For the last six years, the Northern Essex Community College baseball team makes an annual fall trek to the University of Maine for a couple of baseball scrimmages.
But this is much more than a scrimmage or two. This relationship borders on respect, admiration and hope.
Maine gets to not only face another team but get its younger players some early face time on the field.
As for NECC, a Div. 3 junior college juggernaut – nine World Series trips since 2012 – it’s bigger than big.
Coach Jeff Mejia, who took over the program in 2013, says this is akin to starting a season with a postseason feel.
“For us, this is two-fold,” said Mejia. “We get my guys to play in front of Maine and Coach [Nick] Derba, so they get seen by a Division One program. That’s huge.
“Secondly, it gives me an opportunity to see my how my guys do against better competition,” said Mejia. “Our guys can draw comparisons to a Division One team. Our guys can say, ‘I’m as good as that guy’ or whatever. Or they can say, ‘That’s what I need to work on to get better.’ It’s huge for us.”
It started, said Mejia, when he and Derba were chatting at a national coaches convention. He floated the idea of playing Maine in a September scrimmage.
“He said, ‘We’d love to play if you guys can come to Maine,’” recalled Mejia. “I told him it would be better for us to come up and play over two days, giving us more time and an early trip for us. He was all for it.”
The cherry on top is that Maine has, almost every year, recruited a few NECC players, which has included five over this run.
“[NECC] has a strong culture. They play hard-nosed baseball,” said Derba. “I know I’m adding players with value on and off the field. I know I’m getting clubhouse guys that want to be here. That’s important for us.”
Jeffrey Mejia Jr., Nick White and Logan Burrell are all NECC and Maine alums while newbies Eric Wainright, a catcher, and Chris Bear, shortstop, are in their first year as Black Bears.
“Nick White is now on my staff,” said Derba. “He was a very good player for us. and we have some interest in a few of their guys who we will be watching.”
Derba said trusting Mejia’s judgement is a huge in this recruiting business.
“Jeff has a lot of experience with players in AAU and at Northern Essex, and he’s seen a lot of games at our level,” said Mejia. “He is a great resource for us. He knows what it takes to play here.”
Mejia said another big plus for his team is that it is its first trip as a team, staying in a hotel and the beginning of becoming a team.
“You stay in a hotel. You pack your bags. You get on the van and go to the field,” said Mejia. “It’s a nice team-building thing for us, too, traveling together. To create a family atmosphere, you need to start being friends. We’ve only been practicing for a week, but this always is a good start for our season.”
There was a little special family moment, too, after the second game was played. Mejia’s son Jeffrey made the trip as an assistant coach for NECC and after the handshake line with both teams, the Maine team lined up single file to shake Jeffrey’s hand.
The former Maine player is heading off to the United States Army in October.
“I had to go to the dugout and have a moment,” said Mejia. “He had a great run with Maine and there are still some guys there that know him well. The fact they each personally wished Jeffrey well got to me. I got emotional. That’s an example of why we do this.”
Mejia said his team, particularly the pitching staff, is loaded with freshmen, all of whom got the experience of the big-time baseball they hope to play in the spring.
“As long as Maine will have us, we will always be there,” said Mejia. “I really like our team. We have a lot of things to work on, but this is a great start. Great.”