After a 14 game Southern road trip to open the season, the University of Maine baseball team came back East last weekend and swept the Binghamton Bearcats in New York in the America East opening series. The Black Bears now prepare to play at home for the first time in 2022 when they welcome in the Stony Brook Seawolves for a three game series beginning on Friday.
Maine, who played series at LSU, against Penn State in Florida, George Washington in Virginia, and also games with North Dakota State and Stetson University in Florida, began their first part of their non-conference schedule at 3-11. The Black Bears offense exploded in the sweep over Binghamton last weekend, scoring 37 runs on 41 hits with 20 of those hits of the extra base variety. They hit nine homeruns, including five in the win on Saturday 19-9. Maine (6-11, 3-0 America East) does play five more non-conference games in the course of their schedule against Thomas College on April 14, Colby College on April 19, Merrimack on April 27 and May 10 (home and home), and also a trip to play at ACC opponent Boston College on May 17.
Maine has been led offensively by Jeff Mejia who is hitting. 351 with seven RBI, Quinn McDaniel at .310 with four homers and 14 RBI, Jeremiah Jenkins at .292 with one homer and eight RBI, and Jake Rainess at .275 with two homers and eight RBI. Joe Bramanti leads the team with six homeruns and has knocked in 23 runs with a .225 batting average so far. Brett Erwin and Caleb Leys lead the Black Bears with four games each started on the mound. Erwin is 0-2 with a 3.75 earned run average, while Leys is 1-0 and posts an ERA of 4.37. Sebastian Holt has been solid out of the bullpen with an ERA of 1.67 in two appearances over 3.0 innings.
Stony Brook enters this weekend at 7-11, also 3-0 in America East as the Seawolves swept the UMass-Lowell Riverhawks at home last weekend. SBU is ineligible to compete in any postseason in America East however, after the school made the decision to leave for the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) which becomes official on July 1. Maine is the host school for this years America East Tournament May 25-28.
The first pitch for Maine and Stony Brook is scheduled for a 4 p.m. start on Friday at Mahaney Diamond in Orono (weather permitting), with single games Saturday at 1 and Sunday at 12.
