Seguin hoping to land pro contract

He owns the New England records for hits (91) and singles (74) in a season; he set a University of Maine record by stringing together a 27-game hitting streak and he was invited to try out for the 1991 United States National Baseball Team. He had to decline due to shoulder soreness that required surgery a year ago.

But former University of Maine shortstop Brian Seguin now finds himself spending a lot of time on the phone, trying to obtain a free agent contract with a major league team. He doesn’t care where he has to go to pursue a pro career. He’ll go anywhere.

“I just want a chance,” said Seguin, who wasn’t drafted. “I think if I get a chance, I’ll show them I can play. I’ll give it 100 percent.”

He has talked to scouts affiliated with the Chicago White Sox, the Montreal Expos, the New York Yankees, the Atlanta Braves and the Central Scouting Bureau. He has an agent, Seymour Cohen, who is seeking employment for him.

“I thought something would have happened by now,” said Seguin, who concluded his Maine career with a .311 average, 261 hits, 156 runs and 126 RBIS in 218 games. “The scouts have all said that I deserve a shot. And I feel I do, too. The draft is a funny thing. It’s not in my hands. It’s all up to them. It’s frustrating.”

The 5-foot-8, 165-pound Seguin has proven that he can hit good pitching and that he can hit under pressure. He has hit .378 in post-season tournaments with a homer and 12 RBIs. Two summers ago, he hit a respectable .255 with seven doubles and three triples for Cotuit in the prestigious Cape Cod League. The Cape Cod League was using the wooden bats that are used in pro ball.

Seguin explained that the scouts told him the new draft rule hurt him.

Under the new rule, the rights to high school players are retained by the teams that draft them for five years. Under the old rule, the major league teams had to sign their high school draft picks before they started college or they lost the rights to them.

“They told me that from the 20th round on, just about all the players drafted were high school kids,” said Seguin, who has his degree in business administration-marketing.

For the time being, Seguin is playing some baseball in the Pine Tree League, running and weight lifting. He also been hitting off a tee.

And making plenty of phone calls.