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When University of Maine baseball coach Steve Trimper first set foot on the Orono campus in 2005, he made one thing clear – his team will play a tough non-conference schedule.
After seeing his team struggle in their annual spring trip last season as they played one of the toughest non-conference schedules in recent years, Trimper could have changed his philosophy and scheduled a cupcake slate for the Black Bears this season.
With a visit to Las Vegas to play UNLV, and games against Notre Dame, Florida International, Ohio State, Miami and Navy, the 2008 spring trip was far from a cupcake schedule for UMaine.
Despite enduring several close games, including four extra-inning losses, culminating in a 5-11 record up to this point, Trimper and his Black Bears remain optimistic and confident as the conference season approaches.
“We played a lot of good baseball down [in Florida] but were on the wrong end of those close ball games,” Trimper said of his team that lost nine games by three runs or less. “It was our fault, as we didn’t execute offensively, but those are things we can practice and work on.”
“Those were some tough losses, but also good games to play as you are put in pressure situations,” Senior Captain Curt Smith said.
One of the bright spots of the three-week trip for the Black Bears was the development of the young arms, which the team is reliant on having only returned five pitchers from a year ago.
“Our pitching is getting stronger and stronger with our young guys doing more than I thought they would,” Trimper said, adding, “When older guys get back on track, I think we will be a very good ball club, pitching wise.”
Leading the way for UMaine has been sophomore right-hander Joe Miller (2-1, 3.21 earned run average), who is the early candidate to become the ace of the staff. In addition, he is the elder statesman of the tentative starting rotation which includes three other freshmen.
Filling out the rotation for the Black Bears are left-handed Kevin Scanlan (0-1, 4.91), and Ontario right-handed players Matt Jebb (1-0, 4.19) and Kyle Benoit (0-0, 5.40).
“Getting the young guys experience against some of the best competition was big for us as we get ready for conference play,” Smith said.
While the pitching was expected to take its lumps during the spring trip, as it was a largely untested group, another surprise was the stellar infield defense.
Led by sophomore shortstop Tony Patane and junior second baseman Danny Menendez, the Black Bears have already turned 15 double plays this season. More impressive is the fact that the defense for UMaine has remained solid despite the third base “revolving door” with first-year players Kevin Mager and Jarrett Lukas and third-year player Brian Hackett all seeing action.
“Our defense has probably been our strongest area so far in the spring which has been a pleasant surprise,” Trimper said of a defense that was a weakness on last year’s squad.
Even though the offense for UMaine has been prone to lapses, especially late in games, they are still producing and remaining one of the best in the America East Conference.
With a team batting average just below .300, the Black Bears have belted 15 home runs on the season and are averaging 6.5 runs a game.
The offense is led by Smith (.439 batting average, 5 home runs, 12 runs batted in, 5 stolen bases) and reigning AE Rookie of the Year Myckie Lugbauer (.406, 2 HR, 15 RBIs).
Also contributing are junior outfielders Kevin McAvoy (.340, 1 HR, 10 RBI) and Billy Cather (.313, 1 HR, 7 RBIs), as well as Patane (.300).
While the Black Bears are happy to be back in Maine, they have not played a game since March 16 as their three-game series at New York Technical Institute was cancelled last weekend due to bad field conditions.
“Coach keeps us positive and looks at the bright side. Even though we didn’t play this past weekend, we had a great week of practice,” Smith said.
UMaine is slated to play a four-game series beginning Friday at Wagner; the following weekend they will play their home opener against NYIT.
“I’m a realist,” Trimper said. “We are playing baseball in the state of Maine and can’t do anything about the weather. If we can’t play here then we will find a parking lot, a high school field or somewhere else where we can play.”
