May Ready To Take On ‘Life Learning Skills’ At UMass

Randen May SS / OF / BISHOP FEEHAN, MA / 2025

WEST BRIDGEWATER, Ma. - A camp at Northeastern helped Randen May be seen by UMass Amherst and the rest is history.

“I went to the camp in August of last year,” the Bishop Feehan senior reflected. “The only two schools there were Northeastern and UMass. Afterward I emailed everyone and Mark Royer, a former assistant coach at UMass, emailed back and said he liked me and wanted me to come to a prospect camp. In February of 2024 I went to the camp and everything went well.”

Although Royer left the program to coach at Penn, May stayed on the radar at UMass Amherst.

“He said he’d talk to coach (Matt) Reynolds for me,” May said in reference to the head coach of the Minutemen. “Over the summer coach (Brandon) Shileikis and (Max) Weir came to my AAU games with East Coast Eagles and liked what they saw. Coach Reynolds ended up calling and said I fit the type of player they want for their program.”

There were offers from Saint Anselm and Stonehill as well as interest from Southern Connecticut and Salve Regina, but the 65th-ranked 2025 in New England decided that UMass Amherst was right for him.

“The want was always there with the coaches from day one,” May explained. “The communication was constant, they were never hesitant to reach out.

“I like how open the campus is, I get that college feel,” the 5-7 168-pounder added. “I like how the stadium was on campus so there’s a lot of team support.” 

UMass saw a lot to like about May.

“They love my speed, my versatility, my bat and how I can get on by going gap to gap and steal bags,” May related. “That was the main thing for them.”

The thought of playing baseball in college has been ongoing for the 23rd-rated 2025 shortstop in Massachusetts.

“It’s always been a dream since the start,” May said. “When I really honed in on it and seriously wanted to do it was in the sixth grade.”

It became more realistic years later.

“I wasn’t in communication with anybody sophomore year with the NCAA rules, but the first week of my junior year it picked up,” May noted. “The division didn’t matter to me, every level you get amazing competition. It was where you felt it fit you most. Facilities weren’t a huge deal for me, at the end of the day it’s the coaches not the facilities that matter is how I took it.”

AAU coach Brian Mylett, pitching coach Kevin Plant, strength coach Gary Trottier, hitting coach Nelson Suarez, AAU director/owner Mike Bruemmel and strength trainer CJ Parsons are credited by May with having important roles in his journey to play at the next level.

“All those guys believed in me since day one,” May explained. “They’ve always wanted what’s best for me.”

Improvement also proved beneficial in getting college interest.

“I always kept a strict regimen, the earlier you could get in the weight room safely the better,” May said. “Within the last year, the more game experience I had the better I got. The more I played and the more I asked questions to coaches the better I got. Seeing different pitching styles is the way I developed.”

Making a commitment, admittedly, brought relief for the 306th-rated 2025 in New England.

“There was a lot of excitement for us, the stress was off my shoulders,” May said. “When I got offered there was a deadline. That’s a big life decision to make in that timeframe. When it was over there was a sigh of relief. I had a lot of family support doing it and in the end we were all happy.”

May is also thrilled to be going into the Isenberg School of Management where he will major in sport management at the university located two hours from home.

“I’m most looking forward to the opportunity of being part of a Division I program,” concluded May, who carries a 3.6 unweighted GPA at Bishop Feehan. “It’s any kid’s dream to compete at that level while getting a great education. That was big for me to get into the School of Isenberg.”

There is more that May is excited about when it comes to being a student-athlete at UMass.

“There’s not a time that I won’t find something to do, going to hockey games or basketball games,” May concluded. “It’s like your own little city. It’s time to take a fresh start. There are a lot of life learning skills to take in.”