ORONO, Maine – The University of Maine softball and baseball teams will welcome back and honor three teams on the weekend of April 20-21, in its first annual Legends Weekend. Maine Softball will pay tribute to the 1984 and 1987 ECAC champion teams while Maine Baseball will honor the winningest team in program history in the 1991 team. Maine softball will honor its teams when it takes on conference rival UAlbany while Maine baseball will honor the 1991 team against Atlantic-10 foe UMass.
 
The Black Bears of 1984 had a terrific season, posting a 25-14 record and earning a berth in the ECAC Division I championship tournament. Maine defeated LaSalle in a best-of-three series to earn the title and gain recognition as one of the best teams in the East. Claire Betz led the team in hitting at .360 and in pitching as well with 12 wins while Lynn Hearty chalked up 10 wins on the mound.
 
A Janet Anderson-coached team won an ECAC championship for the second time in 1987 and set a new UM record for wins in a season with 29. The Black Bears swept the ECAC tournament, beating Colgate in the opening game and LIU twice in succeeding games. Lynn Hearty won 18 games on the mound, earning her all-New England and NCAA Northeast All-America honors. Michelle Duprey, Lynn Hearty, and Stacey Caron also were named all-New England. Suzanne Goulet led the Bears at the plate with a .367 average. Duprey, Caron, Hearty, and Goulet were named to the ECAC-All Tournament team along with Denise Boutine and Chris Bouchard.
 
"Since Lynn, Jordan and I have been with the program, it has been our focus to try and build a program that the alumni would be proud of," said head softball coach Mike Coutts. "I think with our recent academic success, community involvement and on field success we have reached that goal. Not to mention that we have some really great people representing them everyday. The Legend's Weekend recognition gives us the opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate those who paved the way for University of Maine Softball. It is also an opportunity for our current student athletes to meet and interact with some really outstanding ladies."

The 1991 Black Bears baseball team set a school record with 48 wins, winning the America East and ECAC championship. The 1991 Black Bears hosted the most recent NCAA Regional at Mahaney Diamond, falling in the title game to Clemson. Mark Sweeney earned the America East Player of the Year after hitting .387 with a .644 slugging percentage. Sweeney still holds 21 program records, and was recently inducted into the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame. Larry Thomas was selected as the America East Pitcher of the Year, striking out a school record 108 batters in just 99.1 innings pitched. Both Sweeney and Thomas were elected as All-Americans following the season.
 
"Legends Weekend is an event that we believe will not only honor those that have made Maine Baseball a national name, but it is also serving as an educational tool for our players," said Maine baseball head coach Nick Derba. "Our current student-athletes have an opportunity to meet and learn more about the great players and people that have worn the Maine uniform. This weekend is about connecting present to past and continuing to build on a tradition of a program that produces good players, good culture and above all else great men."
 
For more information, contact Jordan Fitzpatrick (Assistant Softball Coach) at jordan.fitzpatrick@maine.edu and (207) 581-4509 or Nick Fox (Director of Baseball Operations) at nicholas.fox@maine.edu and (207) 581-1054.
 
Admission is free for all of Maine's home games at Kessock Field and Mahaney Diamond. Follow @Maine_Softball and @MaineBaseball and on Twitter for tributes to the three teams leading up to Legends Weekend.
 
-UMaine-