ORONO, Maine – After a season-long nine game homestand, the University of Maine baseball team will hit the road for the first time in April this weekend, heading to the Empire State capital to take on UAlbany in a three-game America East series. Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's single game will have a noon start. There is no available live stream, but fans can listen to Jim Churchill call the game locally on 96.1 WGUY FM and nation-wide on goblackbears.com.
Series Information
Maine Black Bears vs. UAlbany Great Danes
Date: April 19-21
Site: Varsity Field, UAlbany
Records: Maine 8-24 (6-5 AE), UAlbany 17-19 (7-8 AE)
Â
Â
Probable Rotation
Game 1: Maine RHPÂ
Nick Silva | UAlbany RHP Dominic Savino
Game 2: Maine RHP
Peter Kemble| UAlbany RHP John Clayton
Game 3: Maine RHP
Cody Laweryson | UAlbany RHP Ray Weber
Â
Maine – UMass Series Recap
•  Down 1-0 after
Nick Silva tossed a seven-inning a no-hitter, freshman
Ryan Turenne blasted his first career home run, a pinch-hit walk-off grand slam as Maine defeated UMass 4-1 in game one.
•
Jeffrey Omohundro batted .500 on the series with four singles in eight at bats on the weekend.
• Heren Sardinas smacked two home runs, driving in a team-high five home runs.
•
Joe Bramanti also hit a home run, scoring three runs while driving in two and earning two walks and stealing two bases.
•
Danny Casals blasted a bottom of the ninth inning solo shot to put in Maine one run of UMass in the finale.
• The Black Bears starting pitching staff impressed, combining to allow just five hits and giving up three earned runs in 15 2/3 innings against the Minutemen
About UAlbany
• After falling in two-of-three to America East leader Stony Brook, the Great Danes got back on track with two decisive non-conference wins against Central Connecticut State (7-3) and Fairleigh Dickinson (8-2).
• The Great Danes are fifth in batting average (.244) and are third in team ERA (5.91) among America East competitors.
• Malm Brad is eighth in the America East in batting average (.329), while Marc Wargenstein is seventh in RBIs (31).
• Out of the pen, Joe Kruszka is the closer, leading the AE in saves (7) and ERA (1.93), while ranking second in opposing batting average (.180).
Â
The All-Time Series
• Having won all seven meetings a year ago and currently on an eight-game winning streak, Maine owns a 47-35 lead in the all-time series over UAlbany.
Â
Streakin'
•
Cody Pasic has reached base in his last 15 games, earning at least one hit in each of his last six games.
• Bramanti is on an eight-base on-base streak, currently on a four-game hitting streak.
• Omohundro is also on a four-game hitting streak.
DeLightful DeLaite
•Â
Trevor DeLaite has dazzled opposing batters this season, with lefties batting just .136 (3/22) against him and righties hitting at a .216 (11/51) clip. He has allowed just six hits with runners on base in 37 opportunities.
• He has struck out 28 batters in 20 innings pitched, allowing just 14 hits and seven earned runs.
• Among America East pitchers, DeLaite is third in opposing batting average (.192), 9th in ERA (3.15).
Â
Sensational Silva
• In three of the last five weeks, Silva has earned America East Pitcher of the Week including this past week after tossing a no-hitter.
• In weeks where he has won the honor, he holds a 0.77 ERA, allowing just nine hits in. 23.1 innings, striking out 11. He has held opponents to a .122 ERA.
Â
Laudable Laweryson
• In his last four starts against Stony Brook (3/31) and UMBC (4/7) UMass Lowell (4/14) and UMass (4/20)
Cody Laweryson has combined for a 1.30 ERA, striking out 31 in 27.2 innings, while walking just eight and allowing just one extra-base hit. Opponents are batting just .174 against 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 4.8 batters for every batter he walks (43 strikeouts, 9 walks).
• Righties are batting just .196 off Laweryson in 2019.
• Laweryson is second in the AE In ERA (2.21), fourth in opposing batting average (.205) and seventh in strikeouts (47).
Â
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 Advanced Florida State League.
• This past Wednesday, Peña smacked a solo home run home run and ended the game by starting a 6-4-3 triple play, earning player of the game honors by the River Bandits.  Â
Back in Business
• On May 16, 2018, now redshirt-seniorÂ
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.
Â
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, includingÂ
Hernen Sardinas,Â
Cody Pasic,Â
Danny Casals,Â
Kevin Doody,Â
Caleb Kerbs andÂ
Colin Ridley.
• The Black Bears return three America East all-conference selections inÂ
Danny Casals (first team),Â
Hernen Sardinas (second team) andÂ
Matt Geoffrion (all-rookie). Maine had two players drafted in the 2018 MLB draft, withÂ
Jeremy Pena (3rd round. 102nd overall) andÂ
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 CoachÂ
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.
Â
Hall of Famers
• On Dec. 2, 2018, Assistant CoachÂ
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 CoachÂ
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.
Â
Legends Weekend
• Maine honored the 1991 team on to campus on the weekend of April 20 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.
Â
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.
•Â
Nick Derba is the 25th head coach in program history.
Â
-UMaine-