Baseball progress is showing Black Bears building on consistency, balance

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The University of Maine baseball team appears to be on its way to the program’s best season since it posted a 33-27 record in 1993.

By virtue of taking three of four games from Towson over the weekend, UMaine finds itself in second place in the America East standings and atop the New England Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division I poll.

Coach Paul Kostacopoulos’ 25-10 Black Bears are 10-6 in league play and hold a two-game advantage over Towson and Hofstra, which are tied for third at 8-8. UMaine has 14 games left, including 12 conference contests, and could significantly improve its postseason hopes by winning three of four games next weekend at Hofstra on Long Island.

“I think the thing now is we’ve got to build off of [the Towson series],” Kostacopoulos said. “Sometimes we win when we don’t play well, but I think we could have the formula to maybe feel that we’re contenders right now.”

Clearly, hopes are high on the ballclub, which has ridden its consistent pitching and balanced batting lineup to its success.

“Hopefully we can take advantage of [the remaining schedule], go out there and play relaxed, stay sharp and play our game,” said senior first baseman Jon Hambelton, America East’s top hitter with a .412 average. “It’s our season now. The only way we’re going to lose is if we beat ourselves.”

Two keys for UMaine are its depth and versatility. The Bears have continued to win despite dealing with injuries that required positional switches.

Sophomore first baseman Jesse Carlton and freshman outfielder Simon Williams of Portland went down with injuries against Towson. Carlton suffered a pulled right hamstring in Saturday’s first game while making a diving attempt at a ground ball. Kostacopoulos said he could miss as much as two weeks.

Carlton, batting .293 with two home runs and 13 RBIs, had a pinch-hit RBI go-ahead single that helped the Bears win Saturday’s opener 4-1.

Williams, who continues to impress with his exceptional speed in the outfield and on the bases, suffered a bruised thigh during a collision with shortstop Mark Reichley in Sunday’s first game. He’ll sit out Wednesday’s non-league game at Boston College, but is probable for the Hofstra series.

Williams is batting .313 (2 HR, 11 RBI), but it is his defensive ability that has helped him crack the lineup in place of junior left fielder Mike Ross, who is suffering through a hitting slump and has dipped to .263.

“He hasn’t been a regular, but I think a mark of this team is when somebody’s down, either slumping or with an injury, we’ve had somebody to put in there,” Kostacopoulos said.

The Bears were bolstered last weekend by the return of senior second baseman Quin Peel, who had missed the previous nine games with a broken index finger on his right hand. Peel not only went 5-for-12 with three RBIs, but invigorated the UMaine infield.

“When Quin plays, we’re totally different,” Kostacopoulos said, referring to the four double plays turned by UMaine against Towson. “We pitch different. We don’t look to strike everyone out.”

In the meantime, sophomore Alain Picard (sore arm) is unable to catch, forcing Joe Drapeau of Biddeford and Pat Tobin to split the catching chores.

Kerluke has designs on future

UMaine senior left winger Dan Kerluke will graduate next month and plans to embark upon a pro hockey career next season. He is an undrafted free agent.

But he has already begun preparing for life after hockey.

The new media major designed a logo for the Shaw House in Bangor, a home for runaway and abused teens, and he has designed one for Bangor’s Penobscot Community Health Center that will be unveiled later this month.

The Shaw House logo was the winning entry in a class competition.

“This is something I love doing,” said Kerluke. “Once my hockey career is over, it’s something I hope to do full time.”

He admits he was born with an artistic gift.

“I was a creative kid. I wanted to be an architect when I was little. My mother [Paule] is very creative. I got it from her,” said Kerluke. “Some people are very good at math. I’ve always been very good at art.”

His scope ranges from designing business cards to web sites. He has done “numerous odd jobs” for friends and acquaintances.

One of the beauties of design is that the possibilities are endless. He could find himself designing a logo for the front of a hockey jersey or the front of a restaurant.

The creative process usually begins with a meeting between Kerluke and his client to discuss what the client wants to portray. If he is designing for a business, he will also tour the facility to get a feel for the atmosphere and color scheme.

“Then I’ll sit down and sketch a few ideas on paper before putting them on my computer,” said Kerluke, who usually gives the client three or four designs to choose from.

He was able to earn up to $2,000 a year under NCAA regulations.

He said he has enjoyed working with and for members of the community, many of whom have supported the Maine hockey program.

“It’s nice to give something back to the community,” said the Brampton, Ontario, native, who concluded his career with 54 goals and 54 assists in 152 games.