SANFORD — When he got back on the mound in June for his first game action in a year and a half, Drew Smith said he didn’t feel any butterflies fluttering in the pit of his stomach. He felt hummingbirds, frantic and ready to go.

“No nerves. A lot of excitement. It was hard to contain myself and keep myself level,” Smith said. “When I was out, I really missed the game. I looked at it more as an opportunity. Something I get to do every day, not something I have to do.”

His summer pitching for the Sanford Mainers in the New England Collegiate Baseball League ended with Tuesday’s playoff loss to the Keene SwampBats. Now Smith, a graduate of Edward Little High, is ready to pitch for the University of Connecticut. He sat out last spring, his freshman season, recovering from the Tommy John surgery that repaired the tear in his right elbow’s ulnar collateral ligament.

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Smith finished his strong comeback summer in Sanford with a 2-2 record and a 1.65 earned run average. In 27 1/3 innings pitched, he allowed 19 hits and 15 walks while striking out 24.

“He’s been called on by us this summer in some really high-leverage situations, and he’s thrived in that. He’s a super competitive guy, and we have a chance every time he’s on the field for us,” said Nic Lops, Sanford’s manager.

The injury first reared its head two springs ago, when Smith was a senior at Edward Little. Throughout the rehab process, pitching somewhere this summer was the goal. Smith threw a few live batting practices at UConn this spring, and felt like those shook off any post-surgery rust. Pitching in Sanford, just an hour or so from home, also gave him a needed mental boost.

“Live at home, and come here and play baseball and face good competition,” he said.

Smith didn’t feel rusty. Did Lops or pitching coach Josh Guptel see any?

“To be honest, no, and I was anticipating a little bit. You’ll see, maybe the velocity’s there, but they can’t find the zip code. That wasn’t the case for Drew. I think that’s a testament to how hard he’s worked,” Lops said. “He has great (velocity) that plays at this level, especially when you’re facing guys with a wood bat in their hand. He’s broken a few bats this summer, made some firewood.”

Smith’s fastball routinely touches the mid-90s, and with his size, it gets on hitters in a hurry. He mixes in a sharp slider and curveball he’s comfortable throwing in any count. That’s what makes his fastball that much better. When you’re not afraid to break off a curveball in a hitter’s count, 2-0 or 3-1 for example, hitters are going to be off balance, and that’s how you get outs.

“It’s not a one-size-fits-all with Drew. He doesn’t just go in and throw fastball, fastball and hope to get somebody guessing,” Guptel said. “He’s really able to understand how to pitch, and that’s something in a young pitcher you don’t see a ton of.”

Smith figured out quickly that past glory isn’t an automatic path to future success, Guptel said.

“Everybody here at some point has been that guy on their team. That guy in their town, or their league. Sometimes even in their state. When you get to a league like this, one of the top three college leagues in the country, your hitters have also been that guy. So just going in and blowing guys away doesn’t work as well,” Guptel said. “He makes guys swing. Setting somebody up and putting the ball where they don’t expect it to be. That’s bigger than triple digits.”

Smith pitched out of Sanford’s bullpen all summer, making 15 relief appearances. Lops said he expects that will be Smith’s role at UConn next season too. Lops praised the Huskies coaching staff, head coach Jim Penders and pitching coach Joshua MacDonald. It’s the right fit for Smith’s competitive nature, Lops said.

The next step of his comeback from Tommy John surgery is a strong fall with the Huskies, Smith said.

“I’m nowhere close to where I want to be. It’s a work in progress every day,” he said.