ORONO, Maine – "Heroes Get Remembered, but Legends Never Die" is a four-part series on goblackbears.com that remembers the 1991 Maine baseball team that won a program-record 48 games, earned ECAC Tournament and NAC Championships and hosted an NCAA Regional at Mahaney Diamond. The UMaine baseball team and athletic department will be honoring the team on its inaugural Legends Weekend April 20-21 at Mahaney Diamond.
 
After winning the NAC and ECAC Championship, the Black Bears advanced to their 10^th NCAA Northeast Regional under head coach John Winkin, hosting the regional at Mahaney Diamond for the fifth time. The third-seeded Black Bears welcomed the likes of No. 1 Clemson, No. 2 Mississippi State, No. 3 Villanova, No. 5 Towson and No. 6 Princeton to Mahaney Diamond.
 
Maine entered the tournament playing their previous 15 games at home between hosting both NAC and ECAC Championship, along with a single game against Saint Joseph's Maine and a five-game set against Western Carolina.
 
Maine would open regional play with a meeting with the fifth seeded Villanova Wildcats, with the winner playing the winner of No. 2 Mississippi State and No. 5 Towson. In game one, Clemson earned a 13-5 win over Princeton, while Mississippi State defeated Towson 10-4 in the second contest.
 
In game three between the Black Bears and Wildcats, Shawn Tobin would get Maine on the scoreboard with a solo homer over the right field fence in the bottom of the third. An inning later, Shanan Knox would drive in a run on a groundout, while Brian Seguin would drive in another as Maine led 3-0 after four. Maine followed with a big-inning in the fifth frame, as the Black Bears put up a five-spot on four hits as Chad White drove home tallied two RBIs on a double.
 
An 8-0 cushion was plenty for Maine hurler Larry Thomas, who earned the victory, allowing three runs and four walks, while striking out nine in seven innings. Maine would win 10-3, as the Black Bears pounded Villanova on 15 hits, while the Wildcats went to the losers' bracket after knocking six hits.
 
The victory would setup a matchup between No. 2 Mississippi State and No. 3 Maine, while Villanova would play top-seed Clemson in the double elimination tournament. Princeton would battle Towson, with the loser exiting the tournament. Towson would down Princeton 5-0 to keep its College World Series hops alive, as the Tigers were the first to leave the regional. Villanova would follow, dropping an 8-3 contest to Clemson in game five, who would move to 2-0 in the regional.
 
Game six at Mahaney Diamond would see the Bulldogs and the Black Bears. Mississippi State struck first with a run in the first and two runs in the second, earning an early 3-0 lead. The Black Bears, the visiting team to the higher seeded Bulldogs, responded with four runs, as White, Seguin and Knox came up clutch hits and Tobin drove in a run on a sac-fly, as the Black Bears took a 4-3 lead. MSU would tie the contest with two runs in the sixth. With the game tied at 5-5, MSU would hit a sac-fly to center to score the go-adead run in the bottom of the eighth. Maine could not score a run in the ninth, falling 6-5 to the Bulldogs.
 
After the game, Winkin said that, "We just weren't sharp defensively You can't do that against a team like Mississippi State and in the end, it cost us."
The loss would set up a meeting with Towson in an elimination game for Maine. MSU would face No.  Clemson in a matchup of top ranked unbeaten teams.
 
Game seven between Clemson and Mississippi State did not disappoint. With the Bulldogs down 10-6 in the top of the ninth, MSU rallied, but came up a run short, falling 10-9 for their first loss of the tournament. Clemson advanced, a perfect 3-0. MSU would play the winner of Maine and Towson.
 
In the elimination game between Maine and Towson, Black Bear pitcher Rob Higgins would throw a six-hit shutout, blanking the Tigers in nine full innings. He did not walk a batter, striking out 10 in total. Mark Sweeney blasted a two-run home run to left. Field, as Maine would go on the win 8-0 and keep its CWS hopes alive. Towson would be eliminated after game eight, as Maine would rematch with MSU for its second game of the day. The winner of game nine would advance to take on Clemson, while the loser would be eliminated.
 
With a first-pitch time of 7:45, the Black Bears would pick up an early 1-0 lead, as Knoxleadoff the game with an infield single, and would steal second before Seguin drove him home on a single to right. 
 
Maine continued to roll, scoring runs in the top of the second off a wild pitch and off an outfield fielding error. Another run crossed the plate in the third off a homerun to left center off the bat of Sweeney. The Black Bears would build an 8-0 lead by the seventh inning. Ed Therrien looked to achieve Maine's second complete game shutout in two games, heading to the bottom of the ninth, without yielding a run.
 
MSU threatened scoring all five of its runs in the ninth, but relief pitcher Chuck Nadeau would retire the final batter, pitching a three-pitch strikeout to preserve the win. The victory avenged Maine's earlier loss in the tournament, as Mississippi State was eliminated.
 
Clemson was the only team in the way for Maine, who looked to advance to its eighth College World Series and its first since 1986. Maine had a tough task of having to defeat the Tigers twice in a row – a team with a 60-8 record.
 
Magic would run out for the Black Bears, who had won 35 of their final 40 games to end the season. Clemson cruised to a 13-5 victory, in the championship round, earning a trip to Omaha. Larry Thomas was pitching under just two days rest, as Maine used five pitchers in the effort. Clemson scored three runs in the first, but Maine rallied for two to cut the lead to 3-2 after Tobin drove home Knox and Seguin. The Tigers scored two more in the second and three in the fourth, before taking control in the sixth by holding a 10-4 lead.
 
In 1991, the University of Maine baseball team accomplished a tremendous amount of success in the historic season. It became the winningest team in team history, with 48 wins in 65 games.  The '91 team recorded the longest win-streak in program history and in New England Division I history (23 games). It set or tied 35 individual or team records. Two Black Bears were named All-Americans. Five players were drafted to MLB teams after the 1991 season and five more that played on the '91 team would be drafted in successive years. Maine would finish the season ranked 17^th in the nation by Collegiate Baseball and 20^th by Baseball America.
 
Mark Sweeney would end his illustrious career in his senior season with the Black Bears as a Mizuno First Team All-American along with earning both ECAC and NAC Player of the Year. He would break or tie 22 school records, 21 which he still holds today. Sweeney batted .384 his senior season, with 23 home runs and 80 RBIs, while collecting 54 walks and striking out just 36 times in 65 games.
Larry Thomas would be named the NAC Pitcher of the Year, along with appearing in Peter Gammons column as the second-best left hander in the nation. He set records for strikeouts in a season (108). He struck out 10 or more in a game in five games.
 
Along with Sweeney and Larry Thomas, seven other Black Bears would earn All-New England status, including Brian Seguin (First Team), Shanan Knox, Shawn Tobin, Gary Taylor and Ben Burlingame.
 
MLB draft picks included Larry Thomas (1991 2^nd round, 69^th overall to the White Sox), Mark Sweeney (1991 9^th round, 246^th overall to the Angles), Ben Burlingame (1991 14^th round, 371 overall to the Cubs), Paul Kelliher (1991 28^th round, 725 overall to the Braves), Gary Taylor (1991 55^th round, 1382 overall to the Cardinals) Tim Scott (1992 36^th round, 1019 overall to the Rockies), Mark Ballard (1993 23^rd round, 639 overall to the Red Sox), Gabe Duross (1993 32^nd overall round, 894 round to the Cubs), Justin Tomberlin (1993 46th round, 1287 overall to the Twins), and Chad White (1993 56^th round, 1498 overall to the Astros).
 
Join the UMaine athletic department in honoring the 1991 baseball team on Saturday April 20. The Black Bears will battle UMass in two seven-inning contests, with game one beginning at noon. Admission is free in all home games at Mahaney Diamond.

-UMaine-