ORONO – Earning a spot as a starting pitcher carries with it considerable prestige.

And Troy Martin wouldn’t mind being in the starting rotation for the University of Maine baseball team.

Despite a solid track record as a Division I starter, the junior has proven even more valuable because of his ability to contribute either as a starter or coming out of the bullpen.

“Starting is always the cool thing,” Martin said. “As a reliever, everyone may not know who you are, but you’re still going out there and trying to win ballgames for your team.”

Martin, a righthander from Dover, N.H., will be counted on to provide key innings when the Black Bears face Binghamton in a three-game America East series starting today at 2 p.m. at Mahaney Diamond.

Martin, who has split time between starter and reliever each of the last two years, has unselfishly filled whatever role he has been placed in.

“Everybody wants to be a starter,” said UMaine coach Paul Kostacopoulos. “Starting, in a lot of respects, is easier because you know your turn is coming. If you’re a reliever, you don’t know when your turn is coming. Mentally, that’s a difficult thing.”

Even though his responsibilities can change quickly, Martin has handled the challenge with poise.

“I’ve got to be prepared, stay in the game no matter what happens, because you could go in the next inning or five innings from now,” Martin said.

One quality that enables Martin to switch back and forth is his resilient arm. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder doesn’t get very sore or stiff after pitching.

“I can usually bounce back right away, a little quicker than most guys do, and I don’t know why,” he said.

Martin goes into the Binghamton series with a 6-2 record, three saves and a 4.22 earned run average. Since losing in relief March 19, Martin has been outstanding.

He is 5-0 with one save and a 1.62 ERA in that eight-week span, giving up 34 hits and only six earned runs in 33 1/3 innings.

“I left the ball up at the beginning of the year and, no matter what level of baseball you’re in, if you leave the ball up, they’re going to hit it,” Martin said.

During the first nine days of the 2005 campaign, Martin started twice and had two relief stints, going 1-1 with two saves. For the next five weeks, he was used exclusively in relief.

After Greg Creek was sidelined with a sore arm, and as the Bears’ younger starters proved inconsistent, Martin has reprised his starting role.

Last Saturday, despite a nagging finger injury that hampered his effectiveness, he gutted it out for three innings to help UMaine beat Northeastern. He never makes excuses.

“Every team needs a Troy Martin,” Kostacopoulos said. “He has a totally selfless way of looking at things. He just goes out and does whatever we ask him to do.”

In 2004, Martin pitched in relief six times in his first nine outings, then moved into the starting rotation when Ryan Harris experienced a sore arm. He went 5-2 with a 3.13 ERA and one save, logging five complete games.

Martin held opposing hitters to a .208 batting average, the lowest among UMaine pitchers.

Martin throws three pitches: a tailing, sinking fastball, a slider and a changeup.

“My four-seam fastball, it moves a lot,” Martin said. “That’s pretty much my bread and butter, the movement.”

Martin, a business administration major with a concentration in accounting, chose UMaine over Massachusetts and Connecticut because he liked the campus and received a better scholarship offer.

As always, he is prepared to help the Bears however he can against Binghamton.

“It would be great to take two away from Binghamton, if not three, slow them down a little bit heading into the tournament, then get our confidence going again,” he said.