ORONO, Maine — There are very few similarities between Orono, Maine and Miami.
But Miami native Christopher Bec embraced the challenge and has flourished as the catcher and designated hitter for the University of Maine’s baseball team.
Making the adjustment from the warmth and sun of Miami to a long and cold Maine winter hasn’t been a big deal for Bec.
“It has been a great experience. I had never seen the seasons change before. It was nice seeing that and we have a great group of guys on the team,” said Bec, who won the America East Fan’s Choice Player of the Year Award on Monday.
“There aren’t any adjustments for me as long as I am playing this game. I have nothing to overcome,” he added.
In his first season with the Black Bears, Bec will enter the America East tournament on Wednesday as the conference’s leading hitter.
Bec, a junior who played at Miami Dade Community College, takes a .360 average into fifth-seeded UMaine’s 11 a.m. game against No. 4 Albany.
He is tied for the conference lead in doubles with 17 and is second in hits (64), three behind Hartford’s David MacKinnon. Bec has hit one homer with 24 runs batted in with 33 runs scored.
He has struck out only 16 times in 178 at-bats.
“When I have two strikes, I go for more of a team at-bat. I try to put the ball in play and see what happens. You can’t get a base hit if you don’t hit the ball,” said Bec.
He leads the team in on-base percentage at .435 and is also tops in stolen bases with 13 in 19 attempts, which is rare for a catcher.
“I’m aggressive [on the basepaths]. I’m an aggressive hitter, I’m aggressive behind the plate. That’s my game,” said Bec.
“He was originally a shortstop out of high school,” pointed out UMaine interim head coach Nick Derba. “He’s a smart baserunner. He knows how to play the game.”
Bec is happy with his season to date but said, “I’d prefer if we had won more games. But we’re going to keep going and see what happens in the conference tournament.”
UMaine enters the tourney with a 21-27 overall record and an 8-12 conference mark.
Bec attributes a lot of his success to his work ethic.
“We work really hard as a ballclub and we have pretty good coaches,” he said. “I’ve stuck to what I’ve been taught, I’ve stuck to my approach and I’ve been able to get the job done.”
“He’s a good player. He’s had a real good year offensively,” said University of Maryland, Baltimore County coach Bob Mumma.
“He was the cog in their team. He made them go,” said UMass Lowell coach Ken Harring. “He plays with a lot of energy. I heard he was new to catching and he did one heck of a job behind the plate. He demanded that his pitchers do certain things in certain situations. He was a real good communicator with his pitchers.”
His teammates have enjoyed having him in a Black Bear uniform.
“He’s a great hitter. He always gets his bat on the ball,” said senior Tyler Schwanz.
“Bec is Bec,” said senior Lou Della Fera. “You know what you’re going to get from him. He’s a hard worker who leads us in pretty much every [offensive] category. It’s great to have him.”
Once Bec established himself as the team’s leading hitter, he noticed opposing pitchers were trying to pitch around them. He was getting a steady dose of breaking balls and not as many fastballs. So he adapted.
“I’m able to recognize offspeed pitches earlier now and attack them early in the count,” said the 5-foot-11, 190-pounder, who was the starting catcher for the Florida Junior College All-Star game and an honorable mention All-American and first-team All-Florida selection.
“He’s a very talented player. He’s hitting .360 and he has done a great job behind the plate,” said Derba, who expects him to get drafted this year.
Bec is looking forward to the tournament. The Black Bears won five of their last eight conference games entering the postseason.
“You never know what is going to happen in playoff baseball. You just have to keep going hard. We can win it. Things are clicking at the right moment. The team that gets hot toward the end of the season usually wins it,” he said.