Keith Madison Major League

UMaine could lose Lewis, Bilodeau in major league draft

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Sunday’s loss in the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional begins a transition period for the University of Maine baseball team.

In addition to the graduation of senior co-captains Joey Martin of Portland and Joe Miller, and the possible departure of redshirt junior twins Justin Leisenheimer and Ian Leisenheimer, coach Steve Trimper’s program could lose two of its top players in the 2011 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft that begins Monday.

Junior center fielder Taylor Lewis and junior pitcher Keith Bilodeau are expected to be drafted, which could punch two big holes in the Black Bears’ 2011 roster.

Lewis is a versatile standout, providing speed in the field and on the basepaths and plenty of production with the bat.

While Trimper was hesitant to project what might happen, the 6-foot, 200-pound Lewis has reportedly been courted by the Pittsburgh Pirates and might even be taken in the first 10 rounds.

“We’ll see where they go, if they do have an opportunity to get drafted, when the negotiation process starts,” Trimper said.

Lewis, from Montville, Conn., finished the season batting .287 with three home runs, 28 runs batted in, a team-leading 44 runs scored and a team-high 20 stolen bases in 24 attempts.

Even though his numbers, especially the RBIs, were down significantly this season, he has the tools to play at the next level.

“I’ve been talking with people, but who knows,” said Lewis, who would not divulge which teams have contacted him. “I’ve heard the draft is kind of up and down. You hear one thing one minute, then you hear another thing the next. We’ll see.”

Bilodeau emerged as the Bears’ ace with a breakout season. The righthander from Bourne, Mass., tied a UMaine single-season record with 10 victories (10-3) and registered a 3.04 earned run average.

Bilodeau, a 6-4, 195-pounder, struck out 83 and walked 36 while allowing 80 hits in 91 2/3 innings. Opponents batted .238 against him.

He is maintaining a similar wait-and-see attitude toward the prospect of being drafted.

“Quite a few teams, I know, are interested, so we’ll just see Tuesday,” Bilodeau said, but would not elaborate.

Bilodeau stressed that with scholarship money still on the table at UMaine, he will have options, regardless of if or where he is drafted.

“I have my fourth year of school, I can get my degree, so I’m looking forward to (the draft),” Bilodeau said. “If the price is right, we’ll see what happens. It’s all a question mark.

Coach Keith Madison Visits Cougar Baseball Team — CougarTimes

       As Lauren and I entered the gym on February 23, 2011 we could feel the air of excitement in the cougar baseball team. Why were they so excited? It’s not every day you see players excited for practice. For them, this was not any ordinary practice. A special guest speaker was coming…. and this speaker was none other than Coach Keith Madison, the winningest coach in Kentucky baseball history.      Coach Keith Madison started playing baseball when he was eight years old, playing for little league. Coach Madison realized he had a passion for baseball throughout his life. He was signed to the Montreal Expos right out of high school. “…for a country boy, it’s kind of a big deal.” He moved to Class AAA (one step away from major league) twice, once for the Montreal Expos and once for the Cincinnati Reds. An injury halted these advancements and eventually ended his career. He then began coaching.      Coach Madison’s coaching career began when he coached two seasons at Lake Wales High School in Florida. His career took off from there! He coached at Mississippi State, and eventually at Kentucky. Coach Madison was the head coach for the Kentucky Wildcats for 25 years (1978-2003) and led them to 697 victories before his resignation in 2003.      Coach Madison has been accepted into three halls of fame (Kentucky High School Baseball Hall of Fame, University of Kentucky Hall of Fame, and the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame). After his resignation, he began working for SCORE International. With this organization Coach Madison and other baseball players travel on mission trips to the Dominican Republic to teach them how to play baseball and share with them his faith in Christ.     After a great introduction by Coach Howard, Coach Madison began to talk. He shared with his background and explained his passion for baseball. He also said that even though baseball is great, education is also very important. Many teachers in his life have impacted him (mostly language teachers!). They helped him to focus and get his mind set on education, as well as baseball.      Then Coach Madison spoke to the players specifically about baseball. He stressed the value of setting goals for them to reach. “Unless you set goals, it’s not going to happen,” he simply stated.

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