The long perennial wait finally ends this week for the University of Maine baseball team.

After playing on the road for the first seven weeks and 27 games of the season, the Black Bears are gearing up for their first homestand at Mahaney Diamond in Orono.

The four-game America East series against Stony Brook begins Thursday, a day earlier than usual because of Easter, with a nine-inning game at 4 p.m.

Coach Steve Trimper’s club (17-9-1) has excelled behind its potent offense. The Bears, coming off a three-game sweep last weekend at Maryland Baltimore County, lead the league with a .333 team batting average and 8.9 runs per contest.

Trimper said the players have eagerly bought into the offensive philosophy employed by the new coaching staff.

“You’ve got to be aggressive when you get fastball counts,” Trimper explained. “If we can get a guy to fall behind against us – he goes to that 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1 count – we are taking very good swings.”

The surprise leader of UMaine’s offensive assault is freshman Kevin McAvoy of Brewer, who tops the team and America East with a .440 average, six home runs, 36 RBIs and a ,736 slugging percentage.

The Bears have been productive throughout the lineup. Curt Smith checks in at .391 with two homers and 24 RBIs, while Brewer’s Joel Barrett (.383, 2 HR, 29 RBI), Ryan Quintal (.350, 4 HR, 31 RBI), Matt McGraw (.333, 1 HR, 20 RBI), Danny Menendez (.327, 16 RBI) and Joe Hough (.324, 4 HR, 16 RBI) all have been key contributors.

One situation last weekend demonstrated Trimper’s approach. UMaine was up by three runs with a man on second base and a 3-0 count to Barrett, who got the “green light” and stroked a double.

“Everyone’s looking at me like I’m crazy that I’m letting the kid swing on 3-0, but it’s that mentality of being aggressive,” Trimper said. “We’re going to fail sometimes in that situation, but I’d rather have these guys go out there and take aggressive, hard swings.”

UMaine’s offensive formula also has included an emphasis on aggressive baserunning. Hough leads the squad with 10 of the Bears’ 43 stolen bases, which also tops America East. And with UMaine’s propensity for extra-base hits (the Bears have 97, including 55 doubles, 18 triples and 24 homers), its slugging percentage is at .496.

“We’re just trying to hit extra-base hits all the time and work it up the gaps and steal some bases,” Trimper said.

Bears make pitching switch

Troy Martin, who has been versatile and valuable during his pitching career at UMaine, is again changing roles, at least for now.

The senior righthander, who came into the season as the Bears’ most experienced starter with classmate Greg Norton rehabilitating after shoulder surgery, has moved back to the bullpen.

Martin is 4-4 with a 7.13 earned run average and hasn’t been tremendously sharp much of the spring. Because of his resilient arm and experience, he will return to a relief role.

“His best outings of the year is when he comes out of the pen,” Trimper said. “In order for us to win, we need that great stopper and Troy kind of did that for us last weekend.”

Martin pitched twice in relief, picking up the win in Sunday’s second game with four innings of two-hit, one-run ball.

“We want to have Troy available all three days if we need to use him to hold the game, to keep a lead or keep a game close for us,” Trimper said.

Righty Scott Robinson, who is one save shy of tying the UMaine career record of 19, is expected to replace Martin in the starting rotation. He is 4-2 with three saves and a 6.63 ERA in 11 games this season.

The senior struck out 16, one shy of the school single-game record, Friday night in a complete-game victory over UMBC.