At only three years old, Jeremiah Jenkins began playing baseball and continued throughout his childhood in Maryland. In the summer of 2019, he played at a tournament in New Jersey where the University of Maine’s baseball recruitment coordinator was scouting. Jenkins hit two home runs in the game, and the coordinator was impressed by his swing. He invited Jenkins and his family to attend a camp at UMaine in the Fall. After a successful camp session at UMaine, the school gave him his first offer, and he eventually committed to play for the Black Bears.

Jenkins started out at Maine in 2022, and he says it was difficult at times being an 18-year-old playing against men that were 22 or 23. However, he made an immediate impact on the team and racked up significant accolades. 

He played in 46 games for the Black Bears and made the America East All-Conference Second Team, the America East All-Rookie Team and was named a Freshman All American. After a great first year, Jenkins worked hard all offseason to improve for year two.

In his second-year season, Jenkins was incredible. His powerful left-handed swing led the team in hits, home runs and runs batted in (RBIs). The Black Bears finished with a season record of 32-21, including a 19-5 conference record that earned them the No. 1 seed in the America East tournament.

Maine won all three of their playoff games to secure the America East Championship, their first since 2011. Jenkins hit a home run in both the semifinal and final game and had a team-high five RBIs during the three-game playoff stretch. 

The team punched their ticket to the NCAA College Baseball World Series, where they played two games in Florida. Despite losing both of their games, Jenkins hit a home run on the big stage. He says some of his favorite memories come from that trip and that the team was always smiling, dancing and having fun while playing.

Jenkins’ third and final year at Maine was dominant. He led the team in nearly every statistical category and hit his personal best 22 home runs. He credited his success to his offseason work and showing up every day looking to improve.

After the 2024 season and school year concluded, Jenkins went home to Maryland. He then played in a summer league for a few weeks and attended workouts with Major League Baseball teams, including the Boston Red Sox.

During the MLB Draft in mid-July, Jenkins was glued to his TV, nervously watching it unfold with his sister. Jenkins heard his name called in the fourteenth round, selected by the San Francisco Giants. He said it was an amazing moment, and his phone couldn’t stop blowing up with messages of congratulations from family and friends.

After being drafted, Jenkins attended a rookie camp in Arizona for a month. He was then called up to play for the San Jose Giants, the single-a minor league affiliate of San Francisco. He played two weeks before his team entered the playoffs and called it a learning curve, with more skilled pitchers to face.

In 11 regular season games, Jenkins had a .367% on base percentage with two home runs and seven RBIs. Despite losing both playoff games he appeared in, Jenkins hit a triple and an RBI single, proving he belongs on the field in big moments.

In the offseason, Jenkins is currently following a workout plan that the San Francisco Giants have given him. He lifts five days a week and tries to work on hitting or mobility, even on his off days. He has been working out with fellow Maine baseball alum Quinn McDaniel, who was also drafted by the San Francisco Giants, in the fifth round of the 2023 MLB Draft.

Jenkins says he is extremely grateful for the time he had at UMaine, and he wouldn’t trade it for the world. He says no matter what he did on the baseball field, he will always appreciate the friends and good times he had being a part of the UMaine community.

The University of Maine Black Bears Men’s Ice Hockey team officially dropped the puck for their 2024-25 season. Head Coach Ben Barr enters his fourth season behind the bench, hoping to continue the team’s trend of consistent improvement under his leadership. 

During Barr’s first season in 2021-22, Maine finished dead last in Hockey East. The next season, Barr’s first two recruiting classes were able to make strides, earning Maine sixth place in Hockey East. In 2023-24, another impressive recruiting class led Maine to a third-place finish in Hockey East. They also punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament as a number two seed, marking their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011-2012.

Fourth-year defenseman and captain David Breazeale hopes to continue building on the team’s recent success.

“We’ve got a lot of experience this year,” said Breazeale. “We’ve got guys who have now played in NCAA Tournament games and who’ve played in final four Hockey East games. I think this experience is going to help us propel forward; we’re going to take that experience and do something with it.”

Entering the 2024 season, a few of Maine’s key players in 2023 graduated or moved on to the NHL. Maine’s top point scorer, forward Bradly Nadeau, signed an entry-level deal with the Carolina Hurricanes after they drafted him in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft. The Black Bears also lost two impactful graduate student forwards, Donavan Villeneuve-Houle and Ben Poisson.

However, the Black Bears added five new transfers as well as five new freshmen to the roster. Graduate student Ross Mitton transferred from Colgate, where he led the team in scoring last season with 30 points. Fourth-year Taylor Makar transfers to Orono after three seasons playing at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Makar, a 6-4 forward, was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in 2021 and looks to further develop his talent at Maine.

Goalie Patriks Berzins highlights the first-year players, posting excellent numbers in both the USHL and representing Latvia in the World Junior Championships. Returning second-year goalie Albin Boija and Berzins could make for a solid tandem following Boija’s remarkable first season as a Black Bear in 2023.

Maine retained second-year forward Josh Nadeau, who finished the 2023-24 season with 45 points, one point away from the team high mark.

Also returning to the team is graduate student forward and captain Lynden Breen, who finished the 2023-24 season with 30 points. He was motivated to stay for a fifth year in Orono to continue building the program’s success.

“Being a Black Bear is something I take great pride in,” said Breen. “Last year we got so far, but we didn’t get the job done, and it’s a meaningful reason to come back and be a part of something bigger.”

Along with Breazeale and Breen, the team announced fourth-year forward Nolan Renwick, fourth-year forward Harrison Scott, and third-year forward Thomas Freel as alternate captains for the season.

Maine enters the season ranked #12 in the NCAA rankings. The team has both size and speed, as well as primary and secondary scoring, prompting Barr to be impressed at his roster’s depth.

“We’ve got a lot of guys that can play well at this level,” said Barr. “But it’s about who’s going to step into roles where you become a really good player, and not just a good player.”

Maine will have a tough schedule in the always competitive Hockey East conference. In the Hockey East preseason Coaches Poll, the Black Bears were picked to finish fourth in the conference, behind defending champions Boston College, as well as Boston University, and Providence College. Maine also hosts the defending National Champions, University of Denver, on Jan. 3 and 4.

After losing in the Hockey East Semifinals and in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season, Maine is hopeful for redemption.

“Pressure is a privilege; we see it as an opportunity,” said Breazeale. “To be able to play in big Hockey East games, hopefully contending for a national championship, that’s a privilege.”

UMaine Baseball Drops Road Game to Merrimack

On Wednesday April 17, the University of Maine Black Bears Baseball team traveled to North Andover, Massachusetts to take on the Merrimack College Warriors. The Black Bears, who recently split a series with UMass Lowell, looked to take advantage of a skidding Merrimack team who entered the game on a four-game losing streak. However, they lost the game by a score of 19-8 in seven innings.

Fourth-year pitcher Marshall Smaracko started the game on the mound for the Black Bears. He hit his first faced batter of the day, and the next at bat was a two-run homerun for first-year infielder Dawson Bryce. 

After giving up a single, Smaracko hit two more batters to load the bases. He forced a ground ball double play to earn two huge outs, but then hit his fourth batter of the inning. With runners on first and third, he threw a wild pitch, which scored another run. After the first inning, the Warriors led 4-0.

Unfortunately, for the Black Bears, the deficit only grew larger, even after a pitching change. Fourth-year pitcher Tyler Nielson took over for Smaracko in the second inning, and then the first seven consecutive Merrimack batters would reach base to start the inning.

Second-year catcher Frankie Ferrentino hit a grand slam followed by fellow second-year catcher Matthew Chatelle hitting a three-run homerun to completely break open the game. After two innings, the Black Bears trailed 11-0.

The bats clicked during the top of the third inning for Maine. With the bases loaded and just one out, third-year first-baseman Jeremiah Jenkins hit an RBI single. This scored first-year infielder Jonathan Gonzalez, and got the Black Bears on the board. Fourth-year infielder Jake Marquez hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score first-year utility player Tyler Annis. 

After third-year outfielder Zach Martin walked, first-year infielder Jack Friend would come to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded. Friend would end up hitting his first collegiate home run, a grand slam over the left field fence to make the game 11-6.

In the bottom of the third inning, Merrimack would respond with a few runs of their own. Second-year Blaine Cockburn would pitch the third for Maine. He allowed a three-run homerun to Warrior graduate student infielder Alex Haba. 

Maine pulled back another run in the fourth inning after a Jenkins sacrifice fly once more scored Annis. But again, Merrimack answered. Ferrentino hit his second home run of the game, a three run shot to give Merrimack a 10 run lead. Ferrentino finished the game with seven RBI’s. Cockburn allowed two more runs in the inning, giving up a walk with the bases loaded, as well as a sacrifice fly to increase the Merrimack lead to 19-7. 

Gonzalez hit an RBI single that scored fourth-year Black Bear outfielder Logan Burrill in the top of the fifth inning. The score remained 19-8 heading into the bottom of the fifth.

First-year pitcher Gabe Gifford relieved Cockburn on the mound in the bottom of the fifth inning. Like Smaracko, he would also hit his first batter of the day, second-year outfielder Christian Scanlon. Scanlon reached base in all five of his at bats, and scored four runs for the Warriors. Gifford would finish the inning without allowing a run, which was the first scoreless inning for Merrimack.

Despite a few walks in the top of the sixth inning, Jenkins grounded into a double play and Marquez was caught stealing. Third-year pitcher Ryan Scott recorded a one-two-three inning for the Black Bears in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Maine would fail to score in the top of the seventh inning, which triggered the 10 run mercy rule after seven innings. Merrimack would pick up the win by a final score of 19-8. 

After a bizarre game where Maine pitchers recorded seven hit batsmen in seven innings, the Black Bears look to bounce back when they host Rider University from April 19 through April 21. Next week, they play a rematch series against Merrimack, playing one home game on April 23, and one away game on April 24.

The University of Maine Black Bears Baseball team had a strong showing in a two-game series with the University of Massachusetts Lowell Riverhawks. Friday night in Lowell, the Black Bears won 5-2, while the Riverhawks prevailed by a score of 11-10.

Friday’s game started as a pitchers’ duel. Fourth-year pitcher Geoff Mosseau started for the Black Bears, allowing just one earned run with five strikeouts through his five innings of pitching. On the other side, Riverhawk second-year pitcher Michael Simes threw a solid seven innings with six strikeouts and just one earned run. His lone run came in the seventh inning after a streak of singles by the Black Bears.

With the bases loaded and two outs, second-year catcher Dean O’Neill singled to score third-year first baseman Jeremiah Jenkins. Simes lost his shutout, and he left the game with a score of 2-1 in favor of UMass Lowell.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, UMaine first-year pitcher Owen Wheeler pitched his second consecutive scoreless inning to keep Maine in the game. Wheeler eventually ended up as the winning pitcher, picking up his first collegiate victory.

The Black Bears had a massive offensive surge in the top of the eighth, starting with a single by fourth-year infielder senior Jake Marquez, while first-year infielder Will Burns reached on an error. Jenkins hit an RBI single up the middle to tie the game at two, and first-year infielder Jack Friend hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Burns. This gave Maine a 3-2 lead, their first lead of the afternoon. Two batters later, fourth-year utility player Nick White hit a two-run home run to increase the lead to 5-2 after five unanswered runs.

Maine fourth-year pitcher Marshall Smaracko and second-year pitcher Luc Lavigueur posted two scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth. Lavigueur pitched a one-two-three ninth inning to pick up his first save of the season, as the Black Bears won game one.

Saturday’s game was the opposite of a pitchers’ duel. The two teams combined for 21 runs and 32 hits. It was a very action-packed game with a dramatic ending.

The Riverhawks started the game looking for revenge, scoring four runs in the first inning. First-year pitcher Jason Krieger started the game for Maine, allowing eight runs through 5.1 innings. He allowed 12 hits and three walks but struck out three batters.

Maine would slowly chip away at UMass Lowell’s lead, as Jenkins ripped a three-run double to right-center field to score 4-3 after two innings. After a scoreless third inning, the Black Bears exploded on offense in the fourth.

Three singles from O’Neill, fourth-year outfielder Colin Plante, and Burns tied the game at 4-4. Jenkins smacked another RBI double, followed by White, clearing the bases with a three-run home run. 

Even with a new Riverhawk pitcher on the mound, Friend, third-year infielder Myles Sargent, O’Neill, and Plante all combined for singles, scoring two more runs before the final out. A nine-hit and seven-run fourth inning gave the Black Bears a comfortable 10-4 lead.

However, the lead would slowly start to diminish. After the bottom of the fourth inning, the score was 10-5. In the sixth inning, the Riverhawks scored another run, which led to a pitching change for UMaine. Third-year pitcher Ryan Scott took over on the mound and, shortly after, gave up two more runs that Krieger left on base, making the score 10-8. One more UMass Lowell run in the seventh inning brought the game within one run at 10-9.

Still up by a run in the ninth inning, Maine threatened to score again with third-year outfielder Zach Martin at the plate with two outs and the bases loaded. Martin struck out swinging against fourth-year Riverhawk pitcher Zach Fortuna, and the Black Bears stranded three runners.

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, UMass Lowell graduate student outfielder Trey Brown tied the game at 10 with an RBI single into left field. One walk later, third-year outfielder Alex Luccini hit the game-winning single into center field to walk off the Black Bears 11-10, officially splitting the weekend series. 

The Black Bears return home to Mahaney Diamond on Friday, April 19, which kicks off a three-game homestand against Rider University.

On Wednesday, April 3, the University of Maine Black Bears softball team hosted  St. Joseph’s Monks at the UMaine Softball Complex. The Black Bears dominated the Monks by a final score of 16-1.

UMaine second-year pitcher Alysen Reith started the game for the Black Bears and threw a scoreless first inning to set the tone for the game. She finished the day with two innings pitched and no runs allowed.

St. Joseph’s third-year pitcher Madison Pelletier started the game with a scoreless first inning as well. However, the second inning was a different story, as the Black Bears offense came alive. They started stringing hits and walks together, securing a four-run second inning. Fourth-year infielder Anna Margetis, first-year infielder Kyli Hernandez and second-year infielder Krista Francia each doubled in the inning for Maine.

Graduate student pitcher Isabelle True took over the mound and inherited a 4-0 lead for the Black Bears in the third inning. She struck out two batters in the inning, and finished with three total strikeouts during her two innings of pitching. True would earn the win for Maine, picking up her first of the season.

In the bottom of the third inning, the Black Bears broke open the game. Third-year outfielder Gabby Papushka led off the inning with a walk. Anna Margetis immediately followed this with a two-run home run over the left-center field fence, boosting the Black Bear’s score 6-0. Margetis finished the game with three hits, three runs, and three runs batted in for the Black Bears.

Third-year pitcher and infielder Rylee Page replaced Pelletier on the mound. However, a single by graduate student first-baseman Caitlyn Fallon and walks from first-year outfielder Kiera Inman and then Hernandez loaded the bases for Maine with two outs, threatening more trouble for the Monks. Francia was hit by a pitch which scored another run, and then third-year utility player Katie Jo Moery ripped a two-run single into center field. Black Bear’s Inman and Hernandez both scored on the play, making the score 9-0.

St. Joseph’s scored their lone run of the game in the top of the fourth inning. With two outs, Page, third-year outfielder Paige Connery, and second-year shortstop Charlotte Cloutier combined for three singles in a row, with Cloutier driving in Page. The score remained 9-1 after the Black Bears failed to score in the bottom of the fourth inning.

In the fifth inning, first-year pitcher Kaly Thomas took over on the mound for Maine. She made quick work of the Monks’ lineup, posting a one-two-three inning. Thomas allowed zero hits, zero runs, and just two walks in her three impressive innings of pitching.

The Black Bears posted another four-run inning in the bottom of the fifth. First-year catcher Lexi Corcoran led off the inning by recording her first collegiate hit with a single down the third baseline. This was followed by three walks from Francia, second-year infielder Madison Hand and second-year outfielder Maggie Helms. Corcoran would score on Helms’ walk, which led to third-year outfielder Rylee Kent hitting an RBI single that scored Francia. This triggered another pitching change for St. Joseph’s, as fourth-year outfielder Lydia Goodnough replaced Page.

Fallon picked up an RBI after hitting a hard ground ball to second base that resulted in a fielder’s choice. Fourth-year catcher Kennedy Priest hit a sacrifice fly to left field which scored another run. After the fifth inning ended, Maine had a 13-1 lead.

Even with two walks in the top of the sixth inning, the Monks failed to score and stranded two runners on base. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Maine reached base by hits, walks, hit by pitches, and walks. They ended up scoring three more runs, all of which came with two outs, and took a 15-run lead into the final inning.

The top of the seventh was another one-two-three inning for Thomas, and Maine picked up their second win of the season by a score of 16-1. 

The Black Bears play an America East doubleheader against Bryant University this Sunday, starting at. noon at the UMaine Softball Complex.

The University of Maine Wrestling Club attended the 2024 National Club Wrestling Association National Championship. The meet took place in Bossier City, Louisiana, from March 14 to March 16. The UMaine Student Government supported the team’s trip by using a portion of the student activity fee to fund the travel expenses.

Six UMaine students qualified for the Nationals meet, and three participated. The students who wrestled in the meet were third-year Emma Fonger, second-year Thomas Kelly, and first-year Gabriel Kelley. Fonger wrestled in the women’s 155-pound weight class, while Thomas Kelly competed in the men’s 174-pound weight class. Gabriel Kelley entered the men’s 157-pound weight class. However, he would forfeit both of his matches in the tournament, and finish the season with a 7-9 record.

With a record of 4-1 this year, Fonger was seeded fourth out of 22 individuals in her weight class. This earned her a first-round bye in the bracket, meaning her first match came in the second round. Fonger’s first opponent was Marie Marbet, a second-year student from Washington State University who had an 11-6 record. Fonger won the match with a pin in 1:30 to advance to the next round.

Her next opponent was fifth-seeded Jah’Mya Hill from Allen University. Hill is a first-year student who has accumulated a 6-5 record on the season. Fonger won again with a pin, this time in 6:03, a more lengthy battle. 

Fonger advanced to the semifinal round, facing off against the number one overall seed, Mikayla Silverman, a third-year student from UCLA with a 9-0 record. Silverman won the match with a technical fall, scoring 15 points in 2:49. Silverman also went on to win first place in the bracket.

Fonger competed again in the consolation bracket, facing off against second-seeded Samantha Tuttle, a fourth-year student from Grand Canyon University with a 4-3 record. Tuttle pinned Fonger in 6:03.

In her last match of the day, Fonger competed for fifth place against Orianna Morales, a fourth-year student from Grand Canyon University, who had a 6-2 record. Morales pinned Fonger in 3:47. However, after a well-fought tournament, Fonger would earn sixth place in the women’s 155-pound weight group bracket.

Kelly entered the meet with a 7-6 record in competition this year. In his first match in the men’s 174-pound weight class, he faced Onailyn Diaz, a graduate student from the University of Las Vegas Nevada with a 6-9 record. Kelly pinned Diaz in 2:54 to advance to the next round. 

His next match would be against fourth-seeded first-year student Anthony Marshall, who earned a 28-6 record competing for Emory and Henry College. Marshall pinned Kelly 5:36 into the match, sending him to the consolation bracket.

In his first consolation match, Kelly’s opponent forfeited, advancing him to another round. He then wrestled against Adam Gluck, a third-year student from Ohio State University with a 9-5 record. After a 6:00 fight, Kelly prevailed, pinning Gluck. He would move on to compete against second-year RPI student Sean Haas. Seeded tenth overall with an 18-6 record, Haas pinned Kelly in 3:46, which eliminated Kelly from the tournament.

For the first time since 2005, the Hockey East championship weekend at TD Garden sold out all three games to a crowd of 17,850. For the first time since 2012, the University of Maine Black Bears played in the Hockey East semifinals.

The streets outside and the seats inside were flooded with blue and white jerseys as Maine fans traveled down to Boston to support their team. At Alfond Arena i Orono,  the Black Bears earned a tremendous 13-2-2 record on the season. The home crowd advantage was a huge boost all season long for Maine, and even in Boston, they had a majority crowd cheering them on from the stands on Friday.

They played against Boston University, a defending champion and ranked second in both Hockey East and the country. They would be Maine’s first potential opponent. The Terriers have dominated all year and accumulated an impressive record of 25-8-2 heading into the game. 

They have an immense amount of talent on their team. Boston has 14 players who have already been drafted by NHL teams. First-year forward Macklin Celebrini is projected to be the  No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Celebrini scored 30 goals this season to win the Hockey East Rookie of the Year as well as Hockey East Player of the Year.

The Black Bears entered the weekend as the third seed in Hockey East and ranked seventh in the country. Compared to Boston, Maine has just one NHL Draft pick, first-year forward Bradly Nadeau. In the first two matchups against the Terriers this season, Maine went 0-2 on the road, losing both games by just one goal.

The game started a little sloppy for the Black Bears, giving up multiple high-quality scoring chances to Boston. Eventually, Terrier second-year forward Ryan Greene finished off a one-timer in the slot from second-year forward Quinn Hutson to make it 1-0 Boston.

After the goal, Maine started to gain some momentum. With two minutes remaining in the period, the Black Bears had their first power play of the game. They recorded four shots on goal in the two minutes but couldn’t tie the game, and the score remained 1-0 heading into the first intermission.

After back-and-forth action to start the second period, Boston sophomore defenseman Lane Hutson scored a powerplay goal nine minutes into the period to make it 2-0. Maine recorded 12 shots on goal in the second period, yet was once again unable to score. Third-year goalie Mathieu Caron was the x-factor of the game, as he stopped 32 of 33 Maine’s shots on the net.

The Black Bears finally got on the board  six minutes into the third period to make the score 2-1. Fourth-year forward and captain Lynden Breen scored a power-play goal, beating Caron on a wrist shot over the shoulder. Second-year defenseman Brandon Chabrier and first-year forward Bradly Nadeau tallied assists on the goal. This propelled much-needed energy into the Maine fans for the rest of the third period. 

After a few more chances to tie it, the Terriers’ responded with another power-play goal. While Maine outshot Boston 33-18, the Terriers’ capitalizing on their opportunities by going two for three on the powerplay was key. Greene scored his second of the night, giving Boston a 3-1 lead over Maine. They would add an empty net goal to finish off the Black Bears 4-1.

Boston College dominated the University of Massachusetts Amherst by a score of 8-1 in the other Hockey East semifinal game. They also took down BU in the finals to win the tournament. Boston College and Boston University will play in the NCAA Tournament as the top two seeds. 

Maine has also mathematically clinched a spot in the NCAA Tournament. 16 out of 64 Division I teams make the tournament, and Maine will likely be a two-seed. The Black Bears will discover their opponent and game location during the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday, March 24. Their next game will be the weekend of March 30 and 31.

 

The University of Maine Black Bears Softball and Baseball teams have both kicked off their respective 2024 seasons. In the America East Preseason rankings voted on by the coaches, Maine Softball finished fifth out of six teams, while Maine Baseball was ranked second out of seven teams. 

Both teams entered the season following success in the 2023 America East Championships. Softball entered the tournament as the lowest seed yet finished third in the playoffs. Baseball went undefeated in the America East playoffs to win their first  championship in 12 seasons. They advanced to the NCAA Division I tournament before losing to the University of Miami and the University of Louisiana.

Black Bear Softball traveled to Arizona, Georgia and Delaware to start the season by playing challenging, non-conference opponents. They have accumulated a 1-10 record to start the year, facing off against teams such as the University of Michigan, Louisville University and Florida Atlantic University. Their lone win came against the University of Delaware by a score of 5-4.

During the 5-4 victory, the Black Bears scored three first-inning runs and held on to win even after Delaware had tied the score at four. They had a balanced offensive effort, led by first-year left-fielder Kennedy Burns, who had two hits and a run. Second-year shortstop Krista Francia scored two runs, including the game-winning tally in the 7th inning. Maine used three pitchers in the game, with first-year player Kaly Thomas picking up her first collegiate victory.

Fifth-year pitcher Caitlyn Fallon leads the Black Bears. In 2023, Fallon threw a career-high 71 strikeouts during her 121.0 innings pitched. A key player to watch is third-year utility player Katie Jo Moery. Last season, Moery’s batting average was .225%, but through 11 games so far in 2024, she is second on the team batting .296%.

Black Bear Baseball has also traveled south for their games to start the season, playing in Florida and South Carolina. They currently own a 1-8 record after being swept in two series of three games against the University of Pittsburgh and Winthrop University. Their first victory of the season came in dominant fashion, defeating Fordham University by a score of 16-2. 

Fourth-year third baseman Jake Marquez and third-year first baseman Jeremiah Jenkins launched solo home runs in the first inning to give Maine the early lead. Fordham tied the game at two in the second inning before the Black Bears scored 14 unanswered runs to close the game. Marquez had an outstanding game with two hits, two walks, two runs, and three runs batted in. First-year pitcher Jason Kreiger retired 18 of his 22 batters faced to earn his first collegiate win.

Jeremiah Jenkins enters 2024 as one of the most versatile players in the NCAA after having a dominant 2023 season. He batted .365% and hit a team-high 21 home runs while batting in 76 runs. This led him to win the award for America East Player of the Year and be named an NCAA Collegiate Baseball Third Team All-American player.

Maine Softball hosts their home opener against the University of Albany on March 30, while Baseball faces off against Thomas College on March 20 for their first home game.

On Saturday, March 2, the Maine Black Bears Men’s Basketball Team played an away game against the University of Albany Great Danes. After withstanding an Albany comeback and staying composed in overtime, the Black Bears won the game with the score 74-71. They moved to 2-0 against Albany this year and 6-9 in America East play.

Maine’s leading scorer for the season and in the game, fourth-year forward Peter Filipovity, scored the game’s first basket with a nice pump fake layup. The start of the first half was back-and-forth basket trading, with the score being tied up at 11-11 and 15-15.

An eventual 10-2 run for the Black Bears gave them a 25-17 lead. Third-year guard Quion Burns scored eight of Maine’s 10 points during the run and added a block. Burns would finish the game with 11 points on 4-6 shooting.

Maine third-year guard Kellen Tynes forced a steal on the defensive end and then assisted second-year guard Jaden Clayton’s transition layup to give Maine a 10-point lead. The Black Bears entered halftime leading with a score of 34-26. They shot an efficient 50%, while Albany struggled at 29.6%

After holding the Great Danes to 26 points in the first 20 minutes, Maine Head Coach Chris Markwood was satisfied with the defensive start. He stated in a halftime interview that he wanted his team to continue to “lean on our defense” and that the defense is the “team’s identity.”

The Black Bears began the second half with a strong defense led by a block from graduate student Adam Cisse. Cisse would finish the game with a versatile stat line of seven points, five rebounds, three blocks, two assists and one steal.

Maine third-year forward AJ Lopez scored a quick five points to start the half, and the lead would eventually grow to 11. Shortly after, Albany would go on a 6-0 run that cut the lead down to 40-36. Yet all game long, Maine had been able to answer each time Albany cut back into the lead.

Balanced offensive attacks by both teams kept the scoring going, but Kellen Tynes made a layup, which put the Black Bears back on top by 10, scoring 62-52 with about four minutes to play.

Just as things seemed over for the Great Danes, their comeback began. Third-year guard Sebastian Thomas finished off a layup after a steal to cut the score to 64-59 with three minutes to go. Thomas led all scorers with 21 points. With a minute left and a chance to tie the game, Thomas tried a stepback 3, but it was blocked by Tynes. Tynes finished the game with three blocks. 

After failing to score on the other end, Maine had to come up with one last stop to win in regulation. But while Thomas attempted a three-point shot, he was fouled. He hit all three clutch free throws for the Great Danes and tied the game at 64 to cap off a 12-2 run with 19 seconds remaining.

Maine dribbled the clock down to the final seconds for the last shot, but Clayton couldn’t convert the contested layup. The ball rolled out of bounds with nine-tenths of a second left on the clock, but Tynes couldn’t hit a difficult alley-oop tip-in at the buzzer. With the score still tied at 64, the Black Bears headed to overtime for their second game in a row.

During overtime, Filipovity scored two layups by driving to the basket with great footwork and spin moves. However, Albany would go ahead 71-70 with about one minute remaining, earning their first lead since the score was 15-13 in the first half. 

Clayton then knocked down two free throws to give Maine a 72-71 lead with 40 seconds left. Albany then missed a three-point attempt after Maine played good team defense. The Black Bears got the ball back and were intentionally fouled with 18 seconds left

With a chance to ice the game, Clayton missed both free throws, but teammate Burns came up huge as he snagged the offensive rebound and was fouled. Burns hit both free throws with 12 seconds left to increase the lead to 74-71.

Albany still had one final shot to tie the game, but Thomas missed a three-pointer at the buzzer, and their comeback fell short as Maine would hang on to win 74-71.

Three-point shots were not falling for either team, as they finished for a combined 7-34. This proved that points in the paint were critical, where Maine edged out Albany 46-40. Maine wraps up their regular season with one final home game against UMass Lowell on Tuesday, March 5, before playing in the America East Playoffs.

Men’s Hockey Splits Weekend of Redemption Against Northeastern

The University of Maine Men’s Ice Hockey team hosted Northeastern University on Feb. 23 and 24 at the Alfond Arena. The two teams each came away with one win, earning them each three crucial Hockey East points as the regular season approaches its conclusion.

Northeastern came into the weekend hot. The Huskies had won seven of their last eight games, including a dominant 6-3 victory over Maine on Feb. 2. They also racked up two wins against Boston University, ranked second nationally, and won the annual Beanpot Tournament.

On the other hand, the Black Bears looked to bounce back from a three-game losing streak. This was a crucial redemption series for the Black Bears after being swept by rival University of New Hampshire, their worst performance of the season.

The Friday night game started with early action as the Huskies were awarded a penalty shot five minutes in. Maine first-year goalie Albin Boija denied Northeastern fourth-year forward Alex Campbell’s attempt, making a nice blocker save.

Just a few seconds later, first-year forward Bradly Nadeau finished off a pass from his brother Josh Nadeau to open up the scoring for the Black Bears, making it 1-0. After changing the lines against New Hampshire, Maine Head Coach Ben Barr put the Nadeau brothers and the Black Bears’ captain, fourth-year forward Lynden Breen, back on the same line together. They would combine for seven points on the night, finishing with a plus-minus rating of +3.

About a minute later, Maine scored again and brought the crowd to their feet. First-year forward Sully Scholle one-timed a nice two-on-one pass from third-year forward Harrison Scott to make it 2-0, which was the eventual score after one period.

Maine came out a little sloppy to start the second period. They had chemistry issues, giving up a few breakaways, but Boija continued to make timely saves to maintain the lead. Boija would finish the game with 32 saves.

Northeastern’s second-year forward Cam Lund cut the lead to 2-1 on a one-timer goal from the slot. But  Breen responded four minutes later with his own goal for the Black Bears. This gave Maine a 3-1 lead and all the momentum heading into the third period.

In the final period, Bradly Nadeau struck a second time for the Black Bears, and his goal was again assisted by Josh Nadeau. This gave Bradly Nadeau his team-leading 16th goal of the season. With 10 minutes to go, second-year forward Parker Lindauer scored his first collegiate goal to make the score 5-1. The last ten minutes of the game got pretty chippy and physical, hinting at a competitive rematch on Saturday after Maine’s 5-1 win on Friday.

After serving a one-game suspension on Friday night, Maine senior forward Donavan Villeneuve-Houle returned for Saturday’s tilt against the Huskies. Houle, who is fourth on the team in goals, is also one of Maine’s most physical players. However, his presence didn’t matter, as the Huskies tossed Maine around all night. For the majority of the game, Northeastern was the more physical team, and Maine didn’t have an answer.

Northeastern third-year forward Justin Hryckowian scored a power-play goal eight minutes into the game, and the Huskies never looked back. They exploded for a three-goal second period, quieting the once raucous Orono crowd. Alex Campbell scored twice, his second being a breakaway. Graduate student Brett Edwards scored, ending the second period at 4-0. 

Despite Maine’s aggressive third period, Northeastern’s first-year goalie Cameron Whitehead secured a 40-side shutout after giving up five goals Friday. Northeastern would go on to win 4-0, and they defeated Maine in the season series two games to one.

With just two weekends to go, Maine is currently third in the Hockey East standings at 35 points. They trail Boston College (52 points) and Boston University (51 points). They are just ahead of Providence College (33 points), UMass Amherst (32 points), and the University of New Hampshire (30 points). 

The Black Bears will travel to Burlington to face the University of Vermont this Friday and Saturday. They look to get back on track and earn six Hockey East points before hosting UMass Amherst on March 8 and 9 to end the regular season.