Senior infielder Troy Black has been a bright spot in what has been a disappointing start for the University of Maine baseball team this season. Black has been one of the leaders on the team that’s kept them in the mix with a 13-19 record.
“Everybody’s a little frustrated, obviously — nobody likes to lose,” Black said. “Especially games that are so close.”
The Black Bears have struggled so far this season but have plenty of time to turn things around with 20 games to play. They had an impressive weekend on the road against the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, sweeping them in all three games.
Given how competitive the Black Bears have been in their losses this year, fans shouldn’t be surprised if the wins continue to come.
“I think out of the five conference losses we have, four of them were one-run games,” Black said.
Two of those four conferences lost were in extra innings.
“We’re just trying our best to stay loose and trying to have fun out there,” Black said. “We’re trying to not press too much because when that happens you start thinking about the tournaments and other stuff and that’s when you start struggling even more.”
Black is batting .353 with 46 hits through 31 games this season, both tops in America East. He also has 18 runs to go along with a team-high 17 RBI. Black has also been active on the bases as well, swiping nine bags on 11 attempts.
“I think I’ve been having a good year overall as far as hitting goes,” Black said. “Obviously your struggles are going to come — you’re not going to be hitting .400 the whole year.”
The Black Bears have now won four in a row after losing three straight.
“We’ve got a really talented team, all our seniors have proven they can perform at this level,” Black said. “I think we’ll be all right if everyone just goes out there and plays their game.”
The Black Bears lead the league in batting average but are second to last in fielding percentage. They’ve had their ups and down in both hitting and fielding so far this season.
“I think the number one thing is timely hitting,” Black said. “Our defense was struggling a little bit but we figure[d] that out and now it’s just getting that guy in when we have first and second with nobody out.”
Black has had a successful run here at UMaine and is optimistic that there’s a possibility of furthering his baseball career. But for now, his number one priority lies with helping this team win each and every time out.
“There’s always a possibility of being picked up by a team, but after this, I’m not sure. I’m just trying to stay focused on this year and [let the chips fall where they may].”