Nick Derba became the interim head coach of the University of Maine baseball team eight days before Christmas.
Pete Dunn decided to retire after 37 years as the head baseball coach at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, and UMaine head coach Steve Trimper was named to replace him.
So Derba, who was promoted to associate head coach at UMaine in the summer of 2015, was appointed interim head coach.
The Black Bears have had an up-and-down season, going 21-27 overall and 8-12 in America East. That earned them the No. 5 seed for the America East tournament and a first-round matchup Wednesday at 11 a.m. against No. 4 Albany (24-24, 10-13) at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Massachusetts.
“From a record standpoint, you can’t call it a success by any means. We underachieved from that standpoint,” said the candid Derba, a native of Queens, New York. “But I see a team that is playing its best baseball of the season right now and if that’s the case, it has been a successful season.”
UMaine has won five of its last eight America East games and Derba pointed out that his team is one of the two hottest teams in the conference along with Albany, which won 10 of its last 12 overall games including taking two of three from UMaine in Orono last weekend.
“This league has so much parity from top to bottom. If we play our game and execute the fundamentals, we’ll be in very good position to make a move [to win it],” said Derba.
The 31-year-old Derba said it has been a “crazy whirlwind” and he also called it a “wonderful opportunity” which he hopes to continue if he is appointed the head coach.
“I want to be here. There is such potential and such tradition,” said Derba, who is in his fourth season on the staff. “This place is great. I like the challenges the University of Maine has to offer.
“My wife [Megan] and I are happy here. There’s a great environment and a lot of positives associated with being here. I hope I have the opportunity to stay,” he said.
Derba readily admits that the program “isn’t what it should be” but he feels he can get it turned around.
UMaine hasn’t had a winning season since 2013.
Derba noted that being a head coach is much harder than people realize because of all the added responsibilities such as monitoring the players’ academic progress, discipline, community service endeavors and fundraising.
“I like it. It gives me a sense of what it’s like being the CEO of a company,” said Derba. “Coaching baseball is the easiest part of the day. You’re managing a group of 17- to 21-year-olds. It’s a steep learning curve.”
Derba brought an impressive resume to UMaine.
He caught for Trimper for two years at Manhattan College in New York before Trimper came to UMaine. He then played for Kevin Leighton, who is now the coach at Fordham University.
Derba was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 30th round of the 2007 Major League draft and made it as far as AAA with Memphis of the Pacific Coast League. He played for six seasons before retiring after the 2012 season and seeking a coaching position.
He was a first-team All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference all-star and the only three-year captain in Manhattan history. He also served as a hitting and catching coach with Chatham of the Cape Cod League.
He had the opportunity to play for and coach with “some very good coaches like Steve Trimper” and he said he feels fortunate in that Trimper prepared him “pretty well by giving me a lot of roles,” including that of primary recruiter.
Derba recruited most of the current sophomores and freshmen and said he enjoys coaching them.
“They want to be the best they can be,” said Derba, who hopes that results in a tournament championship at Lowell.