The ability to progress gradually and consistently over the course of a long season is a characteristic that pervades every championship-caliber team. Even the best teams don’t always come out on top if they aren’t playing their best ball during the waning games of the year.

True to form, Binghamton peaked when it counted most and emerged as the America East champs for the second time in five years.

The Bearcats, who were tabbed to finish third behind Stony Brook and Maine in the conference preseason poll, opened their season with 18 consecutive road games before beginning conference play with a lackluster 4-4 record. BU continued to trend upward, however, and was firing on all cylinders by season’s end to reach the NCAA tournament.

“I’m thrilled the guys stayed focused all season long and that we were able to peak at the right time,” Binghamton head coach Tim Sinicki said. “The season can be a grind, especially early on when we are on the road as much as we are. But our guys kept their poise, continued to get better every time we took the field, and in the end the season culminated in a championship. Not many programs across the country can say that.”

In the decisive winner-take-all game of the America East Championship, senior ace Jake Lambert fired eight shutout innings to lead BU to a 4-0 victory over Maine. Lambert, who was working on just three days rest after a two-hit shutout of Albany, was named tournament MVP.

From there, the Bearcats drew No. 9 NC State in the opening game of the NCAA Regional in Raleigh and proceeded to give the Wolfpack all they could handle.

Trailing by one run in the fourth inning, sophomore catcher Nick Pancerella lined a ball down the right field line that would have likely scored two runs and put BU ahead, 3-2. But a highlight-reel catch by a diving Wolfpack outfielder ended the threat.

NC State shut down the Binghamton offense the rest of the way, retiring 12 of BU’s final 14 batters to earn the 4-1 victory.

In its elimination game against No. 23 Ole Miss, the Bearcats found themselves down, 8-2, late but remained resilient. BU loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth inning, but the Rebels used a double play and a strikeout to limit the damage to two unearned runs. Ole Miss converted the final out to win, 8-4, and end BU’s season.

The Bearcats finished 2013 with a 30-25 record.

“I thought our guys competed at a very high level and gave two perennial baseball powers from major conferences all they could handle at the NCAA Regional in Raleigh,” Sinicki said. “I couldn’t be more proud of that group of 28 young men for what they accomplished and how they represented Binghamton University.”

The road to Raleigh wasn’t without its obstacles and hurdles, and in late April, with their record at 21-19, the Bearcats had reached a crucial point in their season. Coming off a skid in which his team had lost five out of six, Sinicki says it was the final stretch of conference play that proved to be the difference in his team’s season.

“I challenged our guys in late April to start playing with a sense of urgency and treating the season as the post-season because I really thought we were at a make or break point,” he said. “They responded, and responded in a big way.”

According to Sinicki, one of the biggest factors down the stretch that continued to develop as the season progressed was his team’s timely hitting. The Bearcats won four games by one run over their final slew of conference games leading up to the tournament and proved that they were capable of getting the big hit to eek out a win.

“Situational hitting was instrumental in the run we made late in the regular season and in the conference tournament,” he said. “I think our two-out hitting really provided a huge spark and gave the team a huge lift.”

Over the course of 2013, Binghamton’s success was undoubtedly founded upon the three arms at the front of its starting rotation. Lambert, senior Jay Lynch and junior Jack Rogalla posted ERAs of 3.12, 3.09 and 3.01, respectively, and all logged over 84 innings pitched.

When the offense sputtered, Sinicki said he could always rely on his three most consistent arms to give him a quality start.

“Our conference starters were the best 1-2-3 combination in the conference,” he said. “They were so steady and solid every time they took the mound. Each one of them kept the team in the game whenever they took the mound and gave us a chance to win.”

Meanwhile, Jake Thomas powered BU’s offense all season long. The sophomore outfielder finished the season with a .371 batting average, and his .517 on base percentage ranked third in the nation in 2013.

“Jake’s season in a word: remarkable,” Sinicki said. “The numbers speak for themselves, but what you don’t see in the numbers is the way he prepared and how hard he worked all season. Jake takes nothing for granted and is always trying to get better.

“He plays the game the right way … hard all the time.”

While Lambert and Lynch have graduated, almost every key position player is set to return for BU in 2014.

In addition to Lambert, junior second baseman Daniel Nevares, junior outfielders Shaun McGraw and Bill Bereszniewicz, sophomore outfielder Zach Blanden and freshman infielder David Schanz, all of whom hit over .286 this season, should be back to anchor the potent Bearcat offense.

For Sinicki, next season will be about building off of a successful 2013 campaign and getting back to the NCAA tournament, where, with his core group of players still intact, he believes his team will be poised to do some damage.

“Our goals and expectations never change from year to year,” he said. “We want to put ourselves in a position to win the America East Conference regular season and post-season tournament. Looking ahead to 2014 … the goals will remain the same.”