WALTHAM, Mass. – The fourth edition of the Bentley University Athletics Be a Force Speaker Series was held recently with the baseball team getting the chance to interact with Captain Andrew Cain, the Commanding Officer of the USS OHIO nuclear submarine.
 
"What a privilege and an honor it was for our baseball team to spend the time with Andy Cain," said baseball coach Mike Hill. "His experience both on and off the field is so inspirational.  He stressed to the team the importance of being there for each other in the good times and the bad." 
 
The Be a Force Speaker Series was created by Rick Miller '80, the Executive-in-Residence for Bentley Athletics, and Grace Carter, the Manager for Student-Athlete Development at Bentley. The program connects student-athletes with former student-athletes who are role models that maintained their high levels of success after graduation, in both their careers and in their commitment to community service.
 
Cain, who was inducted into the prestigious Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 2023, finished his collegiate baseball career as the all-time record holder in earned run average and complete games at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. He ranks second in school history in innings pitched and shutouts and third all-time in wins and strikeouts.
 
Cain had the best single-season pitching performance in the modern era at Rose-Hulman in 1999, finishing 14-2 with a 1.42 ERA with 15 complete games in 16 starts. In 127 innings pitched that season, he struck out 132 and walked just 16. He was named the 1999 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year, a second-team ABCA All-American and a CSC Academic All-America.

After graduating from Rose-Hulman, Cain started on his path as a US Navy nuclear submarine officer, where he moved up the chain of command over a 20-year span to become the Commanding Officer of his own ship, one of just 71 such positions in the United States Navy.
 
In 2018, Cain became the commander of the USS HELENA (SSN 715), a fast-attack submarine - a position he held through early 2021. He took command of the USS OHIO (SSGN 726G) in 2024.. The Ohio-class submarine is a nuclear-powered submarine that is the largest ever built for the United States Navy.
 
"Meeting with Andy Cain was an incredible experience for the team," commented Hill. "It wasn't just about hearing stories of leadership and discipline; it was about understanding the values that drive success, both on and off the field. Andy's insights into teamwork and perseverance gave our players a new perspective on what it means to push through challenges together."
 
"It was amazing to hear from Andy about the lessons he learned as a student athlete that he uses daily in the Navy," said senior left fielder Stan DeMartinis III. "Andy stressed the importance of sticking together with your team to reach a common goal throughout the long season. He went into intensive detail on what it means to be a great leader and what it takes each and every day to truly be great. It was an honor to speak with such an accomplished individual and from the entire Bentley baseball Team, we thank him for his service to this country."
 
Senior infielder Nick Pappas said "one of the takeaways I got from Andy is the importance of knowing your team as well as you know yourself. We spend more time with our team than our families in season, so building that sense of trust and unity will be the driver for our team's success this year."
 
The speaker series will continue during the second semester.