’91 UM Bears have not yet found balance

You’re a University of Maine baseball fan and you’re confused.

Your team got off to the school’s best start since 1975 (9-2), including wins over nationally ranked teams North Carolina State (2) and Michigan, and then proceded to lose 11 of its next 15. It turned itself around to the tune of six straight wins following a Wednesday victory at Boston College.

You can’t figure out how a team can be so up and down, beating NC State and Michigan and getting swept by Providence in Portland.

Don’t be surprised if this team is an enigma all season long.

First of all, it doesn’t yet have a bonafide cleanup hitter. That means opposing teams will pitch around All-American Mark Sweeney, who hits in the No. 3 spot.

I would if I were an opposing coach.

Sweeney has already drawn 24 walks.

Junior second baseman Tim Scott was the first one tried in the cleanup spot, but he has struggled all year (.237, 20 strikeouts) entering the BC game. He occasionally gets into a pattern where he takes a lot of pitches and winds up falling behind in the count, forcing him to hit the pitcher’s pitch.

Sophomore Shawn Tobin (.313) is the latest cleanup hitter and he appears to be a good hitter with some power. But he had just 32 at bats a year ago, so he doesn’t have much experience.

Gary Taylor (.263) is too much of a streak hitter to be in the No. 4 spot.

Second, Maine’s top four starting pitchers – Larry Thomas, Ben Burlingame, Mike D’Andrea and Ed Therrien – have pitched well for the most part, but none can overpower hitters consistently like former Bear aces Billy Swift, Joe Johnson or Scott Morse. Thomas is the only one of the four that is averaging at least one strikeout per inning (46 in 44 1/3 innings).

Third, there isn’t an intimidating ace in the bullpen. Ted Novio and Rob Higgins have pitched very well to date and can be very effective. Chuck Nadeau can also be good. But they don’t have overpowering stuff.

Fourth, the University of Maine doesn’t radiate the aura it used to in eastern baseball circles.

New England teams used to be intimidated by Maine during UM’s College World Series years in the 1980s.

They didn’t think they could beat Maine, they thought they had to play a perfect game to stay close. That leads to physical and mental errors and Maine capitalized.

Maine is still held in the utmost respect in the region, but New England teams know if they get good pitching and play well defensively, they are capable of beating Maine.

The Bears went 12-3 in winning the North Atlantic Conference a year ago and six of their wins could have gone either way.

Other New England schools have put more money and emphasis into baseball and have become very competitive. Northeastern and Hartford are the two NAC schools that have made significant strides in recent years.

By the same token, this Maine team could be a very, very good one. It could not only return to an NCAA Regional, it could even win two or three games in a regional, especially if it is held at Mahaney Diamond.

You can expect Scott, double play partner Brian Seguin (.302) and Taylor to become more productive on a consistent basis. Seguin has started to hit the ball well. If a good cleanup hitter emerges, Sweeney will start getting better pitches to hit. Even with teams pitching carefully to him, Sweeney has rung up impressive numbers (.374, 9 homers, 32 runs batted in).

Third baseman Shanan Knox has become a good leadoff hitter; catcher Paul Kelliher has hit well all season; LF Chad White has recently snapped out of a dismal slump, and freshmen 1B Gabe Duross and OF-DH Glen Stupienski have shown good promise as hitters, as has versatile reserve infielder-outfielder Todd Livingston. Glenn Domenick, a first baseman-outfielder, has gone 7-for-12 as a pinch hitter.

This team is very good, defensively, and I expect the starting pitchers to live up to their lofty expectations and the relievers to come through.

This team has shown an aggressiveness on the basepaths which will continue to pay dividends. Maine is 43-for-48 in stolen bases and eight different Bears have at least one steal.