He has been involved in five championships so far this season and he would like nothing better than to add two more.

Justin Tomberlin has been a Hockey East regular season and tournament champion in addition to being a national champion in hockey and now, in baseball, he has been part of a North Atlantic Conference regular season and tournament championship team.

The two-sport athlete is setting his sights on winning the NCAA Baseball Central II Regional Tournament in Austin, Texas, which would earn him a shot at the College World Series and another national championship.

Tomberlin said his whirlwind year hasn’t given him much time to reflect on what has transpired.

“I probably won’t fully appreciate this until years from now,” said Tomberlin.

Tomberlin said there are similarities between the two teams.

“The teams are similar personality-wise. Both teams believe they are going to win,” said Tomberlin, who will join his mates in taking that confidence to the Central II Regional.

“We’re going there to win it,” said Tomberlin. “If we didn’t think we could win it, why even show up?”

Tomberlin has played a significant role in Maine’s NAC championships as he is hitting .317 on the season with three homers and 14 runs batted in. He hit .400 in the NAC playoffs with three runs scored and two RBIs. That earned him All-Tournament honors.

“Being named All-Tournament was a nice honor. It’s the first time I’ve won an individual award in college,” said Tomberlin, who had 13 goals and 9 assists in 34 games on the wing for Maine’s 42-1-2 hockey team this past winter.

“Justin has meant a great deal to us,” said Maine senior center fielder and tri-captain Chad White. “He has started to come into his own. He’s hitting the ball really well, especially the last couple of weeks. He definitely gets big hits and now we look to him knowing he’s going to come through with a big hit.”

After the Bears beat Drexel 11-1 to sew up the NAC tournament title, he called his mother, Karen, to share the news with her.

Karen Tomberlin was diagnosed with cancer recently and underwent surgery. She will begin chemotherapy soon.

“She’s been the most positive influence in my life,” said Justin. “Whenever things weren’t going well for me, she was the one who picked me up.”

Earlier this season, when she first got sick and her illness had yet to be diagnosed, Tomberlin admitted that he was “constantly thinking about her.”

Now that it has been diagnosed and his mother has a legitimate chance to beat the cancer, a load has been lifted off his shoulders.

He has tremendous faith in his mother.

“She’s the strongest person I’ve ever known,” said Tomberlin, who flew home to Coleraine, Minn., a couple of weeks ago to be with his mother.

“He deserves all sorts of credit for being able to focus in spite of what he’s been going through,” said Maine Coach John Winkin. “He has a deep love for his mother.”

Tomberlin is in a groove at the plate right now with five hits in his last eight at-bats.

“This is the best I’ve ever swung the bat since coming to Maine,” said Tomberlin. “I’ve been doing a better job with offspeed pitches. I haven’t been committing myself too early, like I had been, and I’ve been keeping my hands back.”

Tomberlin has never had much problem with the fastball.

“My best attribute is my quick hands and there aren’t many pitchers around who can throw a fastball by me,” said Tomberlin, who added that getting 120 at-bats so far has been beneficial.

“He has been a big asset with his bat,” said Winkin. “He seems to have a knack to come through when we’re in a lull. He’ll either get the hit that gets things going or he’ll keep things going with a hit.”

Winkin also likes the fact Tomberlin has gained a wealth of experience in pressure situations through his hockey and baseball experiences.

Defensively, Tomberlin, a catcher-outfielder by trade, has made a “very good” adjustment to third base according to Winkin.

He struggled in the NAC tourney, making three throwing errors, but he isn’t worried about it.

“It’s all mental with me,” said Tomberlin. “I’m not concerned.”

“He has good hands and he gets to the ball,” said Winkin. “Now and then he makes a mistake, but he still comes up with big plays. He has good athletic reflexes.”

Tomberlin has one more year of eligibility remaining in both sports but intends to play just baseball next year.

“How can you top what we did in hockey this year? And I can’t see myself playing at a level I want to play in hockey next year,” said Tomberlin.