SANFORD — The Sanford Mainers are welcoming two more players to the 2018 roster out of the Ohio Valley Conference with standout outfielder Nick Howie and a looming right-handed pitcher Darren Williams, both whom are teammates at Eastern Kentucky University.

Howie was awarded the honor of the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week this past week for his efforts at the plate, as through four games he hit .471 with eight hits and two home runs. He also piled on 11 RBIs, and an .824 slugging percentage.

The 6-foot-3 outfielder who made his way from Oakville, Ontario, Canada, to Eastern Kentucky University has continued to prove why he is an everyday kind of player in the outfield. 

Howie has followed a stellar freshman season with a strong start to his sophomore campaign. The reigning O.V.C. Player of the Week has started 26 of the team’s 29 games on the year and through 106 at bats, he is hitting .274 with 29 hits, 23 RBIs, five home runs and 15 runs scored. His defensive prowess speaks for itself with 34 putouts on 34 chances, with no errors, resulting in a perfect fielding percentage.

In his electric freshman season, Howie hit .290 with 61 hits, 41 RBIs, eight homeruns, and even led the team with 14 doubles. As to be expected his defensive numbers were outstanding with a fielding percentage of .971 over his first 68 career games, with 130 putouts.  

Howie also showed off his skills in the classroom in 2017 and was recognized by the Ohio Valley Conference, receiving the Medal of Honor, an award given annually to student-athletes that achieve the highest GPA in a conference-sponsored sport.  

During his years at Garth Webb High School in Oakville, Ontario, he was a .405 career hitter and boasted a career best .418 at the plate as a senior.

After redshirting in 2017, 6-foot-6 right-handed pitcher Williams has seen a lot of time out of the bullpen in his debut season with the Colonels.  

Williams has appeared in 10 games, even getting the start in two. In over 21.0 innings pitched he has struck out 16, walked only six, and has surrendered just 13 earned runs. The Maysville, KY, native didn’t give up a run through his first 7  2/3 innings of work, only allowing a mere three hits.  In fact, Williams has only allowed six extra base hits the entire season.  

Williams played four years of Varsity at Mason County High School, just an hour and a half north of EKU, where he had a career ERA of under 2.00.

“I’m really excited for this summer,” said Williams looking forward to his time in Sanford. “It’s a great league and a huge opportunity for me.”  

The Sanford Mainers season is just under two months away. Be sure to check out the full schedule online at www.sanfordmainers.com. For more information, contact the Mainers at (207) 324-0010 or via email at [email protected].