ORONO, Maine – After a successful home-opening series that saw Maine earn wins in two of three contests, the Black Bears will host UMass Lowell for a doubleheader on Saturday and single game on Sunday at Mahaney Diamond. First pitch on both days is slated for noon. Admission is free for all home contests, and fans can watch a live stream on ESPN+. A radio broadcast can be heard on 96.1 FM WGUY and gobblackbears.com.
Series Information
Maine Black Bears vs. UMass Lowell River Hawks
Date: April 13-14
Site: Orono, Maine | Mahaney Diamond
Records: Maine 4-22 (3-5 AE), UMass Lowell 7-23 (4-5 AE)
Probable Rotation
Game 1: Maine RHP
Nick Silva | UML RHP Connor Metelski
Game 2: Maine RHP
Peter Kemble| UML RHP Nick Rand
Game 3: Maine RHP
Cody Laweryson | TBD
Maine – UMBC Series Recap
• Maine earned its first series win over UMBC by winning game one 2-1, while taking game two by a score of 9-2.
•
Nick Silva earned America East Pitcher of the Week after allowing just three hits and a run in 8.1 innings pitched while striking out seven in game one. The award marked the fifth time in his career and the second time this season he earned the honor.
•
Cody Laweryson put together an impressive seven inning performance in the series finale, striking out 10 in seven innings, allowing five hits and two runs.
• The Black Bear bullpen did not allow a run in 6.2 innings on the weekend, giving up just four hits and two walks, while striking out five.
• Offensively,
Joe Bramanti led the way with four RBIs in Sunday's offensive explosion of nine runs.
• Sardinas and Bramanti both batted .364 on the weekend, with Sardinas blasting a home run on the first pitch in the bottom of the first in game two.
•
Caleb Kerbs broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh inning of game two with an RBI single to left field. The lone run Maine gave up in the contest came on a passed ball.
About UMass Lowell
• The River Hawks snapped a five-game losing skid by taking the series finale against Albany by a score of 11-8 last Sunday at LeLacheur Park.
• The River Hawks have a team batting average of .236 and ERA of 8.00.
• Oscar Marchena leads the River Hawks with a .304 batting average, and 22 RBIs.
Tough Slate
• According to the NCAA, the Black Bears have had the 11th toughest schedule in the nation to date. Before America East play began, Maine's schedule ranked as high as the second most difficult among 299 teams.
• It currently has the second-toughest among non-power five foes.
• Maine's opponents this season have combined for a 449-284 (.613) record as of April 12.
• No. 5 Florida State (19-13)
• Maryland (16-16)
• Liberty (22-6)
• No. 7 Mississippi State (25-7)
• Samford (22-11)
• Alabama (23-11)
• Troy (17-16)
• Maine's RPI ranks at 200 of 299 teams despite a 4-22 record.
The All-Time Series
• The Black Bears lead the all-time series against UML by a mark of 12-5
• Maine won 11 of the first 12 meetings when the River Hawks joined the America East in 2014.
Conference Play Improvement
• Sardinas is batting .400 in eight conference games this season, driving in six runs, while earning three doubles and three home runs apiece. He has a team-high .471 on base percentage in that time frame.
• Bramanti has a .346 batting average (9-for-26) with five RBIs in conference play.
• Casals is batting .321 in conference play, with a team-high eight runs scored and five walks.
• In three starts each,
Nick Silva and
Cody Laweryson hold a 2.33 and 2.89 ERA respectively. Laweryson has struck out AE competition 25 times in 18.2 innings pitched, walking just six.
• The staff as a whole has a team ERA of 3.34 in conference play, compared to 7.91 in non-conference play.
Streakin'
• Casals saw his 17-game on-base streak snapped in game two of the doubleheader, despite reaching base on an error and fielder's choice. According to NCAA scoring rules, reaching base by a fielder's choice or an error does not extend a streak. A consecutive gaems on-base streak can only be kept alive by reaching on a hit, walk, intentional walk, hit-by-pitch or catcher's interference.
• Sardinas extended his streak to 15 games in in the series.
•
Cody Pasic did not appear in a game, but looks to extend his nine-game on-base streak to double digits.
DeLightful DeLaite
•
Trevor DeLaite has dazzled opposing batters this season, with lefties batting just .143 (3/21) against him and righties hitting at a .186 (8/43) clip. He has allowed just four hits with runners on base in 30 opportunities.
• He has struck out 25 batters in 18 innings pitched, allowing just 11 hits and six earned runs.
• Among America East pitchers, DeLaite is third in opposing batting average (.172), seventh in ERA (3.00).
Laudable Laweryson
• In his last two starts against Stony Brook (3/31) and UMBC (4/7), Cody Laweyson has combined for a 2.45 ERA, striking out 19 in 14.2 innings, while walking just four and allowing just one extra-base hit. Opponents are batting just .200 of Laweryson in that span.
• He brought a perfect game in to the seventh inning against the Seawolves, while earning his first win of the season in a 10-strikout performance against UMBC.
• He's striking out 4.3 batters for every batter he walks (35 strikeouts, 8 walks).
• Righties are batting just .208 off Laweryson in 2019.
AE Rankings
• In AE play, Maine has the lowest ERA among the seven teams in the conference (3.34), allowing the least walks (17).
• Casals is tied for second in the conference in home runs (4)
• Sardinas is tied for eighth in home runs (3)
•
Colin Ridley is 10
th in doubles (6)
• DeLaite is third in opposing batting average (.172), seventh in ERA (3.00)
• Laweryson is eighth in strikeouts (35)
•
Joe Bramanti is fifth in putouts (176)
• Jeffrey Omoundro is third in assists (63)
Pro Bears
• 2018 MLB Draft Picks Jeremy Peña (3
rd round, Houston Astros) and
Christopher Bec (5
th round, Toronto Blue Jays) have begun their second seasons in professional baseball.
• Peña is playing for the Quad City River Bandits in the Class A Midwest League, while Bec is playing for the Dunedin Blue Jays in the Class A Adavanced Florida State League.
• Through seven games, Peña has a .355 on base percentage, earning seven walks and four hits so far this season.
• Bec has appeared in two games this season, earning a base knock and a walk.
Back in Business
• On May 16, 2018, now redshirt-senior
Caleb Kerbs was diagnosed with non-seminoma testicular cancer.
• Kerbs missed the rest of the season, undergoing surgery on May 25.
• Check out 'Strikeout the Stigma' on goblackbears.com for more info.
The Bear Facts
• Maine boasts six seniors, six juniors, seven sophomores and 12 freshmen among its roster of 32 players.
• Maine was tabbed to finished fourth in the America East Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Six Black Bears return in 2019 that have started at least 30 games, including
Hernen Sardinas,
Cody Pasic,
Danny Casals,
Kevin Doody,
Caleb Kerbs and
Colin Ridley.
• The Black Bears return three America East all-conference selections in
Danny Casals (first team),
Hernen Sardinas (second team) and
Matt Geoffrion (all-rookie). Maine had two players drafted in the 2018 MLB draft, with
Jeremy Pena (3rd round. 102nd overall) and
Christopher Bec (5th round, 146th overall) going within the top 150 picks.
• Maine went 20-34 last season and finished in sixth place in the America East regular season standings with an 12-12 record, before fighting its way to day three of the America East Championship after falling in its opening game.
• Head Coach
Nick Derba enters his third season at the helm of the Black Bears, holding a 45-63 overall record. Maine advanced to the America East Championship game in his first season.
Hall of Famers
• On Dec. 2, 2018, Assistant Coach
John Schiffner and UMaine alumnus Mark Sweeney were both inducted into the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame.
• Schiffner is the winningest manager in Cape Cod League History, coaching the Chatham, A's/Anglers to 541 regular season wins and 16 playoff appearances. He has coached 39 first round picks and over 125 of his former players have reached the big leagues, including Evan Longoria, Andrew Miller, Kris Bryant, and Todd Frazier. Head Coach
Nick Derba played for Schiffner from 2004 to 2006 for the Anglers.
• Mark Sweeney, a 14-year MLB vet, played for seven different teams, ranking second all-time in MLB history with 175 career pinch hits and first all-time with 102 pinch hit RBIs. He still holds 21 school records at UMaine, including, career hits (328), career doubles (66), career home runs (52), career RBIs (211), total bases (568), slugging percentage (.663). He earned All-America honors in. 1988, 1990. And 1991. He was inducted to the Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. Sweeney led the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox to back-to-back Cape Cod league titles in 1989 and 1990, earning Cape Cod Playoff MVP honors in 1989.
Legends Weekend
• Maine will welcome back and honor the 1991 team on to campus on the weekend of April 20-21 when Maine takes on UMass in a four-game non-conference series.
• 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. Sweeney earned the America East Player of the Year after hitting .387 with a .644 slugging percentage. 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.
• Maine Softball will honor the ECAC champion 1984 and 1987 teams that same weekend.
The 136th Season
• UMaine is embarking on its 136th season of play with the 2019 season, with the Black Bears first having played during the 1881 season.
• After 135 seasons, UMaine held an overall record of 1978-1579-17 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.
•
Nick Derba is the 25th head coach in program history.
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