Freshman righty Powers is excited to face Tar Heels Relaxed Bears meet UNC today

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Mike Powers pitched in one game during 2005 before he was forced to shut it down because of a shoulder injury.

This evening, the freshman from Portland will pitch in the most significant game of his young career when he gets the starting nod for the University of Maine against North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional.

Coach Steve Trimper’s fourth-seeded Black Bears (35-20-1) meet the top-seeded and nationally ranked Tar Heels (45-13) at 6 p.m. in Boshamer Stadium.

“We’re riding a high from the past couple weeks and we’re peaking at the right time,” said Trimper, who is making his NCAA Tournament coaching debut. “All the pressure is on North Carolina. We can be as loose as we can be because nobody’s expecting anything from us.”

UMaine is making a second straight NCAA regional appearance and its 15th overall after going 1-2 last season in the regional at Oxford, Miss.

Second-seeded Winthrop (44-16) and No. 3 North Carolina-Wilmington (40-21) square off in today’s 2 p.m. opener of the four-team, double-elimination event.

The soft-spoken Powers (5-3) appeared relaxed Thursday afternoon after UMaine wrapped up its 90-minute practice at UNC’s quaint facility, which features a brick motif.

“This is definitely the biggest game probably of my career, so I’m definitely excited to be out here,” said Powers whose father Marc appeared in two College World Series for UMaine in 1984 and ’86 and warned his son about hecklers.

Powers, who is looking forward to pitching in warm weather (temperatures are expected to be in the mid-80s at game time), has allowed only 12 hits and one earned run over 13 1/3 innings in his last two starts.

Tonight, he’ll try to slow down a UNC lineup by spotting his fastball, throwing an effective slider and utilizing his changeup more often.

“He’s been the hottest lately,” Trimper said. “The bottom line is, he’s been getting better every single week.”

The Bears feature a blend of veterans and newcomers.

Seniors like co-captain Ryan Quintal have been in this situation before and know what to expect, especially after playing in front of more than 8,000 fans at Mississippi in last year’s NCAA tourney.

“I think we’re at our peak right now. I think we’re playing our best team ball,” Quintal said. “We’ve got great team chemistry and I think we’re really to elevate our game in such a nice stadium in front of a lot of fans.”

UMaine shouldn’t have to make much of an adjustment to deal with the crowd. The Tar Heels averaged 1,170 fans at home games this season, whereas the Bears played in front of an average of 4,242 spectators in three games during its regular-season series at Ole Miss.

Freshman Kevin McAvoy of Brewer, one of four first-year starters today for the Bears, views this opportunity with the same confidence he utilized while earning the America East Rookie of the Year award this spring.

“We don’t play like freshmen. We don’t let things bother us,” McAvoy said. “We’ve got a solid chance of actually winning this regional; we’ve just got to play the game of baseball the way we can play.”

Naturally, those who haven’t experienced the postseason atmosphere can expect to feel a few jitters. However, junior Matt McGraw said the players’ emotions are dictated by their own expectations.

“The team feels the pressure to perform well,” he explained. “We’re not just here for fun. Last year it was that giddy, happy feeling. This year it’s more business. We feel like we can compete with these teams.”

The expected hot, sticky conditions at Boshamer Stadium are expected to benefit the pitchers and their ability to get loose and stay loose. The Bears, who practiced in warm weather Monday and Tuesday before heading to North Carolina, were taking extra pains to feel the heat.

“(Coach) made us wear our pants and our warmup jackets in the hot weather, which is something we don’t normally do, so I think that definitely was getting our bodies a little acclimated to the weather down here,” Quintal said.

The only other adjustment for UMaine, aside from facing more polished pitchers and more dangerous hitters, is the playing surface. The short, thick grass is expected to speed up ground balls, if not keep them rolling more uniformly.

“It’s definitely faster than the northern fields and I think it plays a lot easier because there’s not going to be any bad hops in the infield,” Quintal said. “I think you’ll see our infield play tight defense.”