Umaine Baseball Opens At LSU With New Pitching Rotation after losing two pitchers to pros

BangorDailyNews Larry Mahoney - University of Maine head baseball coach Nick Derba knows he isn’t going to be able to replace Nick Sinacola and Alex McKenney at the top of his pitching rotation. America East Pitcher of the Year Sinacola became the first pitcher in UMaine baseball history to earn first-team All-American honors before he was drafted in the seventh round and signed with the San Francisco Giants.

Former Hampden Academy standout McKenney became a top-notch No. 2 man in the rotation and signed a free-agent contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. But with the exception of first-team All-America East first-team selection Sean Lawlor, the rest of the lineup returns intact and fifth-year head coach Nick Derba predicts will have more offensive success as the Black Bears open the season on Friday at Louisiana State University, which was picked as a top 10 team in the country in three preseason polls.

“We should score more runs. We should be more consistent because we’re more experienced,” Derba said. “Last year, we were feast or famine because of the strikeouts. We’d score 14 runs one game and none the next.”

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