Weymouth, UMaine set for NCAA tourney Bears to battle national power Ole Miss Friday

OLD TOWN – A year ago, Jason Weymouth was working at Whitetail Golf Course in Charleston as he waited for the American Legion baseball season to begin in June.

This May, the freshman lefthander has been among the contributors who helped the University of Maine baseball team win its first America East championship since 2002 Saturday with a 6-5, 11-inning victory over Vermont.

Weymouth and the rest of coach Paul Kostacopoulos’ Black Bears are gearing up for a trip to Oxford, Miss., where they’ll face nationally-ranked Mississippi Friday at 8 p.m. in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

“It’s wicked exciting right now,” Weymouth said Monday as UMaine gathered at the Chocolate Grille for lunch to watch the NCAA selection show on ESPN.

“I’m looking forward to the trip, just to go down there and see some of the teams,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll do well.”

UMaine (34-17) earned America East’s automatic bid and is the No. 4 seed in the Oxford Regional. The Bears face a top-seeded Ole Miss squad (44-18) that is ranked No. 9 in one national poll and 11th in two others.

The Rebels, who are the No. 5 seed in the 64-team field, were the runners-up in the Southeastern Conference, which tied a record by placing nine teams in the tournament. They earned one of 34 at-large bids.

“It’s just so exciting to see Maine recognized on a station like ESPN, on the ‘Big Board,’ and be in the same place at one time as Ole Miss and Oklahoma,” said senior co-captain Aaron Izaryk. “To be mentioned in the same breath as them is something special.”

Second-seeded Southern Mississippi (40-18) and No. 3 Oklahoma (33-24) square off in Friday’s 4 p.m. contest at Swayze Field.

There are 16 NCAA regionals with four teams each competing in a double-elimination format. Friday’s losers play Saturday at 2 p.m., while the first-round winners meet Saturday at 6 p.m.

The regional continues with two games Sunday and an “if necessary” game Monday.

UMaine is making the 14th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and its first since competing in the Los Angeles Regional three years ago.

The Bears, who had spent the previous 39 hours relishing their gut-wrenching victory in Burlington, Vt., were still trying to enjoy the thrill of the selection show on Monday.

Team members admitted not knowing much about Ole Miss.

“The only thing I know about Mississippi now is how to spell it from my grammar school days,” quipped UMaine senior Mike Ferriggi. “I’m very anxious to get down there to experience Mississippi.”

Kostacopoulos and his staff now face the challenge of getting the Bears refocused to take on a national power. The team has recently experienced both frustration and exhilaration to earn its right to keep playing.

“That championship day was very emotional and then you get back here and all of a sudden you realize how tired you are,” Kostacopoulos said. “We’ve got the excitement of the selection show today, but now we’ve got to get ourselves refocused on playing baseball.”

The Bears, who were scheduled to practice Monday and Tuesday, were awaiting word Monday night on how their travel plans would affect their schedule for Wednesday.

“I just think we’ve got to harness some of our emotions and get back to the basics of playing baseball,” Kostacopoulos said.

One of the best perks for the Bears is escaping the dreary spring they have been enduring in Orono. The players had been hoping for a trip to Long Beach, Calif., but won’t be lacking for warmth.

Friday’s forecast for Oxford, Miss., is sunny with a high temperature of 88 and a chance of isolated thundershowers.

“It might be nice to be able to warm up within a half-hour and not take 40 minutes to get your arm loose in this cold weather,” said UMaine ace Steve Richard.

“It gives you a little extra hop in your step when you get some nice weather to play in and there’s going to be a large crowd there and that’s going to be special, too,” Izaryk said.

UMaine is one of four teams from New England to qualify for the NCAAs along with Ivy League champion Harvard (29-15), Atlantic 10 winner Rhode Island (34-19) and Northeast Conference titlist Quinnipiac (26-22) of Hamden, Conn.

From the Northeast, St. John’s, Army and Marist also earned tournament berths.