RICHMOND, Virginia — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore stands at 0-3 on the season so far after a stinging home loss to Buffalo on Sunday (Nov. 11) that the coaching staff felt was a missed opportunity.

That makes Wednesday night's matchup on the road at Richmond (0-3) all the more important. The Atlantic 10 opponent is coming off losses to Georgetown, Fairfield and Wake Forest to start the season.

"I am looking for energy," Eastern Shore head coach Fred Batchelor said. "We need a lot of energy. We're on the road playing a team that has struggled thus far. I think we need to be more excited about playing than them."

Batchelor is looking for his team to come out confident early against the Spiders after starting slow in their home opener against the Bulls. The Hawks (0-3) allowed Buffalo to gain control of the game early and while the squad battled back they were not able to take the lead in a single-digit loss.

"We need energy and enthusiasm for 40 minutes, but that start is going to be really important — as well as playing through frustration," Batchelor said. "Playing on the road, we know we are going to have to play through some things that don't go our way whether it is calls, turnovers or just not playing as well as we can. To me, it's a mental game more than anything and then we just need to execute offensively."

The Hawks rotation has been in flux over the first three games of the season, but four of the team's five starters have been the same for each contest. Seniors Ciani Byrom (Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Keyera Eaton (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) and Ra'Jean Martin (Jacksonville, Florida) have each started all three contests along with junior forward Ksenia Popovich (Moscow, Russia).

"I am not particularly sure what our rotation is going to look like," Batchelor said. "I know six or seven players deep, but then  when you start to go eight, nine and 10 we have had some kids we have had who played and had more opportunity who haven't played as well as kids who had less opportunity."

While those new faces who stood out in one game don't necessarily change the rotation immediately, Batchelor wants to reward the kids who showed that they were effective when he called upon then, while not losing those who struggled for one game, but can be a help throughout the season. It's a tough balancing act for any coaching staff.

"Getting bench production is huge," Batchelor said. "That is really going to be the difference in whether we are going to be successful. I like what we are getting out of our starters. If you could tell me  we would be getting the play we got on the inside during our last game, I'd have been pleasantly surprised. But the kids off the bench need to find a way to help us consistently."

That will start with finding the right five off the bench that will allow the team to run smoothly even if Byrom and Eaton are off the floor — something that hasn't happened yet consistently.

"I think the kids this day and age are seasoned," Bachelor said. "I'd like to have a kid I can commit to who is going to give me 15-20 minutes and production at that time. I think that inconsistency leaves uncertainty. We are developing as a team. Most of the kids that are coming off the bench are young kids. I really believe we have to find a second unit separate from our starters that are effective together.

"I think once we get that we'll be a better team."

The Hawks next will return home for games against Cheyney (Nov. 17, 2 p.m.) and Regent (Nov. 20, 6 p.m.).