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Maine Black Bears
Founded1881
UniversityUniversity of Maine
Head coachSteve Trimper (8th season)
ConferenceAmerica East Conference
Home stadiumMahaney Diamond
(Capacity: 3,000)
NicknameBlack Bears
ColorsNavy blue, Maine blue, and White
     
College World Series appearances
1964, 1976, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986
NCAA Tournament appearances
1964, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1993, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2011
Conference tournament champions
ECAC: 1976, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1991
NAC/America East: 1993, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2011
Regular season conference champions
NAC/America East: 1990, 1991, 1993, 2002, 2013

The Maine Black Bears baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball program of the University of Maine, located in Orono, Maine. It is the university's oldest athletic program, having begun play in 1881. It has been a member of the NCAA Division I America East Conference since its founding (as the North Atlantic Conference) at the start of the 1990 season. Its home venue is Mahaney Diamond, located on the university's campus. Steve Trimper has been the program's head coach since the start of the 2006 season. As of the end of the 2013 season, the program has appeared in 16 NCAA Tournaments and seven College World Series. In conference postseason play, it has won eight ECAC Tournaments and five America East Tournaments. In conference regular season play, it has won five America East titles (three of those when the league was known as the North Atlantic Conference). 19 former Black Bears have appeared in Major League Baseball.

History

[edit]

Early history

[edit]

The University of Maine opened in fall 1868 as the Maine College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts.[1] The baseball program, founded in 1881, was the school's first intercollegiate athletic program.[2] It went 3-3 in its first season. The program continued to play a handful of games each season during the 1880s; during this time, Irv Ray, Maine's first alumnus to play in Major League Baseball, played for the program.[3] It played its first 10-game schedule in 1886 and won 10 games for the first time in 1888. The university did not sponsor a baseball team in 1892, but the team resumed in 1893.[4]

From the program's inception through the 1893 season, student coaches coached the team. For the 1894 season, the school hired Harry Miller as its first faculty head coach. In two seasons under Miller (1894 and 1895), the team went 5-7 and 8-4, respectively. Jack Abbott, the program's second head coach, led the team to a 5-4 record in 1896. Under W. W. Bustard, Maine had consecutive 9-4 seasons in 1897 and 1898.[4] The university changed its name from the Maine College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts to its current name following the 1897 season.[1]

Monte Cross while playing for the Philadelphia Athletics.

Through the end of the 1923 season, Maine competed as an independent school. During this time, its highest single-season win total was 11, a mark reached three times (twice under head coach William Magill). Eight future major leaguers played for the program: Clarence Blethen, Harvey Cushman, Michael Driscoll, Pat French, Otis Lawry, Marty McHale, Ralph Pond, and Harland Rowe.[3]

The longest-tenured head coach of the period was former Philadelphia Athletics player Monte Cross, who coached the team for six seasons (1916–1921) and had an overall record of 33-33-3.[4] An April 1916 Lewiston Daily Sun article said of Cross, "His easy-going, but nevertheless strict instructions and discipline, together with the knowledge of the inside features of the National game, and the manner in which he teaches them, make an everlasting impression on the students, players, and managers."[5] Following the 1919 season, Cross became the first Maine baseball coach to receive the "M" award from the university's president.[6]

New England Conference

[edit]

For the 1924 season, the New England Conference formed. In addition to Maine, the conference's founding members were Connecticut, Rhode Island State, New Hampshire, and Northeastern. The conference sponsored baseball from its founding.[7][8][9] Maine was a member of the conference from 1924–1947, except in 1944, when the university did not sponsor a team due to World War II.[4]

After Joseph Murphy coached the program for its first two seasons of New England Conference play (1924–1925), a total of two coaches led the team for the remainder of its time in the conference. Fred Brice was the program's head coach for 10 seasons (1926–1935), and William Kenyon held the position for 13 seasons (1936–1943, 1945–1949), the first 11 of which came in the New England Conference. Under Brice, Maine had a 67-60 record; its best single-season record during his tenure was 9-5 in 1932.[4] For the previous season, 1931, the baseball team had moved to a location behind Memorial Gym after previously playing at Alumni Field.[10] Under Kenyon in the New England Conference, Maine went 61-91-1. It went 11-7 in 1938 to tie the program record for wins and won Maine State Series championships in 1937 and 1942.[4][11]

Conference membership

[edit]

Venues

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Early venues

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The program played at several locations on Maine's campus in its early seasons. A 1931 Lewiston Daily Sun article reads, "The baseball diamond will be changed from Alumni field this year to a section directly behind Memorial gym. The first game on the new diamond will be with Colby on May 2."[10]

Mahaney Diamond

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The program currently plays at Mahaney Diamond, which opened in the early 1980s and is located on the northern end of the university's campus. It has a capacity of 4,400 spectators and is named for Maine alumnus and donor Larry Mahaney, who graduated from the university in 1951. The field has a FieldTurf surface, and the facility has been renovated many times since the mid 1980s.[4]

It has hosted NCAA Regionals in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, and 1991. It has also hosted three America East Conference Baseball Tournaments (1996, 2002, and 2004).[4][12]

Coaches

[edit]

Head coaches

[edit]

Since Harry Miller became the program's first record head coach for the 1894 season, Maine has had 24 head coaches.[4] John Winkin, who was Maine's head coach from 1975–1996, is both the program's longest tenured and winningest head coach. He coached for 22 seasons and won 642 games.[13]

Tenure(s) Coach Seasons W-L-T Pct
1881–1891, 1893 Unknown 12 45-37-1 .549
1894–1895 Harry Miller 2 13-11 .542
1896 Jack Abbott 1 5-4 .556
1897–1898 W. W. Bustard 2 18-8 .692
1899–1901 William Magill 3 24-13 .649
1902–1905 Frank Rudderham 4 33-27 .550
1906 E. G. Butman 1 3-12 .200
1907–1908 W. J. Fitzmaurice 2 7-18 .280
1909 P. J. Noonan 1 7-5 .583
1910 Pat Keefe 1 8-4 .667
1911 Edgar Wingard 1 3-8 .272
1912–1913 George Magoon 2 12-13-1 .480
1914–1915 John Phelan 2 12-15 .444
1916–1921 Monte Cross 6 33-33-3 .500
1922–1923 Wilkie Clark 2 14-15 .483
1924–1925 Joseph Murphy 2 10-14-1 .417
1926–1935 Fred Brice 10 67-60 .528
1936–1943, 1945–1949 William C. Kenyon 13 67-111-2 .376
1950–1951 Mike Lude 2 22-19 .537
1952–1953 Tubby Raymond 2 22-17-1 .564
1954–1956 Walter Anderson 3 33-30-1 .524
1957–1974 John Butterfield 18 240-169-2 .588
1975–1996 John Winkin 22 642-430-3 .599
1997–2005 Paul Kostacopoulos 9 284-195 .593
2006–present Steve Trimper 8 241-200-2 .546
TOTALS
24
131
1,865-1,458-18
.561

Current coaching staff

[edit]

Maine's coaching staff for the 2013 season consisted of head coach Steve Trimper, assistant coach Jason Spaulding, assistant coach Billy Cather, and volunteer assistant coach Ryan Forrest.

Steve Trimper

[edit]

Trimper, who was hired prior to the start of the 2006 season, played one season of college baseball at Elon before transferring to Eastern Connecticut State. There, he played three seasons of baseball, won a Division III national championship in 1990, and graduated in 1992. Prior to becoming Maine's head coach, Trimper was an assistant at Wentworth and Vermont, head coach of the NECBL's Eastern Tides, and head coach of Manhattan.[14][15]

Assistant coaches

[edit]

Spaulding, Maine's pitching coach and recruiting coordinator, played college baseball at Vermont while Trimper was an assistant there. He became a member of Maine's coaching staff for the start of the 2011 season and previously was an assistant at Manhattan.[16][17][18] Cather played at Maine from 2005–2008 and later played independent professional baseball. He became an assistant prior to the start of the 2010 season.[19][20] Forrest played at Maine from 2007–2009 and has been a volunteer assistant since the start of the 2012 season.[21]

Yearly records

[edit]

The program's first season came in 1881. Since then, the school has sponsored a team in each season except 1892 and 1944. Below is a table of the program's yearly records since its inception.[4][22][23][24][25]

Statistics overview
Season Coach Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Independent (1881–1891)
1881 3-3
1882 1-1
1883 3-3
1884 3-0
1885 4-2
1886 4-6
1887 4-6-1
1888 10-2
1889 6-4
1890 2-4
1891 4-3
No team (1892–1892)
Independent (1893–1923)
1893 1-3
1894 Harry Miller 5-7
1895 Harry Miller 8-4
1896 Jack Abbott 5-4
1897 W. W. Bustard 9-4
1898 W. W. Bustard 9-4
1899 William Magill 11-2
1900 William Magill 6-7
1901 William Magill 6-7
1902 Frank Rudderham 11-8
1903 Frank Rudderham 11-4
1904 Frank Rudderham 4-6
1905 Frank Rudderham 7-9
1906 E. G. Butman 3-12
1907 W. J. Fitzmaurice 1-12
1908 W. J. Fitzmaurice 1-12
1909 P. J. Noonan 7-5
1910 Pat Keefe 8-4
1911 Edgar Wingard 3-8
1912 George Magoon 7-6-1
1913 George Magoon 5-7
1914 John Phelan 5-6
1915 John Phelan 7-9
1916 Monte Cross 8-4-2
1917 Monte Cross 2-4
1918 Monte Cross 3-5
1919 Monte Cross 8-5
1920 Monte Cross 7-5
1921 Monte Cross 5-10-1
1922 Wilkie Clark 8-7
1923 Wilkie Clark 6-8
Independent: 237-223
New England Conference (1924–1943)
1924 Joseph Murphy 5-8
1925 Joseph Murphy 5-6-1
1926 Fred Brice 6-5
1927 Fred Brice 7-4
1928 Fred Brice 3-9
1929 Fred Brice 8-6
1930 Fred Brice 8-7
1931 Fred Brice 7-6
1932 Fred Brice 9-5
1933 Fred Brice 5-7
1934 Fred Brice 5-7
1935 Fred Brice 7-6
1936 William Kenyon 6-6
1937 William Kenyon 9-5-1
1938 William Kenyon 11-7
1939 William Kenyon 4-13
1940 William Kenyon 5-11
1941 William Kenyon 4-12
1942 William Kenyon 6-8
1943 William Kenyon 4-8
No team (1944–1944)
New England Conference (1945–1947)
1945 William Kenyon 2-7
1946 William Kenyon 3-8
1947 William Kenyon 7-6
New England: 136-167
Yankee Conference (1948–1975)
1948 William Kenyon 2-9-1
1949 William Kenyon 4-11
1950 Mike Lude 12-9
1951 Mike Lude 10-10
1952 Tubby Raymond 11-10-1
1953 Tubby Raymond 11-7
1954 Walter Anderson 14-9
1955 Walter Anderson 12-10
1956 Walter Anderson 7-11-1
1957 John Butterfield 6-14
1958 John Butterfield 12-9
1959 John Butterfield 12-8
1960 John Butterfield 12-8
1961 John Butterfield 9-13-1
1962 John Butterfield 9-14
1963 John Butterfield 9-12
1964 John Butterfield 21-8 8-2 1st College World Series
1965 John Butterfield 14-7
1966 John Butterfield 15-9-1
1967 John Butterfield 15-7
1968 John Butterfield 10-9
1969 John Butterfield 12-12
1970 John Butterfield 18-6
1971 John Butterfield 16-12
1972 John Butterfield 20-7
1973 John Butterfield 15-9
1974 John Butterfield 15-5
1975 John Winkin 25-8-1 NCAA Tournament
Yankee: 348-263-6
Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (1976–1989)
1976 John Winkin 29-9 1st (New England) College World Series
1977 John Winkin 24-11
1978 John Winkin 20-9
1979 John Winkin 23-9
1980 John Winkin 23-13-1 NCAA Tournament
1981 John Winkin 32-14 College World Series
1982 John Winkin 35-13 College World Series
1983 John Winkin 29-16 College World Series
1984 John Winkin 33-20 College World Series
1985 John Winkin 38-17
1986 John Winkin 41-23 13-1 1st (New England) College World Series
1987 John Winkin 24-23 8-6 3rd (New England)
1988 John Winkin 33-24 11-2 1st (New England)
1989 John Winkin 32-26 14-1 1st (New England)
ECAC: 416-227 46-10[a]
North Atlantic/America East (1990–present)
1990 John Winkin 42-20 12-3 1st NCAA Tournament
1991 John Winkin 48-18 14-1 1st NCAA Tournament
1992 John Winkin 19-24-1 11-11 5th
1993 John Winkin 33-27 22-4 1st NCAA Tournament
1994 John Winkin 20-33 13-12 4th NAC Tournament[b]
1995 John Winkin 20-37 11-13 6th NAC Tournament
1996 John Winkin 19-36 12-8 t-2nd NAC Tournament
1997 Paul Kostacopoulos 24-27 16-8 2nd America East Tournament
1998 Paul Kostacopoulos 24-26 12-16 5th
1999 Paul Kostacopoulos 28-28 14-14 t-4th America East Tournament
2000 Paul Kostacopoulos 25-24 14-12 5th
2001 Paul Kostacopoulos 36-15 20-8 2nd America East Tournament
2002 Paul Kostacopoulos 40-17 16-6 1st NCAA Regional
2003 Paul Kostacopoulos 38-18 17-7 2nd America East Tournament
2004 Paul Kostacopoulos 34-21 14-7 t-2nd America East Tournament
2005 Paul Kostacopoulos 35-19 14-7 t-2nd NCAA Regional
2006 Steve Trimper 35-22-1 13-9 3rd NCAA Regional
2007 Steve Trimper 22-31 12-11 4th America East Tournament
2008 Steve Trimper 20-28-1 8-15 7th
2009 Steve Trimper 32-23 13-11 5th
2010 Steve Trimper 34-22 17-7 2nd America East Tournament
2011 Steve Trimper 33-24 18-6 2nd NCAA Regional
2012 Steve Trimper 28-28 11-11 4th America East Tournament
2013 Steve Trimper 37-22 20-9 1st America East Tournament
NAC/America East: 726-590-3 344-216
Total: 1,865-1,458-18

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Notable players

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The following is a list of notable former Black Bears and the seasons in which they played for the program, where available.[3][26][27][28][29][30]

Major League Baseball Draft

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<draft table>

2011

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Two Black Bears were selected in the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft: OF Taylor Lewis by the Pittsburgh Pirates (10th round) and P Keith Bilodeau by the San Francisco Giants (24th round).[31] Both players signed professional contracts.[32][33]

2012

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Two Black Bears were selected in the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft: P Jeff Gibbs by the Arizona Diamondbacks (9th round) and P Steve Perakslis by the Chicago Cubs (21st round). Gibbs's 9th-round selection was the program's highest since Mike Collar was chosen in the 8th round in 2003.[31] Both Gibbs and Perakslis signed professional contracts.[34][35]

2013

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Two Black Bears were selected in the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft, both in the 27th round: SS Michael Fransoso by the Pittsburgh Pirates and P Michael Connolly by the San Francisco Giants.[31] Both players signed professional contracts.[36][37]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Records incomplete.
  2. ^ In this season, all members of the North Atlantic Conference qualified for its postseason tournament.

References

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  1. ^ a b Smith, David C. (1979). The First Century: A History of the University of Maine, 1865–1965. University of Maine at Orono Press.
  2. ^ Cole, Scott (November 24, 1981). "From a Baseball Team to 24 Sports and 166 Titles". Bangor Daily News. p. 16. Archived from the original on August 4, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c "University of Maine Baseball Players Who Made It to the Major Leagues". Baseball-Almanac.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "2013 Maine Black Bears Baseball Media Guide". Maine Sports Information. p. 12. Archived from the original on July 14, 2013. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  5. ^ "Monte Cross Is Well Liked as Coach of University of Maine Baseball Team". Lewiston Daily Sun. April 7, 1916. p. 9. Archived from the original on August 4, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  6. ^ "Monte Cross Awarded "M"". Lewiston Evening Journal. June 17, 1919. p. 6. Archived from the original on August 4, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  7. ^ "Sports Survey". The Lewiston Daily Sun. Lewiston, Maine, USA. 24 December 1946. p. 17. Archived from the original on 24 December 1946. Retrieved 23 December 2012. The new conference is an outgrowth of the old New England College Conference on Collegiate Athletics founded in 1923, but has the University of Vermont and been extended by the inclusion of broadened by provisions for championship selection.
  8. ^ "Adopts Eligibility Rule: New England Conference Changes Rule for Transfer Athletes". New York Times. 2 December 1923. Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  9. ^ "N. E. Conference Expansion Plan". Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts, USA. 12 December 1937. p. A31. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
  10. ^ a b "Fred Brice Must Fill Four Holes in Pale Blue Nine". Lewiston Daily Sun. August 5, 2013. p. 8. Archived from the original on August 5, 2013. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  11. ^ "Kenyon, Cassidy Head Up UMaine Hall Inductees". Bangor Daily News. August 12, 2005. p. D5. Archived from the original on August 5, 2013. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  12. ^ "NCAA Men's College World Series Records" (PDF). NCAA. 2009. p. 207. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  13. ^ "Former UMaine Coach John Winkin to Be Inducted into College Baseball Hall of Fame". BangorDailyNews.com. April 11, 2013. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  14. ^ "#4 Steve Trimper". GoBlackBears.com. Maine Sports Information. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  15. ^ "Maine Names Steve Trimper Head Baseball Coach". CSTV.com. August 18, 2005. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  16. ^ "Jason Spaulding". GoBlackBears.com. Maine Sports Information. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  17. ^ Warner, Pete (January 17, 2011). "UMaine Men's Basketball Demonstrates Depth". BangorDailyNews.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  18. ^ Warner, Pete (August 1, 2011). "Two Pitchers Commit to UMaine Baseball Program". BangorDailyNews.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  19. ^ "Billy Cather". GoBlackBears.com. Maine Sports Information. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  20. ^ "Billy Cather". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  21. ^ "Ryan Forrest". GoBlackBears.com. Maine Sports Information. Archived from the original on July 30, 2013. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  22. ^ "2013 America East Conference Baseball Record Book". AmericaEast.com. America East Conference. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 20, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  23. ^ "Annual Conference Standings". BoydsWorld.com. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  24. ^ "2013 America East Conference Baseball Standings". D1Baseball.com. Jeremy and Cynthia Mills. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  25. ^ "2013 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship Record Book". NCAA.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 20, 2013. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  26. ^ "All-Time Hall of Fame Inductees". GoBlackBears.com. Maine Sports Information. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  27. ^ Traughber, Bill (May 9, 2011). "Looking Back: Former Sounds Manager Stump Merrill". MILB.com. Nashville Sounds. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  28. ^ Smith, Claire (June 7, 1990). "A Big Dream Comes True for Stump Merrill". NYTimes.com. New York Times. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  29. ^ "Sports Briefs". BangorDailyNews.com. March 14, 2013. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  30. ^ "#7 Jack Leggett". ClemsonTigers.com. Clemson Sports Information. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  31. ^ a b c "University of Maine Draft Picks". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  32. ^ "Pittsburgh Pirates 2011 Draft Selections". Pittsburgh Pirates. Archived from the original on August 4, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  33. ^ "San Francisco Giants 2011 Draft Selections". San Francisco Giants. Archived from the original on August 4, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  34. ^ "Arizona Diamondbacks 2012 Draft Selections". Arizona Diamondbacks. Archived from the original on August 4, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  35. ^ "Chicago Cubs 2012 Draft Selections". Chicago Cubs. Archived from the original on August 4, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  36. ^ "Pittsburgh Pirates 2013 Draft Selections". Pittsburgh Pirates. Archived from the original on August 4, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  37. ^ Warner, Pete (June 21, 2013). "UMaine's Connolly Agrees to Contract with San Francisco Giants". BangorDailyNews.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2013.