The University of Maine baseball team will start a three-game conference series against the University of Maryland Baltimore County at 3 p.m. Thursday, with games to follow at noon Friday and 7 p.m. Saturday.
The Black Bears are coming off their first America East series win as they took two of three against visiting Binghamton last weekend.
This will be the Black Bears’ final road series as they conclude the season with home series against league leader Bryant (May 10-12) and Albany (May 16-18).
There is also a non-conference game at Dartmouth on May 8.
As a result of UMaine’s 2-1 weekend, the Black Bears find themselves in the middle of the pack in the muddled league standings with a 6-8 conference record. UMaine is 10-29 overall.
“We are a game and a half out of second place and a game and a half out of last place,” said UMaine head coach Nick Derba. “We’re heading in the right direction.”
Bryant is 13-2 in the conference and should win the regular season title barring a collapse.
But second place UMBC is just 8-7, third place UMass Lowell is 9-8; UMaine and the New Jersey Institute of Technology, which got swept by Albany last weekend, are both 6-8, Binghamton is 7-11 and Albany is 6-11.
The top two finishers earn first-round byes in the six-team double elimination America East Tournament.
Six of the seven teams qualify for the tourney, which will be held at Binghamton on May 21-25.
“It’s not a bad position to be in,” said Derba, who guided the Black Bears to the America East tournament title a year ago and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. “If we take care of what we need to take care of, we’ll be in (the tournament). We need to win four or five games.”
Pitching has been UMaine’s biggest problem this season which is understandable when you consider that All-America East first team pitcher Colin Fitzgerald (hip surgery) and 2022 America East All-Rookie team choice Caleb Leys (Tommy John surgery) are missing the entire season and All-AE first teamer Gianni Gambardella hasn’t thrown a pitch since he tossed six innings of one-hit shutout ball in an 8-0 victory over NJIT on April 7.
Derba is hoping to get Gambardella (tendinitis) back before the end of the regular season.
In addition, senior righthander Noah Lewis, who was a second team All-AE pick last season, has had a nightmarish spring (0-8, 17.18 earned-run average).
Freshman Jason Krieger (6 innings, 4 hits, 1 earned run, 4 walks, 5 strikeouts) and sophomore Luc Lavigueur (5 IP, 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 4 walks, three strikeouts) gave Derba quality starts in the 4-3 and 9-3 wins over Binghamton. Relievers Geoff Mosseau (3 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, four strikeouts) and Ryan Scott (4 IP, 2 hits, 0 earned runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts) were outstanding.
In Sunday’s 21-4 loss, freshman Gabe Gifford tossed three innings of scoreless ball with eight strikeouts and Marshall Smaracko tossed a scoreless inning.
Derba said senior reliever Colton Carson should return this weekend after sitting out a month with an oblique strain.
He could be used in relief or as a starter.
“That will be big for us. He said he feels pretty good. He threw in the bullpen (Tuesday). We’ll see what happens this weekend,” said Derba.
Carson allowed one run or less in six of his last seven outings.
Reigning America East Player of the Year and third team All-American Jeremiah Jenkins was named the league’s Player of the Week and has been on a tear of late.
He hit five homers last week and now has 19 on the season to make him just the second player in America East history to hit at least 19 homers in a season. He belted 21 a year ago.
His .49 homers per game is ranked 11th in the country and his 19 homers ties him for 12th nationally among players at the 295 Division I schools.
He is 11-for-19 during his current five-game hitting streak (.579) and is 22-for-48 (.458) over his last 12 games with seven homers and 17 runs batted in.
Derba said it was Jenkins’ best week of the season and was similar to some of the weeks he had last season.
“Jerry looked like Jerry again,” said Derba.
Catcher-first baseman Dean O’Neill and second baseman Jake Marquez have also been stroking the ball well.
Over his last 10 games, O’Neill is 12-for-28 (.429) with two homers and 11 RBIs and Marquez has gone 11-for-32 (.344) in his current 8-game hitting streak with two homers and seven RBIs.
“Dean is a difference-maker. He makes our (lineup) much deeper,” said Derba. “And Jake has been much better this year.”
Marquez, who hit .248 a year ago with two homers and 20 RBIs, is hitting .287 with six homers and 29 RBIs, both career-highs.
