College baseball coaches in northern New England go to great lengths to schedule enough games to prepare themselves for conference play.

Sometimes that means taking on league opponents prior to the start of the regular conference schedule.

Such is the case starting today when the University of Maine visits Friedman Diamond at Northeastern University in Brookline, Mass., as part of a four-team, seven-game weekend series among members of the America East Conference.

Coach Paul Kostacopoulos’ Black Bears 9-8 Black Bears will be joined by the host Huskies, along with league foes Vermont and Hartford, all of which begin conference action April 9-10.

“It’s really hard to schedule this time of year because everybody else is in conference [play],” Kostacopoulos said Thursday. “At first it was going to be just ourselves and Northeastern and Hartford. Then Vermont didn’t have anyone to play, so we just threw everybody in.”

UMaine is scheduled to play Hartford today at 11:30, then will meet Northeastern on Saturday at 2 p.m. before closing out the weekend with Sunday’s 1 p.m. contest against Vermont.

Northeastern provides a relatively central location for all involved. The Huskies also feature an AstroPlay artificial surface that is relatively unaffected by inclement weather.

However, a rainy forecast is expected to disrupt the weekend schedule, especially on Saturday. If postponed, no games would be made up on Monday.

UMaine won two of its three games last weekend. In the process, the Bears demonstrated some of their offensive potential.

UMaine piled up 19 runs and 37 hits in its Saturday wins over Harvard and New York Tech, then posted 10 more hits Sunday in a 14-4 loss to New York Tech.

“We had one of those weekends where we hit the ball well,” Kostacopoulos said. “We hope that we can use that as a jumping off point and that our offense can really get going.”

Among the catalysts was junior center fielder Joe Hough. The Bears’ leadoff hitter, who had started slowly this season, broke out with a 5-for-14 weekend that included a triple, a double, five RBIs and three stolen bases.

“That’s the kind of leadoff guy you need, somebody who’s going to really scare the opponent,” Kostacopoulos said. “We’ve just got to hope that he keeps rolling.”

Sophomore first baseman Joel Barrett continues to set the pace offensively at .397 with two home runs and a team-high 14 RBIs. Sophomore catcher Matt McGraw and soph outfielder Ross Cantara of Biddeford also appear to be getting into a good groove at the plate.

UMaine makes schedule changes

While the UMaine baseball team hopes to dodge the raindrops in Brookline, Mass., this weekend, other Black Bear teams have also rearranged their schedules.

Friday’s softball game at Cornell has been canceled. Instead, UMaine has headed to Binghamton, N.Y. and will play a 3 p.m. America East doubleheader against the Bearcats. The two teams will then try to play a single game Saturday.

Saturday’s home track and field meet against New Hampshire has been rescheduled for Tuesday at 3 p.m. at the Clarence Beckett Family Track and Field Complex in Orono.

And Saturday’s spring football practice session has been moved to 8:25 a.m.