Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks baseball

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Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks baseball
Baseball current event.svg 2025 Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks baseball team
Maryland eastern shore wmark 2022.png
Founded1957 (1957)
Conference history CIAA (1967–1970)
University University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Athletic directorKeith Davidson
Head coach Danny Acosta (2nd season)
Conference Northeast Conference
Location Princess Anne, Maryland
Home stadium Hawk Stadium
(Capacity: 1,000)
Nickname Hawks
ColorsMaroon and gray [1]
   

The Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks baseball team, also known as the Eastern Shore Hawks, is the varsity intercollegiate athletic team of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, Maryland, United States. The team competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I and is a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC). Through the 2022 season, the Hawks had competed in the school's full-time home of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), but after that season, the MEAC merged its baseball league into that of the NEC. Eastern Shore and the three other MEAC members that sponsored baseball became NEC associate members in that sport. [2] The program has never had substantial success in Division I, having never made the NCAA Tournament or won a conference championship.

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Stadium Challenges and the 2023 Season

The Hawks initially played their home games at Hawk Stadium on campus. However, due to its deteriorating condition and failure to meet Division I baseball standards, the team was forced to relocate. From 2018 to 2022, they played at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium, home of the Delmarva Shorebirds.

In 2023, the Hawks moved again, this time to the Henry S. Parker Athletic Complex, a county-owned facility in Salisbury, Maryland. [3] The complex features eight baseball and softball fields used by various amateur, high school, and youth teams. The Hawks specifically play on Field Six within the complex.

Under head coach Brian Hollamon, the Hawks finished eighth out of 13 teams in the Northeast Conference, posting a 14-16 conference record and an 18-37 overall record in the 2023 season. [4]

Despite previous statements from UMES Director of Athletics Tara Owens indicating that a new stadium would be ready for the 2024 season, the team remained at the Henry S. Parker Athletic Complex for both the 2024 and 2025 seasons. [5]

The Danny Acosta Era

Following the 2023 season, Maryland Eastern Shore hired Danny Acosta as head coach. [6] In his first season in 2024, the Hawks struggled, finishing with a 0–30 record in conference play and 0–48 overall. They finally won a game on February 22, 2025.

Head coaches

Year(s)CoachSeasonsW–L–TPct
2004–2006Robert Rodriguez327–118–2.188
2007–2012Will Gardner661–260.190
2013–2014 Pedro Swann 221–80.208
2015–2016John O'Neil232–65.330
2017Charlie Goens112–40.231
2018–2023 Brian Hollamon 543–132.246
2024–present Danny Acosta 10–48.000
Totals617196–695–2.221

References

  1. "UMES Visual Identity Program" . Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  2. "NEC & MEAC Announce Three-Sport Associate Member Partnership" (Press release). Northeast Conference. July 12, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  3. https://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/henry-s-parker-athletic-complex-umes-hawks
  4. https://d1baseball.com/conference/northeast-conference/2023/
  5. https://umeshawksports.com/news/2023/4/24/umes-breaks-ground-on-turf-fields-for-baseball-and-softball
  6. https://umeshawksports.com/news/2023/8/10/university-of-maryland-eastern-shore-names-danny-acosta-as-head-baseball-coach.aspx