Prince Thrilled To Be Heading Back ‘Home’ To Maine

Ben Prince SS / 2B / Tabor Academy, MA / 2025

MARION, Ma. - It will be a homecoming of sorts for Ben Prince after the Tabor Academy senior committed to the University of Maine.

“I’m originally from Maine, I was born there,” the 17-year-old related. “My dad played at Maine and he told me a bunch of stuff about it.”

The 12th-rated 2025 shortstop in Massachusetts went to a camp at the beginning of August at the school located in Orono, Me., four hours from home, and before the month was over had made a college commitment.

“When I went there (head) coach (Nick) Derba offered me right on the spot,” Prince revealed. “He showed a lot of interest in me and I really liked that.”

The facilities and the coaching staff made an impression on Prince.

“I took a few days to think about it, then called and said ‘coach, I want to be a Black Bear.’”

Ironically, there was a time that the 146th-ranked 2025 in New England thought that Maine was out of the question.

“I was in touch with Scott Heath, the recruiting coordinator at Maine, and he really liked me but then he got the head coaching job at USM (Southern Maine) and I thought I might have lost the opportunity to go there,” Prince explained. “But he sent me over to the head coach and I got in touch and asked about a camp. He said he would love for me to come out.”

During the live scrimmage at camp an offer was made to Prince, who was also talking with Stonehill, Bryant and a few other schools in the northeast.

“He likes my athleticism, my baseball IQ and he thinks I’m a good hitter,” Prince explained. “One of my better attributes is my speed.”

The desire to play at the next level came early for the Tabor Academy senior.

“With my dad being a college coach, I’ve always wanted to play,” Prince said, referring to his father, Bob, who is the head coach at UMass Dartmouth. “I had D-I aspirations but didn’t know where my skill set was. Junior year I had a good season. All the kids I was playing against were going D-I and I’m thinking I can play with them.”

Still, the recruiting process was far from easy.

“It was definitely a very stressful summer,” the 30th-rated senior shortstop in New England admitted. “Recruiting kind of sucks with the transfer portal and all. It’s so overwhelming. Prep Baseball helped get my metrics out and I did so many camps this summer.”

Tabor coaches Matthew Karis and Gerry Dineen along with summer coaches Matt Duffy and Brendan Morrissey are credited by Prince with playing important roles in his baseball journey.

“I played second base and batted .300 for Tabor and knew I needed to make some jumps,” Prince explained. “I knew I could play baseball but wasn’t sure if I was D-I ready. The summer after sophomore high school season I did a lot of working out and in the winter hit the cages every day. I think that was the turning point. I was a more confident player.”

A commitment was “a huge weight off the shoulders” according to the 62nd-ranked senior in Massachusetts.

“My dad said it was cool that he played there and now me,” Prince reflected. “Everyone was very supportive and it’s good to have that. It feels great, but I still have to get to work.”

The 5-9 170-pound middle infielder is confident he can be an asset to the America East Conference program at Maine.

“I will do whatever it takes to play,” Prince said. “I’ll work hard, be a good teammate, a good guy on and off the field, a guy that boosts the team morale.”

A major in the field of criminology is the plan for Prince, a 3.3 student at Tabor Academy excited for the challenges ahead.

“One thing about college, everyone is good,” Prince explained. “It’s who works the hardest. I’m ready to compete at that level and make some friends.”

Adding to the excitement is heading back “home” to the state he was born in.

“I haven’t been to Maine for awhile,” Prince concluded. “I have some family there so it’s all pretty cool.”