Despite youth, UMaine seeks America East championship

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With just two seniors on the roster and a host of freshmen, the fact that the University of Maine softball team was picked in a preseason coaches poll to finish second in the America East conference was a bit surprising to coach Deb Smith.

Then again, the Black Bears’ goal this year is nothing less than the conference tournament championship despite their youth – and the loss of most of the offense from a team that went 26-31 overall, 13-11 in America East last year.

“We have the ability to compete for the championship but that youth is going to make a difference,” Smith said Thursday, four days before the team’s season-opener against the University of Pennsylvania at the Rebel Spring Games in Osceola, Fla.

“We have so much potential but we just don’t know what we’re going to get out of them.”

The Black Bears got a lot out of freshman Jess Brady last year, and the Jackman native returns after batting .302 with 48 hits and eight RBIs.

Brady will start in center field. She committed just three errors in 57 games last year.

Junior Sara Asadoorian (.173, 27 hits) returns to second base. Smith said freshman Brittany Cheney is the top candidate at shortstop and redshirt sophomore Lauren Dulkis will likely start at third.

The rest of the lineup is unsettled for now, until Smith and assistant coach Michelle Puls, a former Bangor High and UMaine star, get a look at the team during the two-week spring trip.

“I have an idea but we have a couple of key positions where we’re going to be platooning,” Smith said. “Everything is so up in the air right now because of our depth.”

Senior Amanda Stevens of Sumner and sophomore Lindsay Tibbetts of Berwick (.113, 11 hits) will get work behind the plate. Chelsea’s Nicole Taylor (.235, 24 hits, 10 RBIs) and freshman Amy Kuhl will share time at first base early in the season. Shannon Sirois of Millinocket and freshman Molly McKinney are candidates to start in left field. Sirois and freshman Dana Grimm will share time in right field.

There won’t be many questions for the Bears in the circle, however, as Maine returns all three of its pitchers and added a fourth.

Sophomore Jenna Merchant is back after a 17-11 campaign and finished last season with a 1.49 ERA. She struck out 145 last year while giving up 158 hits.

Merchant added a curveball this fall, but her biggest contribution is confidence, Smith said.

“She’ll come back and I think she’ll pick up right where we left off,” Smith added. “She’s got a lot of goals and expectations and I think keeping that in check will be the big thing.”

The Bears will need Merchant to be sharp because junior Candace Jaegge is coming back from an elbow injury. Taylor, who got 15 1/3 innings of work last year, will get more time in the circle. Sarah Bennis, who pitched Greely of Cumberland Center to a Class B state championship last June, will be expected to step in immediately with Jaegge working back slowly.

One big change this year will be added speed thanks to freshmen Cheney and Grimm. Smith expects to move Asadoorian to the bottom of the lineup for some added speed there. Brady led the Bears last year with nine stolen bases.

Smith has liked what she’s seen so far from Sirois in terms of power hitting, and Taylor came on as a clutch hitter at the end of last season.

“So we’ve got a really nice mix of contact hitters with some speed and that gives us a lot of different options and versatility to work with,” Smith said. “… We’re sitting pretty good. It’s just a matter of putting things together with this youth. But they’re going to be a fun group to watch.”

The Black Bears open the America East schedule March 29 at Binghamton and return to Kessock Field in Orono April 9 for a doubleheader against BU.

UMAINE SOFTBALL SCHEDULE

MARCH

9, vs. Pennsylvania, 2:20 p.m.

9, vs. Indiana-Purdue, Ft. Wayne, 6 p.m.

11, vs. Quinnipiac, 9:30 a.m.

11, vs. Austin Peay, 1:10 p.m.

12, vs. Lehigh, 4:10 p.m.

12, vs. Niagara, 6 p.m.

13, vs. George Mason, 12:30 p.m.

13, Tennessee martin, 4:10 p.m.

15, vs. Army, 12:30 p.m.

15, vs. Bucknell, 4:10 p.m.

16, vs. Colgate, 8:50 a.m.

16, vs. Rider, 10:40 a.m.

17, vs. Lafayette, 8:50 a.m.

17, vs. Yale, 12:30 p.m.

20, at U. of South Florida, 4 p.m., (2)

21, vs. British National Team, 10 a.m.

21, vs. Central Florida, 2 p.m.

22, vs. British National Team, 9 a.m.

22, vs. Central Florida, 11 a.m.

27, at Boston College, 4 p.m.

28, at Cornell, 3:30 p.m.

29, at Binghamton, noon, (2)

30, at Binghamton, noon, (2)

APRIL

2, at Massachusetts, 2:30 p.m., (2)

5, at Harvard, noon, (2)

6, at Brown, noon, (2)

9, Boston University, 2 p.m., (2)

12, Stony Brook, noon, (2)

13, Stony Brook, noon, (2)

18, Albany, 2 p.m., (2)

19, Albany, 11 a.m., (2)

23, at Boston University, 3 p.m., (2)

26, at Vermont, noon, (2)

27, at Vermont, noon, (2)

30, at Colby, 4:30 p.m.

MAY

3, Hartford, 1 p.m., (2)

4, Hartford, noon, (2)

7-10, America East Tournament

Games March 9-17 played in Osceola, Fla.

Games March 21-22, UCF Golden Knight Tournament, in Orlando, Fla.