s done so much for me.”
Uncle Les is expected to be at Mahaney Diamond this weekend as the Black Bears take on Stony Brook in an important America East four-game series.
Patane, a senior co-captain, has been the lynchpin of the defense, a key offensive contributor and an impassioned leader for a UMaine squad (23-16, 7-3 AE) that is tied for first place in the league standings.
“He’s one of the fiercest competitors I’ve had,” said Bears head coach Steve Trimper. “He knows so much about the game. He’s got tremendous baseball instincts.”
Patane, who hails from New Milford, Conn., is third on the team with a .348 batting average and has registered four home runs and a career-best 33 runs batted in.
Patane’s offensive production has been derived from the No. 9 spot in the batting order. It is a position at which he has continued to evolve.
“It’s all about knowing your role as a hitter,” he said. “I do whatever I can down there to try and get the job done. I think I’ve really matured in that fashion this year.”
Unlike many youngsters, Patane was unable to share his passion for the game with his father. Paul Patane died when Tony was 6 years old.
Sensing her son’s need for a male role model, Sharon Patane asked her brother-in-law (Damon) if he would spend some time with Tony. The two hit it off, building their close-knit relationship around baseball.
“She’s God’s gift to me. She’s a great woman,” Patane said of his mother. “She saw that I lacked a father figure.”
Damon, a Mount Desert Island native, seized the opportunity to mentor Patane by hitting fungos or throwing batting practice. He would get out of work, pick up Patane and take him to the field.
“He basically took me under his wing. There were countless hours, so much dedication,” Patane said. “He stepped in and had a huge impact on my life regarding baseball. He’s also taught me everything I need to know to be a man.”
Patane’s hard work paid off. At New Milford High School, he became one of only five sophomores in 26 years to make the varsity roster.
He began his career at second base, but didn’t bat. He played shortstop the next two seasons, batting fourth.
Patane began his postgraduate career playing for coach Roger Bidwell at the University of Connecticut-Avery Point, a junior college. He said Bidwell took a chance on him, and his lackluster academic record.
Patane said he had been recruited by former UMaine assistant Jared Holowaty, but had already committed to Bidwell.
“My uncle, he’s a man of his word,” Patane said. “He said, ‘you told Roger Bidwell that you’re going there, you’d better own up to your word.”
Patane earned All-New England honors at Avery Point.
“Bidwell guided me through that,” Patane said. “He really taught me what I needed to know for the next level.”
The following year (2008), Patane made a smooth transition to Division I. He has been the Bears’ starting shortstop ever since, starting 139 games.
Patane has anchored the UMaine defense. Last season, he was a key cog as the Bears set a school, single-season record with 71 double plays.
“I think he’s a very underrated defensive player,” Trimper said.
This spring, playing alongside freshman second baseman Michael Fransoso, the Bears rank third in Division I with 49 DPs (1.26 per game).
Patane takes great pride in his defense but also feels a sense of responsibility as a team leader. He is outspoken.
“Sometimes I may not do it right, but I get my message across,” Patane said. “You need somebody who’s not afraid to say anything to anybody, but if somebody’s in trouble or needs some advice, I love to be that guy.”
Trimper said Patane’s energy, enthusiasm and work ethic are contagious.
“He wears his emotions on his sleeve. He really gets fired up and he plays hard,” Trimper said. “He really gets people to follow him.”
Patane, a mass communications major, is hoping for a shot at pro ball. If that doesn’t materialize, he wants to give something back to the game.
“I plan to coach,” he said. “I feel like I’m a pretty good leader. I’ve played under some good coaches.”
Patane is proud to sport six tattoos. One, a portrait of his late father, covers the upper part of his left arm.
On his chest, Patane sports a tattoo of a baseball that includes the words: “Dedication” and “Never Far” and the intertwined letters “UL” for Uncle Les.
Patane almost lost his beloved uncle last winter when Damon suffered his second heart attack.
“It was a tough time, but he’s a strong man. He survived.”