America East Baseball News & Notes: Maine Stays Perfect in League Play

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For some, this weekend will mark the halfway point of the league schedule. The Maine Black Bears sit atop the America East standings as the only team that has yet to be beaten. They are winning games in a variety of ways, which is what good teams are supposed to do. They are not the only team that is heading in the right direction at the moment. The UMass Lowell River Hawks are showing signs of righting their ship with the second half of the season right around the corner. The weather is starting to get better and so is the baseball being played in America East. Let’s look back at last week.

Everyone knows the slow start that the River Hawks (9-20, 3-6) got off to. Losing 20 of their first 25 games is not the way to begin a season. Lately, the team is starting to show signs of coming around. Winners of their last five in a row, and coming off their first league sweep of the season, UMass Lowell is getting warm if not hot at the right time. Last weekend at home vs Bryant, the River Hawks let their bats do the talking. They banged out 46 hits and scored 42 runs in the three games series against a Bulldogs pitching staff that was missing one of their main arms, Coleman Picard out with an injury. Still, the River Hawks used big innings in all three games to get the victories. OF Alex Luccini had a big weekend at the plate going 9-for-14 with 4 RS and 7 RBI. SS Fritz Genther also swung a hot bat (8-for-12, 5 RS, 4 RBI). On the mound, UMass Lowell received solid outings from Joshua Becker (5 IP), Matt Draper (6 IP), and Nick DiRito (6 IP) in starting roles. Good signs for a team that has really struggled through the first seven weeks of the baseball season.

At the other end of the spectrum is the UAlbany Great Danes (3-20-1, 0-9). They have lost 12 in a row. As you might expect, their pitching has been erratic with an ERA of 8.65. They have allowed the most hits in the league (301), and tied for the most doubles given up at 55. Teams are hitting .348 against them. They have allowed the second most earned runs at 191. However, their defense has not contributed to the woes of this team. The Great Danes’ fielding is the second-best in the league with a fielding percentage of .970. They have committed only 25 errors while turning the most double plays at 21. They turn an average of .88 double plays a game which ranks 35th in the country. It should also be pointed out that having a lot of baserunners on will lead to these kinds of numbers. It never helps when your offense is having a hard time at the plate. UAlbany team batting average is .236 which is next to last in AE.

If there is one flaw with the Black Bears it might be holding runners on base. They have given up 65 stolen bases so far this year, a .903%. They have only caught seven. The number of stolen bases is the worst in the league by 18 steals. The caught stealing number is tied with both Binghamton and NJIT for last in the league. They have also committed the most passed balls in the league at 12 which is tied with Bryant for last in the conference. They have given up the most sacrifice attempts at 12. These numbers have not stopped Maine from being at the top of the league standings, but you have to wonder how long they can stay there with numbers like these.

The University of Maryland-Baltimore County (14-14, 5-4) has been getting it done offensively because of the big three in the middle of their order. Leewood Molessa’s .344 batting average, 1.127 OPS, and 12 home runs lead the league and is 24th in the nation. His 44 RBI which also lead the league, is 18th in the country. He is slugging .738 on the year. Tony Kruger not only is playing well behind the dish but is also swinging the bat. He is hitting .341 with one HR and 23 RBI. His on-base percentage is .865, and he is slugging .447. Luke Trythall is batting .338 with an on-base percentage of 1.005. He has four home runs, 19 RBI, and is slugging .595. These three are posing problems for any pitching staff they face.

The America East Player of the Week is first baseman Jeremiah Jenkins of Maine. In the three-game sweep of the Great Danes, Jenkins slashed .615/.706/.1.077. He hit two home runs and drove in nine RBI while scoring three times. The Pitcher of the Week and Rookie of the Week are both from UMBC. The pitcher is Luke Johnson who threw a complete game 2-0 shutout over the Highlanders. In the outing, Johnson struck out 10, walked two, and allowed three hits in his nine innings of work. The complete game was his first of the season. The rookie was Leewood Molessa, who in the same series slashed .368/.895/.1.263 with three home runs, seven RBI, seven runs scored, and a double. He was perfect in the field at 1B handling 28 of 28 chances.

Next week we will be back with more from America East baseball.