NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. -Playing with Team Connecticut at the PBR Future Games in August was a memory of a lifetime for TJ Gormley.

“It was one of the best experiences of my life,” the North Kingstown junior said. “I never played in the Little League World Series, but I can imagine playing for your home team and this had to be like that. The exposure was great, too.”

Maine and Central Connecticut State were two schools that liked what they saw in the 48th-rated 2022 in New England, each making contact with Gormley during the event.

A pair of unofficial visits with family followed before the 17-year-old made one of the biggest decisions of his life.

“URI also offered, but Maine and Central offered with the best package and best opportunity to play right away,” explained Gormley, who had previous interest from Maine back in 2018 after Nick Derba took over as head coach. “When I got to the campus at Maine it felt great. I felt like I found a new home.”

Receiving the offer from Maine was unforgettable as well.

“When they first gave me an offer I’m thinking, this is awesome,” Gormley related. “It was my first Division I offer and I was super excited. They’ve always been the frontrunner. I knew it was the place for me. Coach Derba seems like a guy I want to play for four years.”

The idea of being part of a program at the next level has been a lifelong dream for Gormley.

“All my life, since I started playing, I’ve wanted to play college baseball,” Gormley said.

Nobody had a bigger part in his journey on the diamond than his father, Kevin.

“My dad was a high school coach for a long time, but he stepped down when I was age 12 to 15 to watch me play,” Gormley reflected. “When I became a freshman at my high school the job opened up and he took it.”

What his dad has done for him is not overlooked.

“He’s been everything,” Gormley said. “I’d not be as good as I am today without him. He’s the best coach I know … by far the best I’ve ever played for.”

Lessons were taught along the way.

“He always told me I had to put in a lot of work,” Gormley noted. “I did that. I was committed to it.”

Development turned into potential.

“In seventh grade he said if I grew and my fundamentals improved, I have a shot,” Gormley related. “It just clicked from there and then the opportunity opened up.”

The 6-0 190-pounder has made improvement of late in two areas of the game.

“My defense and power hitting have gotten a lot better,” noted Gormley. “I’m hitting home runs this year which I like to see.”

Gormley points to hard work during the coronavirus shutdown of spring season with helping his game get better.

“I worked out with my dad,” Gormley reflected. “I did pushups and situps constantly and went on runs. I have a friend with batting cages and I went there. I did everything possible to stay in shape and work on my game.”

Focus now turns to one key part of his game.

“You can always get better with your speed,” Gormley noted. “My speed is average now. I want to improve that and also want to work on my defense.”

Maine likes the versatility of Gormley along with his bat.

“They love my swing,” explained the left-handed hitting junior. “They say I can be a middle-of-the-order guy when I come in as a freshman.  They’re looking at me as a corner infielder, second baseman, corner outfielder … there’s a lot of variety. But I’m gonna play right away which is a plus.”

A winning attitude and hard work on the field and in the classroom is what Gormley, a 3.48 student planning on a major in business, believes he can bring to the program now that the recruiting process has come to an end.

“It’s been a little more difficult than I thought it would be with the dead period,” Gormley said of his recruitment. “I had to go through my coach and set up calls, so it was a lot more difficult than I thought with everything shut down. But I still loved it.

“Now that it’s over, it’s a huge load off my shoulders. I can stop worrying and can just go out and have fun playing baseball.”