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The University of Maine softball team is turning the corner and charging towards the finish line. The Black Bears are currently one game ahead of the University of Stony Brook for the fourth and final spot in the America East Tournament, but head coach Deb Smith is not looking over her shoulder to see who’s on her tail.
“At this stage we completely control what happens with the postseason,” Smith said. “So it is up to us to make it happen and not have to depend on any other team getting us into the conference tournament.”
With 11 scheduled games left, including 10 league games, Smith hopes her squad can maintain focus heading down the homestretch.
“From a day-to-day basis, we really are trying to focus on ourselves and what we need to do, rather than what other teams are doing and where we are sitting in conference,” Smith said.
“The conference is very tight right now and anything can happen,” she said. “Our challenge right now is to build some consistency going into these last two weeks. Once we establish that consistency, we will be in a great position as we move toward the conference tournament.”
Smith is looking for her Black Bears to regain their consistency this weekend when they travel to the University of Vermont.
Vermont has been lagging behind the pack the whole season. The Catamounts came into the week with a 5-19 overall record (3-13 in league play), but Smith is not about to take them lightly.
“Vermont has given us fits in the past, so we are looking at this weekend like any other, regardless of what Vermont’s record and stats are to this point,” she said.
Plus, Smith knows anything can happen in this league, especially on the road.
“They are not an overpowering team, but will look to string hits together and take some chances,” she said. “Playing at their place will also make them a tougher team all the way around.”
After Vermont lost eight games last week, UMaine hopes to catch the Catamounts on its last legs. One of the only bright spots so far for the Catamounts has been the production from third baseman Megan Long. Long, a sophomore, hit .429 for the week with four RBI including a home run which gave her the new Vermont single-season home run record, with four.
Smith knows that, regardless of their record, Vermont is a “scrappy team” and in order to have a good showing this weekend, she needs continued contributions from her younger players.
Freshman Brittany Cheney is one player who has come up big for UMaine this year. Her .383 batting average and 19 runs scored are good for third in the conference. She scored four of those runs last week, while also going 6-12 at the plate.
Sophomore Jess Brady is not far behind in the America East statistics. She is currently seventh in batting average with a .336 mark, and her 16 steals place her second in the league behind Jamie Haas of Boston University.
One interesting side note to this weekend’s series with Vermont is the matchup of two former high school teammates: UMaine’s Sara Asadoorian and Vermont’s Kara Massey, who both attended Northbridge High School in Northbridge, Mass.
“I grew up playing ball with her, so it’s kind of weird seeing her in a different uniform,” Asadoorian said. “But, I know her pitching style, so maybe we can use that to our advantage.”
Asadoorian and her teammates head to Burlington for the noontime games against Vermont Saturday and Sunday.
Bangor Daily News