LEOMINSTER, Ma. - A long journey has come to an end for Andrew Chevarie following a commitment to the University of Maine.

Tommy John Surgery in August of 2018 brought some doubt to the future of the 10th-rated left-handed pitcher in the New England 2021 class but that has now turned into certainty.

“It was 12 months of long recovery,” explained Chevarie. “About five months in I was able to start working out again, but only my lower body. Five months later I was throwing again.”

There was only a small amount of game action in the summer of 2019.

“It really taught me how much I love baseball, not being able to play with all my friends, and how much I missed it,” noted the Winchendon School senior.

But there was a plus side to the setback.

“I developed a lot of arm strength after Tommy John,” Chevarie related. “It was a lot better than before. My whole body strength was a lot better.”

By the fall of 2019, Chevarie was participating in a PBR showcase at the Maine Top Prospect Games, with a top velocity of 84.

“That was my first event back into it,” reflected Chevarie. “It felt awesome to be back out there and able to throw again. It was a relief to wrap up the whole rehab process.”

And a relief as well to find a college home at Maine.

“It all started when they originally saw me in Florida last fall,” Chevarie said about a program that has been to the College World Series seven times, but none since 1986. “In early to mid-February they reached out to say they were interested but wanted to see me again before making an offer. Then Covid hit so they couldn’t see me, so I sent them videos.”

An offer finally came in the summer.

“I waited a month-and-a-half after that to see what was going down before making a decision,” the 60th-ranked senior in New England said. “I was talking to Quinnipiac, the University of Maryland-Baltimore County and Northeastern. In the end Maine was the best fit for me. I feel they wanted me. They stayed in contact checking on how I was doing and how my parents were doing and I liked that.”

The 6-3 200-pounder is now up to 87 with his fastball, but that is only a part of what stood out to Maine.

“They really like my command and my offspeed pitches,” noted Chevarie, who went with his parents on the four-hour trip to the school during Covid only to find everything shut down.

A lot of improvement has been made since surgery.

“My velocity has gone up and my offspeed has been perfected a little better,” said the fifth-ranked uncommitted 2021 New England pitcher prior to the decision to make Maine his college home. “Overall I’ve become a smarter pitcher.

“Now the focus is on getting more velocity. That’s my main focus.”

The idea of playing baseball at the next level started for Chevarie prior to Tommy John.

“I really wanted to play college baseball as soon as I got to high school, the middle of my freshman year when I made the team,” Chevarie noted. “After that I thought I was good enough to play in college and started working harder.”

Chevarie pointed to his parents and summer coach Scott Patterson as being the biggest influences in getting where he is in the game of baseball today.

“My parents really pushed me and helped me get back from Tommy John, paying for all the expenses with rehab,” Chevarie said. “Coach Patterson helped me find schools that were the best fit for me.”

A 3.2 student planning on a major in business, Chevarie found what he liked in Maine.

“It’s a really good feeling,” Chevarie said of making the commitment. “I’m happy to be done with the process and super excited to get started at Maine. I feel good that all of the hard work through Tommy John paid off.”

But, admittedly, it was a long journey.

“I was really surprised when I got a call on Sept. 1 when it opened up that colleges could call,” explained Chevarie, whose first offer came from UMass-Amherst in the fall. “I remember I was at school and didn’t know who was calling so I didn’t answer. But they left a voicemail and I called back that night. It was good to know there was finally interest in me, there was nothing before that.

“By mid-winter things picked up and that was when Maine started showing more interest.”

Chevarie looks forward to what he believes he can bring to an America East program that last won a conference championship in 2013.

“I’ll definitely be a strike thrower,” Chevarie said. “I’m not a huge strikeout thrower, but I’m good at getting guys out.”