ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine baseball team has dug itself a big hole.
Halfway through their America East schedule, the Black Bears are mired in last place in the conference standings.
Coach Steve Trimper’s ballclub takes a 12-19 record into a three-game weekend series against Hartford that begins Saturday at Mahaney Diamond.
“At this point, it’s go time,” Trimper said.
“We just haven’t had consistent play since we left Florida a month ago,” he added.
UMaine is only 2-6 in conference play and has lost four league contests to the weather. The Black Bears are chasing fifth-place Maryland Baltimore County (14-13, 4-5 AE) and fourth-place Binghamton (10-13, 5-6 AE) for one of four spots in the conference playoffs.
The Black Bears dropped two of three games last weekend at UMass Lowell (7-16, 3-5 AE), which is not eligible for postseason play until 2018 as it makes the transition to full Division I status.
“We are in a position right now where we have to get it going,” Trimper said.
With 12 games remaining on its America East schedule, UMaine likely will have to win at least eight to have a shot at qualifying for the four-team, double-elimination tournament that is scheduled for May 21-23 at Umass Lowell’s LeLacheur Park.
UMaine, which finished fifth in the league standings last year (24-29, 10-11 AE), is flirting with the possibility of finishing under .500 in conference play in back-to-back seasons since it became a member of the former North Atlantic Conference in 1990.
The program has only failed to win at least half its league games four times from 1990-2014.
UMaine, which along with some of its Northeast counterparts has struggled to establish any continuity in its schedule and practices because of weather and field conditions, has demonstrated its share of shortcomings.
Perhaps most notable is inconsistent pitching. The Black Bears rank last in America East games with a 5.93 team earned run average, having allowed 93 hits in 71⅓ innings with 43 strikeouts and 22 walks.
“If we’re not going to pitch down the stretch, it’s going to be tough for us to put up the numbers [wins],” Trimper said.
However, UMaine has not been able to establish a consistent No. 3 starter.
Leading the way is freshman right-hander Justin Courtney of Bangor, who is 1-0 with a 2.93 ERA in three AE appearances covering 15⅓ innings.
Righty relievers Logan Fullmer (0-1, 4.50, 14 innings) and Jacob Gosselin-Deschesnes (1-0, 2.70, 6⅔ IP) have been steady out of the bullpen in conference play.
The Black Bears also have been less than potent at the plate, hitting only .248 while averaging 4.3 runs per league game. Senior outfielder Sam Balzano of Portland is batting .343 with five doubles, reaching safely in six of eight games.
The only other regulars over .270 in AE games are junior Brett Chappell (.290) and freshman Christian Garabedian (.276). Five starters are at or below .250.
“We’ve got to win our series,” Trimper said. “The guys are working hard, they’re really cranking it up. It’s our job as coaches and players to get a little better every day and execute the little things.”