ORONO, Maine — University of Maine graduate student right fielder Juju Stevens said he and redshirt senior relief pitcher Sebastian Holt have some “unfinished business” this season.
They were teammates at Amity Regional High School in Connecticut and lost a playoff contest in their last game together.
“So we want to make sure, together, we can play as long as we possibly can this year,” said Stevens, who transferred from Georgia Southern to UMaine and is the Black Bears’ leading hitter.
“We want to win the conference championship,” said Holt, referring to America East.
An America East title would send the Black Bears to the NCAA Tournament.
After a slow start, the Black Bears have won four of their last five games and are 5-4 in the conference and 9-23 overall.
Over his last nine games, Stevens has hit .515 (17-for-33) to raise his average to .345.
He leads the Black Bears or shares the team lead in virtually every offensive category including average, runs scored (35), hits (41), doubles (7), triples (2), total bases (79), on-base percentage (.419), slugging percentage (.664), homers (9), OPS (On-base Plus Slugging) percentage (1,083), stolen bases (4), at-bats (119) and hit-by-pitches (8).
He is third in runs batted in with 19.
“He was touted as a great hitter in high school, and he still is,” said UMaine senior starting pitcher and Connecticut native Gianni Gambardella.
“His pitch selection has gotten better,” said UMaine head coach Nick Derba. “He’s always had a good skillset. His ups and downs revolve around him being able to stick to the middle of the plate and not miss pitches he can hit.”
Stevens said he “feels good” about his season so far “but there is more I want to do.”
“I want to help the team. I want to get better at my pitch selection and never be an easy out,” he said. “I want to be more consistent.”
Not surprisingly, Holt played a major role in Stevens’ decision to attend UMaine after entering the NCAA transfer portal.
“I’ve known him since we were 14 years old. After he entered the portal, he called me and hit me up. I told him I was staying at Maine and would love to have him come up here,” said Holt. “We were able to get a spot for him and make it work.”
It didn’t take long for Stevens to make up his mind after he visited the school in the fall, saying everybody was very welcoming.
“It was like I had known [the players and coaches] my entire life,” said Stevens. “I’m big on surrounding myself with good people.”
He has made a major impact on and off the field, according to Holt.
“He has meant a lot to the team. He has brought a lot of veteran leadership, someone with on-field experience. He carries himself the right way. He has brought a lot to this locker room for sure,” said Holt.
Stevens, who moved to Durham, North Carolina, after high school, spent his first three college seasons at the University of Missouri, where he was plagued by injuries which limited him to 48 games.
He hit .333 in 14 games at Georgia Southern a year ago with five doubles, three homers and 12 RBIs. He went 6-for-6 with two doubles, a homer, four runs scored and four RBIs in a 13-8 Sun Belt Conference Tournament win over Arkansas State.
This season, he has had two four-hit games in victories over Duke and UMass Lowell, four three-hit games and five two-hit games.
“He has been a huge addition to our lineup,” said Gambardella. “He has the ability to put the bat on the ball and he can hit for power to all fields.”
And another good thing is Stevens has been healthy, playing in 31 of their 32 games.
“Your best ability is availability,” said Stevens, who has hit in several spots at the top of the order, primarily leadoff, second and clean-up (fourth).
He enjoys Maine and said living in the Northeast has always meant something special to him.
He wants to keep getting better and be a positive influence on his teammates and do whatever he can to help the team win.
“I want to be a good teammate. I’m going to work hard and also try to help everyone else get better,” said Stevens.
UMaine returns to the field on Friday with the first of a three-game America East series in Newark, New Jersey, against the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Game times are 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon Sunday.
