ORONO, Maine — University of Maine junior right-hander Jason Krieger didn’t get off to the start he wanted after missing the entire 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery on his pitching arm.
“I wanted to be able to go seven shutout innings every weekend,” Krieger said.
Instead, it was rough going through his first six starts as he allowed 26 earned runs in 32 ⅓ innings for a lofty 7.24 earned-run average.
But Krieger had a decent start in a loss to UMass Lowell on March 27, allowing two runs on eight hits over five innings, and he has continuously improved to emerge as the team’s ace heading into Wednesday’s 5 p.m. America East play-in game against Albany at the Binghamton Bearcats’ Baseball Complex in Vestal, New York.
Over his last eight starts, beginning with the UMass Lowell start, he has allowed just 14 earned runs over 50 innings for a 2.52 ERA.
He hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in a start and has held opponents to two earned runs or less in six of those eight outings.
Over his last three starts, he has given up only four earned runs and 14 hits in 22 innings with 14 strikeouts and just one walk.
“When he takes the ball, I feel like we’re going to win or he is going to at least give us a chance to win,” said UMaine graduate student-right fielder and leading hitter Juju Stevens.
“He is the best pitcher in this league,” said Stevens. “He is polished and he has more than two pitches, which is something you don’t see often in this league.”
Krieger acknowledged he got off to a “pretty rough start” but said he made some midseason adjustments after working with head coach Nick Derba and “ever since then, I’ve been able to repeat my mechanics and things have been pretty good.”
He said he had to grind his way through his tough spell and pointed out that the velocity on his four-seam fastball was a “little down.”
“Now I’ve gotten it back up to 92-94 (miles-an-hour) and that has played a factor, too,” said Krieger. “And I’ve gotten used to the swing of the game again.”
The 6-foot-5 native of Red Lion, Pennsylvania, said he came to UMaine with three pitches.
“I had a good fastball, a good change-up and a mediocre slider,” said Krieger.
But he said he learned three new pitches — a sinker, splitter and cutter — during his rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery so now he can throw the “kitchen sink” at opposing hitters. He considers his four-seam fastball and splitter to be his two best pitches now.
He also noted that when he came to UMaine in 2024, he weighed 180 pounds, and now he packs 210 to 215 pounds on his 6-5 frame.
“And I’ve developed under coach Derba and his staff,” said Krieger.
”He has good stuff,” said Derba. “He pounds the strike zone with his fastball which allows him to do a lot of different things [in various counts]. The game is still fastball-dictated.”
Krieger had never had any substantial injuries until he underwent Tommy John surgery on Oct. 22, 2024.
“I got lucky. I got injured at a good time. I had 16 months to get back when it usually takes 11 to 12 months,” said Krieger who added that he “found ways” to get through his post-surgery rehab.
“I made little goals for myself every day and that helped me get through it,” said Krieger.
Krieger will go into Wednesday’s start with a 3-6 record and a 4.37 ERA. In 82 ⅓ innings, he has allowed 86 hits and 40 earned runs with 48 strikeouts and 32 walks. He has allowed just 16 extra-base hits of which six were homers.
The reigning America East Pitcher of the Week leads the conference in innings pitched and is eighth in ERA.
In conference games, he is 2-3 with a 3.42 ERA and has given up only two homers over 50 innings.
He has the league’s seventh-best ERA in conference games.
Krieger earned a spot on the America East All-Rookie team in 2024 when he had the team’s lowest ERA at 5.26 and most strikeouts with 54.
Krieger came to UMaine after an impressive career at Red Lion Area Senior High School where he was 14-4 with a 2.87 ERA with 159 strikeouts in 139 innings.
Perfect Game ranked him as the 28th best right-handed pitcher in Pennsylvania.
A former member of the UMaine staff noticed him during a tournament at the In the Net Sports Complex in Palmyra, Pennsylvania, and reached out to him.
“I had thrown a seven-inning, complete-game shutout. I learned about the history of the program here, and it seemed like a perfect fit,” said Krieger.
He is looking forward to the tournament.
He just pitched seven innings of two-hit, one-run ball with six strikeouts and no walks in a 12-1 seven-inning win over Albany last Thursday that triggered a three-game sweep.
UMaine is the third seed and Albany is the sixth seed and the winner will move on to play in the four-team, double-elimination format while the loser will go home.
“I’m going to go right at them. I’m ready to go 125 to 145 pitches and do whatever it takes to get a win and get us to the next round,” said Krieger. “We can win four games with our pitching depth. We have the best bullpen in the conference. And the big thing for me is our guys are going to hit as long as they stick to their approach.”
