The term home-field advantage should be used loosely this weekend as the University of Maine’s baseball and softball teams make their Orono debuts.

Coach John Winkin’s Black Bear men and the women of Coach Janet Anderson have been on their respective fields only twice each, and not until this week. They hope to demonstrate that there’s no place like home.

The Maine baseball team awaits a four-game series against North Atlantic Conference rival New Hampshire. It begins Saturday at 10 a.m., with three games scheduled because of the threat of rain.

Whatever games cannot be played Saturday would be held Sunday starting at noon.

UMaine’s softball squad will be even busier. The Bears entertain NAC power Boston University for a 10 a.m. doubleheader Saturday, then play Central Connecticut three times. The Bears and the Blue Devils are slated to play a single game Saturday at 3 p.m. and a twinbill Sunday at 10 a.m.

The grueling, 33-game “road trip” is over for the Maine baseball team, which will attempt to win its seventh straight home opener at Mahaney Diamond. The Bears have beaten UNH 21 consecutive times in Orono.

Maine has won nine of its last 11 contests and is 10-3 since starting the season 1-19. The Bears need to continue their winning ways to keep pace with the likes of Northeastern, Delaware and Drexel.

Winkin’s crew continues to hit fairly consistently, aiding their cause by moving runners by bunting, stealing bases and executing the hit and run. Sophomore shortstop Shiro Ando continues to come on strong, posting a rare 5-hit, 6-RBI performance in Thursday’s 16-9 win over Boston College.

Junior Steve Puleo and freshmen Nick Caiazzo and Dan Catlin continue to produce at the plate, while the rest of the crew has been inconsistent.

Maine’s pitching is well-rested, with Mark Ballard, LeRoy Decker and Lance Bogardus all having pitched well of late. The question mark is freshman lefthander Jim Hanning, who wants to get back to his old self after two poor outings.

New Hampshire has won only three of its last nine games, dropping four one-run games in that span. The Wildcats, who boast numerous veterans from last year’s 23-20 squad, won’t be pushovers.

At Lengyel Field, Coach Janet Anderson’s team faces a tough NAC doubleheader against defending league champion Boston University. The Terriers beat the Bears 6-1 in the 1993 title game.

BU boasts two of the premier pitchers in the region, Audrey West and Niclana Tolmasoff. The latter boasts the second-lowest ERA in the nation, while West is fifth in that category and third with 10.4 strikeouts per game.

Beth Iwamoto leads the nation in triples with eight, while the Terriers also are ranked No. 1 in team ERA (0.26) and fielding (.978). BU also sports a .309 team batting average.

Anderson expects a continuation of a healthy, hard-fought rivalry to continue Saturday.

“Every game we’ve played with BU has been a barn-burner,” Anderson said. “I think through this season, from this weekend right through to the tournament, it’s going to be Maine and BU all the way.”

Maine counters with versatile senior co-captain Deb Smith, who leads the club in hitting and in the circle. She has set a school record for career home runs with six and sports a 1.56 ERA as a pitcher.

The Bears are hitting at a .303 clip, with Lisa Swain, Kris Gorman, Shelly Lefevre and Kristin Steele all checking in above .300.