Regardless of how the University of Maine baseball team fares in its three-game series against national power Clemson, the No. 2 ranked team in the country, the Black Bears will return to Orono this weekend having laid the groundwork for what should be a successful season.

Coach Paul Kostacopoulos’ team is nearing the end of its 16-day, 14-game journey, which will have taken the Bears – on a charter bus – from Orono to Florida and back.

“We are a confident group in the sense of what we’ve been doing,” Kostacopoulos said heading into Thursday night’s game against the 15-1 Tigers. “We’re not going to evaluate our trip on playing the No. 2 team in the country.”

Playing on the road for two straight weeks, living out of hotel rooms and riding on buses, can take its toll.

UMaine already is nursing a handful of injuries. The most notable is a pulled left hamstring suffered by starting catcher Alain Picard in the first inning of Monday’s win at Florida A&M.

Picard hasn’t played since and is likely to be out of the lineup until the Bears visit New York Tech March 29-30.

Freshman middle infielder Mike Ferriggi also has been out of action. He suffered a deep bruise when he was taken out at second base by a sliding baserunner in Monday’s game.

His status is listed as day-to-day and he isn’t expected to play for the rest of the trip..

Other injuries have been more minor and nagging in nature and haven’t significantly reduced playing time for anyone.

The Bears will be glad to have a few days off once the trip is over.

“One thing you need to account for is the grind that the southern trip is,” Kostacopoulos said. “It’s fun, exciting. It’s what we want to be doing for two weeks, but at the same time physically it’s a grind and it can be difficult at times.”

UMaine continues an impressive streak it has put together over the last two seasons. Since starting the 2000 season at 1-11, the Bears have posted a 69-30 overall record, winning 70 percent of their games.

Black Bears by the numbers

UMaine has put up some impressive numbers through the first 11 games of the baseball season. For starters, the Bears have committed only 10 errors thus far, fewer than one per game.

Sophomore shortstop Mark Reichley has made five of the 10 miscues, while no other player has been charged with more than one.

The Bears are batting .365 as a team and are averaging 13.4 runs and 14.0 hits per contest. Sophomore outfielder Simon Williams of Portland leads the regulars with a .442 average and 21 runs scored. He has seven stolen bases in seven tries.

UMaine has been more aggressive on the basepaths, having swiped 28 bases in 34 attempts (.824). Mike Ross is right behind Williams at 7-for-8.

Other batting leaders include senior third baseman Joe Drapeau of Biddeford, who is hitting .415 with a team-leading 22 hits, four home runs and 22 RBIs, and the recently sidelined Picard (.400, 11 RBIs).

The pitching staff boasts a solid 4.60 earned run average, led by freshman Paul Bruder (2.25) and junior Rich Laganiere (2.70), each of whom has made two starts. Sophomore Mike Collar of Scarborough has struck out 18 to lead the Bears, while opponents are batting a paltry .167 against the lefthanded Laganiere.

Unity’s Kervin named All-American

Jeremy Kervin of Unity College has been named a Division II men’s basketball All-American by the United States Collegiate Athletic Association.

Kervin, a freshman from Hodgdon, led the Rams this season with 24 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.

“Jeremy made a quick adjustment to the college level,” said Unity coach Gary Zane. “He was a leader for us on the count and had a wonderful attitude.”

The 6-foot-3 forward is majoring in Conservation Law Enforcement at Unity.

Reitsma Academic All-American

Josh Reitsma of Unity College recently was selected as a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association Academic All-America Team for men’s basketball.

The honor goes to upperclass students who maintain a minimum 3.5 grade point average and who have contributed to their team.

Reitsma, a senior guard, was a two-year starter at Unity, where he averaged six points and two assists over the last two seasons. He will graduate in May with a degree in Aquaculture.