Orono, ME – The America East Conference announced on Thursday morning the 2023 preseason poll. The Black Bears were picked to finish fourth in the conference.
The Black Bears are coming off of a 2022 season in which they finished 27-22 and a conference best 21-9 in America East action. The Black Bears earned the title of regular season champions before being eliminated in two games in the America East Playoffs at Mahaney Diamond.
Maine batted .280 with 90 doubles, 12 triples, 58 home runs and 316 RBI’s. The Black Bears will be looking for improvement from a pitching staff a season ago that a combined 6.31 ERA and 1.73 WHIP. The pitching staff was showing significant improvement throughout the course of the fall ball season.
The Binghamton Bearcats were picked to finish first in the conference and defend their America East Title that they earned in Orono last post season.
The River Hawks of UMass Lowell are projected second in the conference after falling to Bear Cats in the America East Championship in 2022.
Newcomers to the America East, the Bryant Bulldogs, were picked to finish third in the first season with the conference.
The Black Bears were projected fourth, followed by NJIT, UMBC and UAlbany to round out the conference.
Pl. School Points (1st)
1 Binghamton 31 (4)
2 UMass Lowell 28 (2)
3 Bryant 25
4 Maine 21 (1)
5 NJIT 19
6 UMBC 14
7 UAlbany 9
The Black Bears begin the 2023 season on Friday, Feb. 17 when they take on Pittsburgh in Sarasota, FL on opening weekend.
-UMaine-
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News Summary:
- Baseball Picked Fourth in America East Preseason Poll
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