When the University of Maine baseball team hits like it is capable of hitting, it is difficult to beat.

And while the Black Bears have been batting above .300 virtually all season, they need to pick up their production to make a serious run at the America East championship.

Coach Paul Kostacopoulos’ squad appeared to begin an offensive surge over the weekend while taking two of three games from league rival Vermont at Mahaney Diamond in Orono.

Despite facing America East’s stingiest pitching staff, led by three lefthanded starters, UMaine hit .317 overall and averaged 6.3 runs and 10.7 hits against the Catamounts.

“Hitting’s contagious. Everybody just wants to get in on it,” said junior center fielder Joe Hough, who has raised his average to .313 with some recent success at the plate.

The Bears, who have won 25 games for the seventh straight season, knew they would have to be disciplined against Vermont’s talented staff. They wound up handing two Catamount starters their worst starts of the season.

“Most of the time when you get on a little bit of a roll, you feel confident, you feel good about yourself,” Kostacopoulos said. “I thought we swung the bat well.”

One somewhat unanticipated statistic this season has been the Bears’ home run production. They have already hit 30 homers in 37 games after finishing with 31 round-trippers in 55 games last season.

Joel Barrett and Greg Creek lead the way with six each, but 10 players have at least one. UMaine hit five home runs in the Vermont series.

“When you know you’re facing three good pitchers, you’ve got to get locked in every at-bat,” said senior co-captain Aaron Izaryk, who was 5-for-9 on the weekend. “It really heightened our focus on what we needed to do. When you hit the ball hard, good things are going to happen.”

Bears’ Robinson shuts the door

Junior Scott Robinson continues to excel in his role as the Bears’ closer.

Robinson earned saves in Friday’s 14-inning victory over Husson and Sunday’s win over Vermont, bringing his season total to seven.

The righthander from Ajax, Ontario, who leads America East this season with 19 appearances, continues to climb UMaine’s career saves list. Robinson is fourth all-time with 13 in 54 games. He needs six to tie record-holder Mike LeBlanc, who registered 19 saves in 69 games from 1986-89.

In less than two full seasons since coming off shoulder surgery in 2003, Robinson has posted a 5-0 record with 13 saves and a 2.50 earned run average in 40 appearances.

UM basketball signs Jon Sheets

Jon Sheets, a 6-foot guard from Yuba City Community College in California, has signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the University of Maine men’s basketball team, coach Ted Woodward announced Tuesday.

Sheets will join the Black Bears in the fall of 2005 as a junior.

“We are thrilled to have Jon join our basketball program,” Woodward said. “He is a very talented guard who can play two positions, a tremendous shooter and passer, and is an outstanding person who is a winner and brings great leadership to our basketball team.”

Sheets is a 2003 graduate of Nevada Union High School in Grass Valley, Calif. He played the past two years at Yuba City CC where he averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 assists, and 3.1 steals per game. Sheets shot 40.6 percent from 3-point range and 83.5 percent from the free throw line.

Yuba finished 17-10 this past season and Sheets earned All-Bay Valley Conference honors.

All National Letter of Intent signings are contingent upon admission to the University of Maine and compliance with all NCAA rules, including registration with the NCAA Clearinghouse.

College hockey changes?

The nation’s college hockey coaches are voting online on several proposals that could significantly alter the game.

Voting will conclude on Friday. The proposals favored by the coaches will go to the NCAA Ice Hockey Committee for a vote.

Hockey East commissioner Joe Bertagna and Maine coach Tim Whitehead outlined the proposals: 1. Four-on-four in overtime like the NHL uses; 2. Players would have to serve their full two-minute minor penalties regardless of how many times the opponent scores; 3. Penalty-killing teams which ice the puck will have the faceoff return to their defensive zone; 4. Narrower goalie pads (10 inches instead of 12); 5. Eliminating automatic icing in favor of touchup icing; 6. Two referees and two linesmen instead of one referee and two linesmen; and, 7. Curling the goalposts so there is a little more space for shooters.

They will also ask the committee to revote on the skate-in-the-crease rule that cost Maine a goal in the NCAA final two years ago.

The coaches voted to change the rule a year ago and allow a player to have his skate in the crease if it was ruled it didn’t impact the play. But the NCAA hockey committee disagreed and vetoed it.

“The coaches explained that it’s so hard to score, a goal shouldn’t be turned back because someone’s toe was in the crease. But the committee didn’t want to dilute the protection of the goalie,” explained Bertagna.

There was also sentiment to have all the leagues introduce instant replay on questionable goals in regular season games, not just NCAA Tournament games.

Bertagna said some of the changes may take a year or two to implement if they’re approved.