Maine baseball inching closer to America East No. 1 seed

ORONO, Maine (WABI) - Maine baseball is in the driver’s seat to secure the No. 1 seed in this year’s America East Tournament with a conference mark of 13-2.

The Black Bears lead this week’s opponent, second-place UMBC, while the Retrievers’ record is 11-7 in league play.

Head Coach Nick Derba explained the advantage his team has to gain with a new format this season in the bracket.

The top two seeds avoid single-elimination play.

“Not only does the top-two seed guarantee that you’re going to be playing in a double-elimination tournament, but it also gives you an opportunity to not burn your No. 1 or No. 2 (starting pitcher) for a play-in game. Obviously, it shortens up the need to win. You only win three games in a row rather than turning it to four if you’re outside of the top two,” said Derba.

The America East Tournament starts in Binghamton on May 24 with elimination games featuring the No. 3-6 seeds.

If the Black Bears secure the top spot, they’d start on May 25 at 11 a.m. against the lowest remaining seed from the knockout matchups.

The title game is set for May 27 at 1 p.m.

It would be a doubleheader if necessary in the double-elimination setup.

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