This is how Bangor High’s Mark McEwen spent his afternoon Wednesday during the Eastern Maine Class A championship baseball game at Mansfield Complex:

For the first three innings, McEwen caught the lasers thrown by senior classmate and Red Sox sixth-round draft pick Matt Kinney. McEwen doesn’t just absorb Kinney’s 80-plus mph pitches, he is one of a handful of catchers over the years veteran Bangor head coach Bob Kelley has allowed to call pitches.

When Bangor went ahead of Cony High 12-1 in the top of the fourth, McEwen shed his catcher’s equipment, grabbed his fielder’s mitt, and went out to pitch himself, thereby enabling Kinney to come back in Saturday’s state game against Portland. Over the next three innings, Cony managed one hit, one walk, and zero runs off the cagey righthander.

For the seventh inning, Kelley went to the bullpen for Mike Pelkey. Back on went McEwen’s catcher’s equipment for one last inning behind the plate.

In between all of that, McEwen was reaching base three times on two singles and a walk. He stole a base. He scored twice.

“Matt Kinney and Josh Jamieson have gotten all the headlines for us all year, and deservedly so, but the backbone of our team is Mark McEwen,” Kelley observed amid the postgame celebration of Bangor’s 12-2 victory and second straight EM title.

Talk to the other key members of this Bangor squad, and you hear a similar tale. McEwen rarely gets noticed by those dazzled by Kinney’s fastball and Jamieson’s powerful bat and blazing speed. But take away McEwen’s presence from this 17-2 team and even Kinney isn’t sure where the Rams would be.

“He has such a steadying effect on everyone,” said the Bangor pitcher who, thanks in part to McEwen’s contributions against Cony, ran his record to 8-1 this season. “He gives us confidenceave him behind there. I feel he’s really helped me with my success. He calls a great game. Very rarely do I shake him off.”

None of this might be surprising, until Kelley relates how McEwen became Bangor’s catcher.

“When he first came out for the team three years ago he tried out as a pitcher-outfielder. We looked at him, saw his skills, and asked him if he’d be willing to catch. He’s the type of kid who answered right away he’d be willing to play anywhere we asked him to play,” Kelley said.

McEwen smiles in quiet satisfaction when asked what it has been like to catch Kinney for the past three seasons.

“It’s really an honor for me to catch him,” said McEwen. “Here’s a guy who is going to be pitching for the Red Sox soon. Having the opportunity to catch him has given me more confidence. I feel if I can catch him, I can catch just about anyone.”

The idea that McEwen might somehow lack confidence in anything he does is intriguing. He quarterbacked Bangor’s playoff football team last fall and played guard on Bangor’s state champion basketball team. He is an outstanding student who is headed to Tufts University this fall where he will play both football and baseball.

“I’m hoping to play quarterback and catch,” McEwen said.

Although he has a sneaky fastball and a very good curve, McEwen definitely considers himself a catcher who pitches, not the other way around. Don’t get the idea that means he isn’t a solid Class A hurler, according to Kelley.

“He knows how to set up a hitter because he’s thinking that way when he catches. And he throws strikes. He walked two guys in 22 1/3 innings coming into today,” said the Bangor coach. After Wednesday’s work, McEwen is 2-0 with a 2.76 ERA.

At the plate, McEwen has been just as valuable. His batting average of .328 hitting second in the order is very good, but he also leads the team with 15 walks. Combine the two and he has been on base enough to score 25 runs – second on the team to Jamieson.

“He knows the strike zone so well you rarely see him swing at a bad pitch,” said Kelley.

McEwen is also fast enough to have seven steals. He has two homers and 12 RBIs.

“He’s been a real catalyst for us hitting in front of Jamieson and Kinney,” Kelley said.

Add it up, and you have a portrait of a player the sum of who’s contributions will be missed as much as the great fastball of a Kinney or the home run power of a Jamieson. Even if most fans don’t realize it.