Mahaney Diamond in Orono was the showplace for college baseball in the Northeast during the 1980s.

The University of Maine hopes to recapture some of that excitement next spring when the Black Bears play host to the America East Baseball Championship.

America East announced Friday that Mahaney Diamond has been selected to by the league’s directors of athletics as the site of the four-team, double-elimination event May 23-25. The facility was chosen over minor league parks used by Albany and Vermont, according to AE spokesman Matt Bourque.

“We’re obviously confident in [UMaine assistant athletic director] Jim Dyer and [athletic grounds manager] Matt Felker and those people who manage the facility that it’s going to be in the best condition possible,” Bourque said.

Bears coach Paul Kostacopoulos admitted UMaine will enjoy a home-field advantage.

“It boils down to you being more comfortable on your own field than somebody else’s,” Kostacopoulos said. “That’s a huge advantage.”

Kostacopoulos hopes UMaine can rekindle enthusiasm for college baseball and his team by holding a first-rate tourney.

“We’ll have the atmosphere of the tournament, which I think is always exciting for the fans,” he said. “I am confident with the fan base we have here that we will substantially outdraw anything that has been done [at Wilmington, Del.].”

In contrast to the America East Basketball Championships, there were only minimal guarantees required of the institutions. The considerations included grounds crews, maintenance people, and ushers. Each of the schools presented similar plans, Bourque said.

UMaine last hosted postseason play in 1996, when the league was the North Atlantic Conference. The 4,000-seat facility has been the site of five NCAA Regional Championships, the most recent in 1991.

Conducting the tournament also puts the onus on the Bears to qualify for postseason and put some fans in the stands.

“The catch to this whole thing is, it puts a little more pressure on our program,” said Kostacopoulos, who guided UMaine to a 36-15 overall record and a second-place regular-season finish last season. “We have to get the job done.”

UMaine’s recent success was among the factors America East ADs considered in making the choice, said Bourque, who explained coaches and the league’s Championships Cabinet found the fields to be similar in quality.

“I’m sure people felt confident Kosty’s program will be in there come next May,” Bourque said.

UMaine is 89-67 with two playoff appearances in the last three seasons. The Bears finished 2001 as the top-ranked Division I team in New England and Kostacopoulos was named the coach of the year in America East and in New England.

Joining UMaine in the restructured America East baseball ranks next spring are Albany, Binghamton, Hartford, Northeastern, Stony Brook, and Vermont.

Another factor that should help the tournament is the fact the college baseball schedule has been moved back one week next year. UMaine starts its conference slate a week later and should have warmer weather at the end of May.

Van Heuven gets UMaine post

Anne Marie “Piep” van Heuven has been named the Assistant to the Athletic Director and Senior Women’s Administrator at the University of Maine.

Van Heuven replaces Ellen Dempsey, who left in July for a teaching and coaching position at Hiram College in Ohio. She starts work Oct. 29.

Van Heuven spent the last five years as the head women’s lacrosse coach and assistant field hockey coach at Ithaca College (N.Y.), where she also served as an assistant to the AD. She was a member of committees on resource development, gender equity, personnel and grievance, and fundraising.