Pitcher relishes pressure Maine’s Truman strong despite elbow injury

ORONO – Matt Truman enjoys performing, especially in pressure situations.

Whether facing the opponent’s most dangerous hitter with the game on the line or playing his electric guitar for and audience, Truman is ready for the challenge.

The University of Maine’s senior relief specialist is nearing the curtain call of his career as a college student-athlete as the Black Bears prep for the America East baseball tournament with a weekend conference series against Northeastern at Mahaney Diamond.

Truman, a 6-foot, 190-pounder from Otisfield, is the Bears’ closer. Despite a nagging elbow injury, the righthander has made a team-high 13 mound appearances, posting a 1-3 record with four saves and a 2.33 earned run average. He has struck out 15 and walked only three in 20 2/3 innings.

“He’s having a great year,” said UMaine coach Paul Kostacopoulos. “When we put the ball in his hands we have great confidence in him.”

Truman, who suffered a tendon injury to his right elbow late last season, has worked his way back. Despite his calm demeanor, he seems to have the right mentality for the closer role.

“I love to perform under pressure,” Truman said. “You’ve just got to go in and feel that you’re invincible; be confident in your ability.”

When the music of hard rockers Metallica, AC/DC and GodSmack emanates through Mahaney Clubhouse, Truman is likely controlling the radio. What little free time he has after baseball practice and studying mechanical engineering is devoted to playing the guitar.

Truman and his younger brother Ian are members of the rock band Bad Magik, which has played in Springfield, Mass., where the younger Truman is a senior at Springfield College.

Matt Truman believes being a closer and playing rock ‘n roll require some of the same qualities.

“Playing guitar’s sort of like pitching,” Matt said. “If you’re up in front of people, you’ve got to kind of focus on playing your instrument to the best of your ability. When you’re on the mound, you’ve got to zone everybody out and concentrate on the mitt. You can be a little nervous, but you’ve got to be confident in your abilities.”

Truman’s pitching success is proportionate to his ablility to throw strikes.

“Mentality-wise, he’s tough as nails,” Kostacopoulos said. “He knows how to get after people and he competes 100 percent of the time. And he’s not going to walk people.”

In the classroom, Truman boasts a 3.0 grade point average in mechanical engineering, a demanding major which has kept him busy throughout his career. After graduation, he plans to accept an offer from an engineering firm in southern Maine, not far from his home in Otisfield.

“He’s everything you want from one of your players,” Kostacopoulos said. “He amazes me with his fortitude. Being an engineering major is not easy and he’s had to fight and struggle to persevere in this [baseball] program.”

Truman arrived in Orono in 1996 as Maine’s reigning Mr. Baseball, an honor given to the state’s top high school senior. He hoped to earn a starting spot as an infielder, but after two frustrating seasons, including some academic struggles during his second year, he told Kostacopoulos he wanted to pitch.

“School going bad and baseball kind of going bad for me got me down,” Truman said, “but I’m not a quitter and I could still see the light at the other end of the tunnel. Since then it’s been great. I’ve had a good, positive role on the team and I’ve been able to contribute.”

Truman sports a fastball in the 85-88 mph range along with a sharp curve and a good changeup. He has appeared in 41 games over the last three seasons, compiling a 5-7 record with 10 saves and a 4.12 ERA. But the elbow injury nearly ended his career.

“It took me over a month in the summer resting it before I could start throwing again,” Truman said. “I wasn’t sure if I was even going to play my last year or not.”

The arm has not been as resilient this spring. He has followed a special training regimen and has been used mostly in short stints, but only once has thrown on consecutive days.

“We’re so cautious about using him that sometimes we don’t get him in enough,” Kostacopoulos said. “He kind of lets us know what he can do.”

But when the game is on the line, Truman is ready.

“He wants the ball and he’s good at it,” Kostacopoulos said. “We have total faith that when we put him in, we’re going to win the game. I’m so glad that he’s been a part of our resurgence this year.”