Baseball Treks To Maine For Final Road Series
ALBANY, N.Y. – Marking the final road trip of the 2014 regular season, the University at Albany baseball team travels to Maine this weekend for a key America East Conference series. Saturday’s doubleheader will begin at 3:00 p.m., followed by a single game Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
GAMES 40-42
UAlbany (9-30, 4-14) at Maine (19-25, 6-9) – Mahaney Diamond – Orono, Maine
Saturday, May 10 (3 p.m.) DH
Sunday, May 11 (1 p.m.)
LIVE STATS
LIVE VIDEO
PITCHING PROBABLES
Game 1
Maine: Tommy Lawrence (Sr., RHP) (6-4, 3.31 ERA)
UAlbany: Kevin Archbold (Sr., LHP) (2-3, 2.45 ERA)
Game 2
Maine: Jeff Gelinas (Fr., RHP) (3-3, 2.86 ERA)
UAlbany: TBD
Game 3
Maine: TBD
UAlbany: TBD
SCOUTING THE GREAT DANES
2014 Record: 9-30, 4-14 America East
Head Coach: Jon Mueller (15th season / 309-438-5)
THE COACH: Jon Mueller is in his 15th season as the head coach of the University at Albany baseball program in 2014. The Stillwater, N.Y. native has had proven success as both a player and coach throughout his career. Mueller ranks first among UAlbany’s career leaders with 309 coaching victories, and was named the America East Coach of the Year in 2004. He also led the Danes to the program’s first America East Conference tournament championship title and NCAA appearance in 2007. Mueller has produced dozens of all-conference standouts and has had six players selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft under his direction, including two in the past three seasons.
LAST TIME OUT: UAlbany comes off Tuesday’s 8-5 loss to St. John’s. The Danes held a 5-3 advantage in the sixth inning, but the hosting Red Storm (31-15) came from behind to take the win away, scoring five unanswered runs. UAlbany totaled six hits led by Richard Bacon’ two knocks and three RBIs.
IN CONFERENCE PLAY: UAlbany ranks fourth in the America East with a .266 team batting average in conference games, led by Brian Bullard’s .388 average, which ranks second in the league. Evan Harasta also ranks in the top-10 with a .344 average, followed by Craig Lepre’s .292 clip. The Great Danes enter the weekend with a 4-14 mark, getting swept in their last three America East series versus UMBC, Hartford, and Stony Brook. The Danes will look to win their first series since taking 2-of-3 from UMass Lowell on April 5-6.
UALBANY LEADERS: Batting .246 as a team this season, UAlbany is led by senior Brian Bullard’s .323 average with 14 RBI and 25 runs scored. Sophomore Evan Harasta follows, batting .315 with 24 runs batted in, while senior D.J. Hoagboon has a .292 average with 22 runs. Senior Josh Nethaway leads the team with 30 RBIs and five home runs. Defensively, UAlbany has a .945 fielding percentage and the pitching staff owns a collective 6.85 ERA.
SCOUTING THE BLACK BEARS
2014 Record: 19-25, 6-9 America East
Head Coach: Steve Trimper (9th season / 260-224-2)
THE COACH: Maine head coach Steve Trimper (Eastern Connecticut State University ’92) is in his ninth season at the helm of the Black Bears. He has an overall record of 432-398-4 in his 15th season as a head coach. He has a record of 260-224-2 with the Black Bears. In 2013, Trimper was named America East Coach of the Year after leading the Black Bears to a mark of 37-22 overall, 20-9 in America East conference play. Maine was the top seed in the 2013 America East Tournament, which was played at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Mass. Maine advanced to the championship game, but fell in the title game to the Binghamton Bearcats.
LAST TIME OUT: Maine comes off a conference series loss at Stony Brook. Tommy Lawrence led the Black Bears to a 2-1 win in game one, throwing a complete game with seven strikeouts. However, Stony Brook rebounded to win the nightcap, 11-3, and then captured the series rubber match, 4-1, last Sunday.
IN CONFERENCE PLAY: With 6-9 record, Maine is in fifth place in the conference standings behind Stony Brook (13-4), Hartford (13-4), UMass Lowell (9-8), and Binghamton (10-10). The Seawolves and Hawks have already clinched postseason berths. With UMass Lowell not eligible for the conference tournament, the Black Bears are battling Binghamton, UMBC (6-12), and UAlbany (4-14) for the final two spots in the America East Championship.
MAINE LEADERS: As a team, the Black Bears are batting .274 with four players hitting above .300 entering the weekend. Troy Black (20 RBI) and Scott Heath (11 RBI) lead the team, both batting .322. Brian Dorian follows with a .313 average and 16 RBIs, and Colin Gay rounds out the leaders with a .307 clip and 19 runs batted in. Defensively, Maine has a .963 fielding percentage and a 4.38 team ERA.
ARCHBOLD’S NJIT GEM
In game one against NJIT, senior Kevin Archbold (2-3) tossed a complete-game gem, scattering five hits and just one run, while striking out a career-high nine to earn the win. Archbold allowed just one batter past second base and never faced more than one over the minimum in any inning. Archbold will start game one versus Maine Saturday.
WHERE THERE’S A WILL, THERE’S A NETHAWAY
Batting .353 on the week with a .941 slugging percentage, redshirt senior Josh Nethaway totaled 10 RBIs and three home runs in the four-game series with NJIT. Nethaway hit homers in three consecutive games, going 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and three RBIs in game one’s 11-1 victory, and went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and two RBIs in game two. On the second day of play, Nethaway had another outstanding day at the plate, hitting a three-run home run, while going 2-for-3 with four RBIs in the first game. In the nightcap, Nethaway went 1-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, while lining his 52nd career double, which breaks UAlbany’s program record.
NETHAWAY IN THE RECORD BOOK
Hitting one double last Sunday at NJIT, senior Josh Nethaway has now hit 52 doubles in his career breaking program record-holder Michael Oliva’s (1997-01) top mark. In addition, Nethaway ranks second for career RBIs, currently with 133, passing Oliva’s second-place total (126). Steve Checksfield (1998-01) holds the record with 168.
NETHAWAY NEARS 200 HITS
Nethaway enters the weekend with 199 career hits. He is just one away from becoming UAlbany’s seventh member of the 200-hits club.
HARASTA STREAKS TO 22
Sophomore Evan Harasta has reached base successfully in 22 consecutive games. He owns a team-best .466 on-base percentage this spring, while drawing a squad-high 29 walks.
UP NEXT
The Great Danes close the 2014 regular season at home against Binghamton May 16-17. The three-game series will start Friday at 1:00 p.m. with a doubleheader. Saturday’s Senior Game will also begin at 1:00 p.m.
