In high school, he helped turn around a program at Centreville that had suffered through some down years, playing a key role as the Wildcats advanced to the Northern Region Tournament in three of his four seasons.
Now, Kevin Lachance finds himself in the middle of a similar resurgence with the baseball program at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC).
The 6-foot-3, 175-pound senior shortstop has played a major role in the Retrievers’ steady improvement since he first stepped on campus in the fall of 2012. Together with a senior class that includes pitchers Denis Mikush (Robinson) and Joe Vanderplas (Fairfax), Lachance has helped coach Bob Mumma’s program rise from an afterthought in the America East Conference to one that now expects to compete for the league championship.
UMBC won a combined 38 games in the four years before Lachance and the Retrievers’ current group of seniors arrived on campus. The next two years, they totaled 35 - finishing 18-30 in 2013 and 17-29 in 2014. They nearly matched that two-year total last season, going 34-20 and finishing second in the America East. It was UMBC’s first time eclipsing 30 wins since 2002, and the second-most victories in school history.
This year, the Retrievers are 13-12 overall and 4-1 in the conference entering a three-game series this weekend at league foe Albany.
Lachance, meanwhile, has emerged as one of the nation’s toughest outs.
Already a steady performer since stepping into a starting role in his first season - he hit .303 in earning Freshman All-American honors that spring and was a second-team all-conference selection last year - Lachance has put it all together this year.
He enters the weekend series hitting .430 with 17 stolen bases, both which are tops in the conference and rank 17th nationally. Lachance also paces the conference in hits (43), runs (32), total bases (64), on-base average (.513) and slugging percentage (.634), and he is second in doubles (9), walks (18), and fifth in RBI (19).
Mumma, who played for the Retrievers and was an assistant coach at the school for 15 years before taking over as head coach prior to the 2012 season, has enjoyed watching his shortstop’s development.
“It’s four years of just grinding away, really working on his game over the summer, never taking a practice off, never taking a rep off,” the coach said. “He’s really turned himself into an excellent hitter. He was a kid from his freshman year who has kept a notebook on how guys have gotten him out. So at this point, he can probably guess what pitch is going to be thrown to him almost every time. He’s just a bright kid who has a great feel for the game.”
A lanky teenager who was still growing into his body when he arrived four years ago, Lachance’s year-round worth ethic has enabled him to come back better each season, while growing into an impressive athlete that has given opposing pitchers fits, and lately, caught the attention of professional scouts.
“He’s developed a great short swing, he can use all fields, and he’s got some pull-side power now,” Mumma said. “He can hit the ball out of the ballpark, but he can also hit the ball to right field. And he flies, so he gets a lot of infield hits on a lot of balls that other guys would be thrown out on.”
Lachance’s approach has been simple: wait for his pitch, and then put a good swing on it.
“I think the biggest thing this year has just been my approach,” he said. “I’ve been really just been able to stay relaxed at the plate, and have a good mindset when I step into the box. I’ve just been trying to put good swings on good pitches, and so far it’s worked out for me.”
As a result, he continues to climb the Retrievers’ record book in several offensive categories. His next hit will give him 200 for his career, and 19 more would place him among the top 10 in school history, with 27 placing him among the top five. He will reach the top 10 in program history with three more doubles (39) and six more games (172). He already holds the school record for stolen bases (72), is seventh in at-bats (666) and ninth in walks (84).
“I knew I was capable of coming here and doing some good things, and improving throughout my career,” said Lachance, who was a first-team All-Concorde District selection his senior season at Centreville and played for the Stars Showcase Baseball program during the offseason as a prep player. “That’s what I’ve looked to do from Day One, just get better in any way I could and improve my game.”
That improvement started in 2012, as Mumma and his staff were completing the recruiting process of their next shortstop.
“What I liked about Kevin was that he could run, he’s very athletic,” Mumma said. “[Stars coach] Carson Carroll said, ‘Look, he may not look like a prototypical shortstop right now, he’s a big, tall kid who’s growing into his body. But he catches everything and throws everything on the chest’. So immediately, that was appealing to me.”
Mumma figured he had found a player who could in time help turn the program around. But neither the coach or Lachance could have predicted the success he would have as a freshman, when he started 47 games, compiled 53 hits, 12 doubles and put together a .303/.363/.411 slash line.
“I wouldn’t say I came in expecting to do all that. I wasn’t completely sure what to expect,” Lachance said. “But I knew I’d have a chance to contribute right away, that if I came in and did what I was capable of doing, I’d have a chance to make an impact.”
Added Mumma: “He had the speed and the ability to play shortstop right away, [and] knowing he was going to catch it and throw it across the diamond was really, really appealing in that process. We knew he had a chance to be a very good ballplayer for us.
“You never know how someone’s going to compete as a freshman until they see the pitching and start playing every day. So I can’t sit here and say I thought he’d be that good that early. But we saw the work ethic that he had. Looking back on it, it wasn’t a major surprise, but I don’t think we ever expected him to be a Freshman All-American.”
Four years later, that work ethic has placed him on the radar of Major League Baseball scouts, who have indicated he could be a middle-round pick in June’s draft.
“I think it’s really hard to say where he’s going to get drafted,” Mumma said. “He could be a top 10, top 15 round guy. They all love the speed, they all love the bat. He’s going to get drafted and he’s going to play for someone, and someone’s going to get a great person with a great work ethic, and a kid who can play the game.”
And for Lachance, the opportunity to play at that level would be the culmination of a dream that started way back in his days as a Little Leaguer with the Southwestern Youth Association.
“That’s been something I’ve been dreaming about and has been a goal for a while, for as long as I can remember,” he said. “I started playing baseball at a young age, and for as long as I can remember it’s been a goal of mine to play professional baseball. So it would mean a lot to me.
“But at the same time, I’m trying to focus on the season and not focus on the draft or what’s next. I’ve taken the approach that I’m just going to go out there and enjoy my senior year and try and help us win games, win a championship.”
Photos courtesy of UMBC Baseball Pix and Centreville baseball
