ORONO, Maine - The University of Maine baseball team will continue its spring break with a second-straight series in the state of Texas. The Black Bears will take on the Cardinals of the University of the Incarnate Word on Tuesday and Wednesday. The first pitch of both games is set for 7:30 p.m.
 

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Series Information
Maine Black Bears at University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals
DATE: Tuesday, March 13, 2018-Wednesday, March 14, 2018
SITE: San Antonio, Texas | Sullivan Field
2018 Records: Maine 4-11, UIW 11-6
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Probable Starters
Game 1 (7:30 p.m.): Maine (RHP Alex McKenney, 0-0) | UIW (RHP Jake Zatopek, 0-1)
Game 2 (7:30 p.m.): Maine (RHP Peter Kemble, 0-0) | UIW (TBD)

Maine game notes

What's on Tap
• The University of Maine and University of the Incarnate Word will play single games on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

Last Time Out
• UMaine played a four-game series at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley this past weekend, going 1-3 in the non-conference games.
• UTRGV edged Maine, 4-3, on Friday, in a game that had entered the ninth inning tied 3-3; the Black Bears were no-hit through seven innings but took advantage of a new pitcher in the eighth to score three runs.
• Maine won the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, 7-5, in extra innings but fell, 12-1, in the second half of the doubleheader.
• The team smacked 11 hits in the win on Saturday, the third highest total on the season for the Black Bears, while scoring a season-best seven runs.
• Hernen Sardinas had five hits on the day after going 3-for-4 in the first game with two RBIs and two runs scored and then 2-for-3 with one RBI in the second game.
• Despite out-hitting the Vaqueros 7-3 on Sunday, the Black Bears fell by a 7-3 score in the series finale.
• Six players combined for Maine's seven hits while three pitchers helped Maine keep the opposition to a season-low three hits.

The Black Bears, In Brief
• Danny Casals leads Maine with a .300 batting average and is second with a .400 slugging percentage.
• Hernen Sardinas and Jeremy Pena lead the team with 16 hits apiece while Jonathan Bennett and Brandon Vicens have 13 each with Bennett also batting in a team best eight runs.
• Maine had a season-high 13 hits at then-No. 24 Miami on March 3 and also earned 11 walks in that game.
• Maine opened up the season against No. 3 Texas Tech, dropping all four games at Rip Griffin Stadium.
• All 10 of Maine's batters that weekend reach base at least once while nine out of 10 had at least one hit.

About Incarnate Word
• UIW enters Tuesday's game with an overall record of 11-6 and the winner of three-straight games after a three-game conference sweep of Abilene Christian this past weekend.
• The Cardinals opened up the 2018 season with a series split (2-2) against North Dakota State and then on Feb. 22, topped then No. 30 Notre Dame, 5-3.
• Eddy Gonzalez leads the team with a .400 batting average and has seven multi-hit games on the season.
• Kyle Bergeron is third with a .379 batting average and first with a .530 slugging percentage and 25 hits; he has registered at least one hit in 15 of 17 games.
• For the first time in program history, UIW is eligible for NCAA Division I postseason play after completing a four-year transition to full NCAA Division I status.
• Junior shortstop Ryan Gonzales was named to the Preseason Second Team All-Southland Conference.
• Patrick Hallmark is in his first season as head coach of the Cardinals, who were tabbed to finished tied for 12th in the Southland Conference Preaseason Poll.

Series History vs. Incarnate Word
• This is the first ever-meeting between the Black Bears and the Cardinals.
• UMaine is 0-14-0 all-time against current Southland Conference schools.

Bec Named to 2018 Johnny Bench Award Watch List
• Senior catcher Christopher Bec was named to the 2018 Johnny Bench Award watch list on March 6.
• Bec was the only America East player named to the watch list for the award, which is given annually to the top collegiate catcher in Division I baseball.
• The Miami native was one of three Black Bears to play in all 54 games last season and led the team with a .340 batting average, .426 on-base percentage, 20 doubles, 30 walks earned and 21 steals.

Courtney Tabbed AE Pitcher of the Week…Again!
• Justin Courtney was named the America East Pitcher of the Week on March 6 for the second week in a row after his performance against Miami on March 3.
• Courtney pitched six innings – no-hitting the Hurricanes through five – giving up just one hit, striking out six and walking three in 80 pitches.
• Courtney also earned the honor last week after he helped shut down Ohio University and lead the Black Bears to a 5-1 victory on Feb. 23.
• The senior tossed 7.2 innings while yielding just four hits and the one run with nine strikeouts, retired 13 straight batters from the fourth to eighth inning and he retired the side in five innings overall.
• Courtney now has six career weekly honors, with five Pitcher of the Week (5/4/15; 2/23/16; 4/11/17; 2/27/18; 3/6/18) and one Rookie of the Week (5/18/15).

Bennett Named AE Player of the Week
• Senior Jonathan Bennett earned his first career America East weekly honor on March 6 after going 5-for-13 (.385) with two RBIS and three runs scored in Maine's series at Miami.
• In addition to driving in the winning run in Maine's 6-1 win over Miami on March 2, he also earned two walks and scored two runs in a 15-inning thriller on March 3 and scored a run for the Black Bears on March 4.

Black Bear Rewind
• Maine was 25-29 last season and finished in sixth place in the America East regular season standings with an 8-12 record before fighting its way to the conference championship game. It was the first season under the guidance of then interim head coach and now head coach, Nick Derba.
• The 25 wins were the most for UMaine in four seasons, and in America East Tournament play, the Black Bears earned four-straight wins for a berth in the title game where they were edge in extra innings, 2-1, by UMBC.
• Maine returns three players in Christopher Bec, Jeremy Pena and Brandon Vicens that started all 54 games last season as well as Hernen Sardinas (53 games), Jonathan Bennett (52) and Caleb Kerbs (52).
• Bec earned himself the catcher slot on the America East Second Team after leading the conference with a .360 batting average in the regular season and tying for the lead in doubles (17).
• Sardinas was named to the All-Rookie team at first base after a regular season in which he hit .263 with 15 doubles, two home runs and 21 RBIs while classmate and right-handed relief pitcher Cody Laweryson earned a spot after posting a 4-2 record with a 3.55 ERA in 33.0 innings pitched and 33 strikeouts.  

On the Gridiron
• Outfielder Brandon Vicens not only plays an important role for the baseball team, but he also straps on the pads for the UMaine football team.
• The junior fullback appeared in six games this year for the Black Bears to go with his nine appearances during the 2016 season.

Doubles
• The Black Bears have hit at least one double in 12 of 15 games this season, including a season-high five on Feb. 24 against Ohio University.
• Jeremy Pena has four doubles on the year while Caleb Kerbs, Brandon Vicens and Cody Pasic have three doubles on the year.
• In 2017, Maine smacked at least one double in 48 of 54 games played, with a season-high five coming against Manhattan College on April 15.

Pena's Prowess
• Last season, Jeremy Pena put together a 19-game hitting streak, beginning with a two-hit outing on April 9 against Hartford and ending with a two-hit outing against UAlbany on May 20.
• It was UMaine's longest streak of the season as well as the longest of Pena's career, besting a five-game mark he earned as a freshman, and the best for Maine since Danny Casals had an 11-game streak in 2016.
• The Black Bears' record for consecutive games with a hit belongs to Brian Seguin, who did it in 27 games straight during the 1990 season.
• During the 19-game streak, Pena had 12 of his 24 team-leading multiple-hit game and hit three of his team-leading six home runs.

The 135th Season
• UMaine is embarking on its 135th season of play with the 2018 season, with the Black Bears first having played during the 1881 season.
• After 134 seasons, UMaine held an overall record of 1958-1579-17 and had made 16 NCAA Tournament appearances and seven College World Series appearances.
• There have been two canceled seasons, with UMaine not fielding teams in 1892 and 1944.
• Head coach Nick Derba is the 25th coach in the history of the program.

Up Next
• UMaine will head to New Mexico State University this weekend for four games with the Aggies.
• The Black Bears will play one game each on Friday and Sunday with a doubleheader set for Saturday.