Weather may send UMaine to Cape Cod

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The University of Maine baseball team’s four-game series at the University of Vermont this weekend has been tentatively changed to the Wareham High School field on Cape Cod due to wet field conditions and the snowstorm.

Black Bear coach Paul Kostacopoulos said he drove to Orono from Rhode Island on Monday morning and they were expecting 3-5 inches of snow in southern New England.

With warm weather expected later this week, he said the chances appear good for the weekend series on Cape Cod.

“It doesn’t look like this storm is going to be brutal on the Cape,” said Kostacopoulos.

Kostacopoulos also indicated that Wednesday’s non-league doubleheader at Brown University in Providence may be changed to a single, nine-inning game on Friday in Providence.

“Providence is only 40 minutes from Wareham,” said Kostacopoulos.

The weekend series with Vermont will be comprised of two America East games Saturday and two non-league games Sunday. Vermont visits Orono April 19-20 for four league games.

Three Eastern Maine schoolgirl basketball players are planning to continue their careers at Husson College in Bangor.

Husson coach Kissy Walker has announced that Leslie Weed of Mount View High in Thorndike, Erin Ledien of George Stevens Academy in Blue Hill, and Rebecca York of Schenck High in East Millinocket have verbally committed to attend Husson. All three players plan to study physical therapy.

Weed is a speedy, 5-foot-6 shooting guard. The lefthander averaged 14 points, four rebounds, four steals, and three assists for the Mustangs.

“I don’t think you’ll find anybody around who plays with greater intensity,” said Mount View coach Charlie Wing. “She’s lefthanded and she has a pretty decent 3-point shot. You really have to work hard to take the drive away from her on the left side of the court.”

York should bolster Husson’s frontcourt game. The 6-foot center, who has a soft shooting touch, averaged 10 points and eight rebounds for Jay Brown’s Wolverines last winter.

“She has good range for a 6-footer,” said Brown, who lauded York’s work ethic. “She’s able to rebound and pick up the garbage. She made herself into a decent player, and she’ll put in the time to make herself better.”

Ledien was a three-year starter for Larry Gray at GSA, averaging nine points and eight rebounds for the Eagles. The 5-8 forward assumed defensive responsibilities in the post, but is an agile ballhandler who likes to attack the basket.

“She’s a righthanded girl who likes to go left,” Gray said. “She can handle. She’s a slasher who shoots the ball pretty well from about 15 feet.”

When Gabrielle DeShong transfers from the University of Maine at the end of this year, the Black Bears will be losing an able subsitute on the basketball team.

But after DeShong’s first weekend on the track and field team, it’s apparent that the Bears will lose an even more valuable runner.

DeShong, a sophomore who was a standout in track in high school, established a new school record in the 400-meter dash at the Rutgers Invitational after playing basketball exclusively last year.

DeShong finished third in the race, but her time of 57.9 seconds shattered Melissa Brancely’s old record of 58.8 set in 1988.

While DeShong and her boyfriend, basketball standout John Gordon, have indicated that they will transfer from UMaine, Gordon said Friday night that speculation on the possibility of the pair heading to the same school is premature.

“I don’t think so,” Gordon said. “She’s looking at some powerhouse track schools and looking at some lower Division I or high Division II schools for basketball.”

Gordon said he’s narrowed his prospective schools to six, and “she’s not interested in any of the schools on my list.”

Maine freshman catcher Sara Jewett tied a UMaine single-season home-run record this weekend when she ripped her fourth homer of the season in Maine’s 15-2 win over Towson State Saturday.

With 12 games left in the regular season, Jewett, of Haverhill, Mass., has already tied the record set by Ethel Macklin in 1979 and tied by assistant coach Deb Smith in 1994.

Jewett, who was named America East Rookie of the Week, and junior shortstop Michele Puls of Bangor are leading America East in hitting.

Puls, who leads America East with a .416 average, also leads in hits (37), doubles (10), and triples (5). Jewett, who is hitting .374, leads the league in home runs, RBI (26), and is tied for the lead with Melissa Creegan in runs (22).

Jessica Walker, a junior forward at Castleton State (Vt.), has been named to the Mayflower All-Conference Team.

The former basketball standout at Southern Aroostook in Dyer Brook averaged 8.8 points and 6.9 rebounds for the Spartans. She led the league in field-goal percentage (.527) and was third in free-throw percentage (.712).