ORONO, Maine — How anemic has the offense been this season for the University of Maine baseball team?
Among 295 Division I teams, only 23 have a lower batting average than the the Black Bears’ .229 mark through 23 games. Their woes continued during a three-game America East Conference sweep at the hands of Binghamton.
UMaine ranks 286th in scoring at 3.3 runs per game and is 283rd in on-base percentage, reaching 30 percent of the time.
Coach Steve Trimper’s Black Bears (5-18 overall, 0-3 AE), who scored one run in each of Saturday’s games and were shut out in Sunday’s 12-inning finale, have tallied only eight runs total during their six-game losing streak.
“I talked to them [Sunday] morning. I just said, ‘Guys, it’s going to come,’” Trimper said. “We’re just in a really bad funk … we can’t lose our hustle, which I thought we did [Saturday], and we can’t let our emotions down.”
It is perhaps inevitable that self-doubt begins to creep in for some players during a protracted, widespread slump.
“Right now we have good hitters that have lost a little bit of their mojo and a little bit of their confidence,” Trimper said. “You can’t play this game without confidence.”
Senior first baseman Brenden Geary is among the veterans who have struggled mightily at the plate. In 22 games, he’s batting only .164 with two home runs and eight runs batted in.
The mental side of the game sometimes can lead to physical issues, so the key is remaining resilient.
“I just think we show up to the field every day with a positive mind, a positive attitude,” Geary said. “It’s a difficult time, and guys are going through some ups and downs.”
Complicating the scenario is the fact the hitters in the middle of the batting order are scuffling simultaneously. That contingent includes senior outfielder Brett Chappell, who was 0-for-12 against Binghamton and has just two hits in his last 23 at-bats, along with transfer junior outfielder Tyler Schwanz (2-for-21) and senior catcher Kevin Stypulkowski (3-for-25).
“This isn’t about practice, it’s about mentally getting over a hump and trying to make sure that each and every day you’re going out there and playing pitch to pitch and not trying to press too much,” Trimper said.
Freshman infielder Danny Casals leads UMaine with a .310 batting average, while only Stypulkowski (.274) and freshman outfielder Colin Ridley (.274) are above .265.
This year’s UMaine ballclub features significant youth with three freshman starters in the infield and another competing for an outfield spot. Geary has been around long enough to experience how quickly things can turn around.
“Coach Trimp’s been saying that we need that one game to turn the ship around, and I totally agree with him,” Geary said. “We’re too talented of a hitting group to be not putting up runs during games.”
UMaine heads to Long Island for a three-game series against perennial league power Stony Brook on Saturday and Sunday.