Ever since his arrival at the University of Maine in 1997, baseball coach Paul Kostacopoulos heard all the talk about the Black Bears’ tradition of success.

After directing UMaine to a berth in the NCAA Tournament this spring for the first time in nine years the discussion has, for the first time in years, shifted toward the future of the program.

Despite a youthful pitching staff with no postseason experience and a starting lineup that included only one senior, the Bears compiled an impressive 40-17 record, posting only the fourth 40-win season in the history of the program.

UMaine, the America East champion, lost two games in last weekend’s NCAA Los Angeles Regional – to 16th-ranked Cal State Northridge and Brigham Young – but emerged with a renewed sense of worth and purpose.

“People know who we are now,” said Kostacopoulos, whose Bears are 76-32 (.704) in the last two seasons. “What it does for you is, when you sit in your office and tell a prospective student-athlete that we can play in the NCAAs, they can believe you now. There’s credibility in what you’re saying.”

Kostacopoulos hopes this year’s success further motivates the players and coaching staff to strive toward bigger and better things.

“I think competing [at a Regional] and winning some games is a very realistic part of what we can do with hard work and getting some [more outstanding] players,” he said. “We are not looking at this like, ‘wow, we’ve made it.’ We certainly can get better.”

In spite of their emergence, the Bears can’t afford to take anything for granted. They were one loss away from losing in the conference tournament, but prevailed.

“You have to be good enough to put yourself in that position,” Kostacopoulos said. “It’s always one game here, one game there, that makes the difference.”

Though the expectations of UMaine administrators and fans may rise, that dynamic means the Bears are earning respect and renewed interest. Even the subject of bidding to host an NCAA Regional, which hasn’t happened since 1993, has resurfaced.

“What’s important about this whole thing is, we’re talking about these things again and that can’t be underestimated,” said Kostacopoulos, who has received numerous calls from alumni and donors. “When we walk in there in September and start fall baseball, we can discuss the NCAAs and not feel like we’re pipe-dreaming.”

UMaine, one of 287 Division I baseball programs, was one of only 64 teams to earn berths in the NCAA Tournament.

Going into the 2002 season, the big question mark for the Bears was pitching. Starters Mike Collar of Scarborough and Mike MacDonald of Camden moved into the Nos. 1 and 2 spots and picked up where they left off a year earlier.

MacDonald went 7-3 with a 3.44 earned run average and was named the America East Pitcher of the Year. Collar (8-4, 4.35) was an All-America East first-teamer for the second straight year.

UMaine received yeoman work from sophomore lefthander Rich Laganiere, who sat out all of 2001 after Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow, then went 7-4 with a 5.65 ERA this spring.

Freshmen also figured into the mix as Canadian righties Scott Robinson (4-1, 4.75) and Paul Bruder (4-1, 5.17) made big contributions. Sophomore Ryan Harris (4-1, 4.85, 2 saves), frosh Greg Creek of Chelsea (3-1. 5.30) and junior Adam Labelle (4-3, 6.28, 3 saves) were other key contributors.

The entire staff returns intact.

The Bears were blessed with a veteran lineup of position players, although it was freshman Aaron Izaryk, the all-conference designated hitter, who led the club with a .367 average, including a home run and 22 runs batted in.

Simon Williams of Portland, an all-league sophomore left fielder, emerged as a catalyst. He batted .363 with 8 homers, 35 RBIs and a team-leading 21 stolen bases.

UMaine hit .315 as a team, but suffered through some scoring droughts against good pitching.

“Our hitting needs to get more consistent,” Kostacopoulos said.

Junior third baseman Joe Drapeau hit .341 and led the team with 11 homers and 61 RBIs, while junior catcher/DH Alain Picard (.340-6-53, 14 stolen bases) and junior center fielder Mike Livulpi (.324-2-25-17) also produced.

Senior outfielder Mike Ross capped his UMaine career at .299 with 9 homers, 48 RBIs and 18 steals. Meanwhile, junior second baseman Brett Ouellette (.311-3-31) came back after elbow surgery to become a dependable starting second baseman.

Other key contributors included soph SS Mark Reichley (.322-2-19), junior OF Aaron Young of Augusta (.305-2-26), soph IF Matt Reynolds (.287-4-19), junior 1Bs Pat Tobin (.286-4-19) and Jesse Carlton (.282-5-21) and freshman SS Mike Ferriggi (.233-0-14).

Kostacopoulos, who called this year’s outfield the best he has ever coached, has three of the four regulars back next season. The Bears also return all of their infielders.

“We do the job offensively, but not with enough consistency,” said Kostacopoulos, who’d like to see more range from his infielders.

Behind the plate, the agile Picard is a possible major league draft pick, but Izaryk and Drapeau both have experience there.

UMaine’s increased aggressiveness on the basepaths resulted in 97 stolen bases in 117 attempts (.829), the most since a school-record 103 in 1991.

The Bears hope to use their considerable experience to make a return to the NCAAs next season.

“We can immediately look forward to the 2003 season and feel good about it,” Kostacopoulos said. “We’re getting better at being better and if we do, it sets us up with a chance to be in a Regional against next year.”