16 year veteran strength and conditioning coach in professional baseball 

2x World Champion

2007 Major League Baseball Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year

Now in his fourth decade as the head coach of the University of Southern Maine baseball team, Ed Flaherty has firmly established USM among the nation’s elite NCAA Division III programs.  Flaherty has earned an outstanding reputation for his proven teaching ability, discipline and hard-nosed work ethic.  His instructional baseball camps are highly regarded and among the best attended in the New England region.

Starting the 2023 season, his 38^th as the Huskies’ head coach, Ed Flaherty has a career record of 1098-490-4 (.692 W-L percentage).  Flaherty achieved the 1000 win milestone during the 2019 season defeating Bates College on May 2 to become the 11^th coach in NCAA Division III history to reach 1000 career wins.

In his 37 seasons as head coach, Flaherty has 17 seasons with 30 or more wins – most recently in 2021 when the Huskies went 34-11, captured the 2021 Little East Conference Championship and a berth to the NCAA Division III national tournament.  Twenty-six times during his collegiate coaching career, Flaherty has guided the Huskies to a berth in the NCAA Division III tournament, including 15 consecutive appearances between 1987 and 2001.

His career winning percentage at the start of the 2023 season ranks him 12th among active NCAA Division III coaches with five or more years of service, and his 1,098 wins ranks third.  

Under Flaherty’s direction, the Huskies reached the pinnacle of the NCAA Division III baseball world in 1991 when they traveled to Battle Creek, Michigan, and claimed their first national championship.  That team was the first collegiate team from the state of Maine to win a national championship.  Six years later, the Huskies compiled a then school best 39-9 record en route to capturing the program’s second national title.  Among that season’s highlights were an 18-game winning streak, winning the first-ever Little East Conference championship, and hosting the NCAA regional tournament.

The Huskies have made six other World Series appearances.  Their first trip came in 1989 when they finished fourth.  After winning the national title in 1991, they successfully battled their way through the regional tournament in 1992 for a shot at back-to-back titles, but fell short, finishing seventh.  USM also made back-to-back trips to the World Series in 2000 and 2001, and again in 2013 and 2014.

 “The University of Southern Maine is respected for its strong athletic tradition in several different sports,” said Flaherty. “I’m pleased that our baseball program has been able to carry on, and build upon, that tradition during my career at USM.  We take great pride in the fact that Southern Maine has one of the premier baseball programs in our region and the nation.”

Many of his former players have gone on to play professional baseball, including pitcher Mike Welch, who became the first Southern Maine alum to reach the major leagues when the Philadelphia Phillies called him up in 1998.

The 2021 season marked the Huskies’ 26^th appearance in the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament, and eighth appearance in the tournament in the past 11 seasons.  The Huskies were the top seed in the Hartford Regional, and advanced to the final game completing the season with a 34-11 record.  At the conclusion of the season, Flaherty was named the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) as this year's recipient of the ABCA/ATEC NCAA Division III New England Regional Coach of the Year.

During the 2019 season, Flaherty led USM to a record of 37-9 and the top spot in the Little East Conference regular season, advancing to the Regional Championship.  Flaherty guided the Huskies to 30-15 (2018) and 34-13 (2017) overall records, and advanced through the NCAA Division III New York Regional tournament to the championship round.  In 2016, Flaherty led the Huskies to a 29-13 overall record and a share of the Little East Conference regular season title.  In 2015, he managed the team to a 32-15 record and a fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Division III Regional Tournament.  That came on the heels of a school-record 46-10 season in 2013 and a spot in the NCAA national championship game, and a 37-15 mark and a fourth-place finish at the 2014 World Series.

En route to the 2013 national title game, the Huskies compiled a 19-game winning streak during the regular season, won the Little East Conference regular season and postseason tournament titles for the second straight year, and captured their seventh NCAA regional title.  Three players - Tucker White, Nick Grady and Logan Carman - were named ABCA/Rawlings first team All-Americans, and White was named the Division III Player of the Year.  In 2015, Sam Dexter and Andrew Richards were picked as first team All-Americans, and Dexter was the Division III Player of the Year.

During the four-year span from 2006 to 2009, the Huskies went 131-55, made three appearances in the NCAA regional tournament, advancing to the final round twice, and won the Little East Conference regular season crown in 2009.

In 2005, Flaherty guided the Huskies to a 31-13-1 overall record and a second-place finish in the Little East Conference tournament.  The previous season, he led the Huskies to a 28-16 mark and a third-place finish in the LEC championship.

The 2001 season marked the Huskies' fifth straight 30-win season with an impressive 37-14 record. The Huskies won the Little East Conference regular season title and the NCAA New England Regional tournament crown along the way to making the program’s sixth trip to the Division III World Series.

A former standout player at the University of Maine, Flaherty has earned many honors throughout his coaching career.  He was named 1991 and 1997 NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), and was voted New England Coach of the Year in 1989, 1990, and 1991.  In addition, he has been named Diamond District One Baseball Coach of the Year on 10 occasions (1989, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2001, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2019, 2021).  His peers have voted Flaherty the Little East Conference Coach of the Year nine times (1997, 1999, 2001, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2019) since 1997.

In January 2005, Flaherty was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Hall of Fame.  Flaherty was inducted along with Gary Adams of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Russ Frazier of Louisburg College (Louisburg, N.C.), Sonny Pittaro of Rider College (Lawrenceville, N.J.), Enos Seymour of the University of Oklahoma and George Valesente of Ithaca College. 

 The Portland, Maine, native served a one-year term as the president of the American Baseball Coaches Association and is a past president of the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association.  He was just the third small college (Division Two-Three) coach to serve as ABCA president.  He also served as an assistant coach for the USA National Baseball Trials in Homestead, Florida, in 1994, and has been a clinician at the ABCA Convention (2005 in Nashville) and this past winter in Ireland.
            While at the University of Maine (1972-76), Flaherty received his undergraduate degree in secondary education with a double major in history and math.  He received a master’s degree in administration from Southern Maine in 1981.
            Flaherty received many honors for his outstanding play while a member of the Black Bears’ baseball program, including selection to the NCAA Division I All-American Baseball Team in 1975.  He was a key member of the Black Bears’ College World Series team in 1976, played in the Cape Cod Baseball League and was a member of the Pan American Team in 1976.  Flaherty was inducted into the University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 1992, the State of Maine Baseball Hall of Fame in 1993, the Little East Conference Hall of Fame in 2013, and the Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. He will add another Hall to his resume at the end of the season when the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) Hall of the Fame.  USM paid Coach Flaherty the ultimate compliment when it renamed the baseball field "Ed Flaherty Field" in 2017.
            Following his graduation from UMaine, Flaherty accepted teaching and coaching positions at Deering High School in Portland.  Flaherty guided the Rams from 1981-1985 and won a state championship in 1983.  In addition to coaching the baseball team at Deering, Flaherty also guided the Caldwell Post American Legion team from 1982-1985.  Caldwell won the state championship and advanced to regional play in 1982 and 1984.
            Flaherty and his wife, Debbie, have three adult children - Regina, Ryan and Regan - and reside in Portland.  Ryan was a sandwich-round pick (41st overall) of the Chicago Cubs in 2008 after spending three seasons at Vanderbilt University. Ryan spent six seasons 2012-17) as a member of the Baltimore Orioles after being a Rule V draft pick in 2012, and spent the 2018 season with the Atlanta Braves

Lynn Coutts arrived at the University of Denver in September 2019 and currently serves as the Deputy Director of Athletics for Student Athlete Excellence. She works closely with student athlete support services which includes academics, compliance, sports medicine, sports performance and the equipment room. Coutts serves on the Senior Leadership Team and is the department liaison to Equal Opportunity and Title IX as well as Student Rights and Responsibilities.

Coutts is also the sport administrator for Hockey, Women’s Lacrosse, Women’s Basketball and Volleyball.

Coutts represents the division on several campus wide groups including, DEI, Healthy Masculinities, Culture of Respect, JED Foundation for suicide prevention, and the Women’s Leadership Council.

Before joining Denver, Coutts was the Senior Associate AD and Senior Woman Administrator at the University of Maine from 2015-2019. There, Coutts was the sport administrator for track and field, women’s hockey, field hockey, and swimming. She oversaw academics, compliance, sports performance, athletic training, equipment room, Title IX, and student code of conduct.

Prior to making the jump to administration, Coutts was the Head Softball Coach at UMaine from 2011-2015 garnering Coach of the Year honors in her final year. She coached many scholar athletes as well as all-conference players. Handing the reins to her husband, Mike, and stepping into an assistant role, they won the America East Conference Championship in 2016, a berth into the NCAA Regional Tournament, and a trip to Georgia.

Before returning to her Alma Mater to coach, Coutts and her husband Mike owned and operated Frozen Ropes Baseball and Softball Training Centers in Franklin, Mass., Cape Cod, Mass. and Portland, Maine.

A former two-time captain and Northeast All American softball pitcher, Coutts was a four-year starter for the University of Maine Softball team. Following her career, she was inducted into three Sports Hall of Fames.
 

Mike Coutts - Softball Coach - Colorado School of Mines Athletics

Mike Coutts was named the ninth head coach of Mines softball in August 2021, arriving in Golden after six seasons as the head coach at the University of Maine.

After a 16-30 overall record and 16-20 mark in RMAC play in year one under Coutts, the Orediggers made strides in 2023, finishing 25-26 and 24-16 in the RMAC and returning to the RMAC Tournament. The season was highlighted by four-game sweeps of Black Hills State and Adams State and saw the highest overall and RMAC win totals since the 2019 season. Additionally, Mines shattered a 12-year old program record for single season stolen bases of 81 set back in 2011, finishing 2023 with 86. Mines also lowered their team ERA by more than a full run and a half from 5.41 to 3.60, led by Second Team All-RMAC performer Sadriena Rodriguez. Mines also earned a pair of RMAC Gold Glove Award winners in catcher Aubree Karraker and outfielder Renata Boyd, who both fielded 1.000 during the season.

Prior to arriving in Golden, Coutts had two coaching stints at Maine, and was with the softball program since 2013, first serving as the assistant coach for the 2014 and 2015 seasons when he was part of the 2015 America East Coaching Staff of the Year. He was elevated to the head job in the summer of 2015 and found immediate success, winning the 2016 America East Conference title and making an NCAA regional appearance, and finishing as America East runners-up in 2017. In six seasons, Coutts won 94 games as the Black Bears went 42-42 in America East play.

Maine's softball program excelled academically under Coutts, consistently ranking in the top quarter of NCAA Division I teams in GPA and being recognized by the NCAA as being in the top 10 percent of D-I softball programs in APR each of the last three seasons. 

Coutts' first tenure at Maine was the baseball program's associate head coach from 1986 to 1997, where he helped nine Black Bears progress to professional baseball. Maine appeared in four NCAA Tournaments during Coutts' time with the program.

Coutts also has extensive coaching experience outside of the NCAA. From 1995-2002, Coutts was the head coach of the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod League, winning a pair of league championships in 1995 and 1999 and earning the 1995 Cape Cod Coach of the Year award. Coutts coached professionals Chase Utley, Garrett Atkins, and Mitch Stetter all while they were with the Kettleers. He was also head coach of the Peninsula Oilers in the Alaska Collegiate League in 2005, head coach of the Sanford Mainers in the New England College Baseball League in 2006, head baseball coach at Deering High School in Maine from 2009-10 (which included the 2009 state title), and head baseball coach at Scarborough High School prior to returning to the University of Maine.

Coutts is twice a graduate of the University of Maine with a bachelor's of health and physical education and a master's in education administration. As a baseball player, he captained the Black Bears to a College World Series appearance in 1981 and was a Northeast Regional First-Team selection that season. 

Coutts has a strong Colorado connection in his wife, Lynn, who is herself a former head softball coach at Maine and now serves as the Deputy Athletic Director at the University of Denver. They have a daughter, Maggie, and son, Jackson, who currently plays in the Washington Nationals' minor league system.