University of Maryland Athletics

Terp Baseball Heads South For Three-Game Set With UNC-Wilmington

Baseball Maryland Athletics

Terp Baseball Heads South For Three-Game Set With UNC-Wilmington

Feb. 17, 2005

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TERPS TRAVEL TO UNC-WILMINGTON THIS WEEKEND

  • After earning a split in last weekend's Coca Cola Classic, the University of Maryland baseball team travels to Wilmington, N.C. for a three-game set with UNC-Wilmington this weekend (Fri.-Sun., Feb. 18-20). With a win over Western Kentucky and a loss to No. 28/25 Winthrop last weekend, Maryland enters the weekend with a 1-1 record in 2005. UNC-Wilmington is 3-2 with a pending game against Duke.

  • There will be no audio broadcasts this weekend, with repairs being made to the WMUC Sports website. Live stats will be available for each of the three games by logging on to the www.umterps.com baseball site.

  • Information can now be submitted to join an online newsletter mailing list. Titled "The Maryland Baseball Bulletin", the newsletter is sent to you each time new information is posted to the Maryland website. This includes weekend previews, recaps sent shortly after all games, feature stories and more. The application can be found here.

    PREVIEWING THE SEAHAWKS

  • UNC-Wilmington has returned 21 letterwinners, seven starting position players and eight pitchers this season, and has gotten off to a 3-2 start. The Seahawks opened the season with back-to-back wins over Maryland-Eastern Shore, outscoring the Fighting Hawks 26-0 over the two games.

  • UNCW moved on to play a three-game set with last year's ACC runner-up Virginia and dropped two of the three tight contests. Starting pitcher Zach Kimball moved to 2-0 on the season, giving up one earned run over five innings of work in the series opener. Game Two starter Ronald Hill extended his scoreless inning streak to 11 with six shutout innings, but the Seahawks fell, 2-0. Virginia All-American Ryan Zimmerman drove in two runs and scored two more, leading the Cavaliers to a 7-4 victory in the third and final game of the series.

  • The Seahawks were picked by Colonial Athletic Association coaches and Baseball America as the preseason favorites to win the conference. Infielders Matt Sutton and Jonathan Batts, each All-CAA selections in 2004, return to the UNCW lineup this season, as well as a group of starting pitchers that accounted for all but one of the team's starts last season. Senior Ronald Hill was called the conference's best control pitcher by BA and was among the nation's leaders with 12 wins in '04. Senior Zach Kimball was named the CAA Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 15, after winning his first two starts of the season.

    RECAPPING THE COCA COLA CLASSIC

  • 2/12 vs. No.28/25 Winthrop: A five-run Winthrop second inning and the absence of a timely hit by the Maryland offense was ultimately too much to overcome in the team's season opener. The team fell 8-0 to a tough Winthrop team, but gave plenty of reason to be optimistic for the remainder of the season.

  • The Maryland bats showed life, pounding out nine hits, but the team was just 4-for-15 with runners on base and 0-for-2 with the bases loaded. Infielders Matt Maropis and Dan Melvin led the offense with two hits each, and Will Frazier was 1-for-3 with a walk.

  • 2/13 vs. Western Kentucky: Ben Pfinsgraff got big outs to work out of first and second inning jams and went seven strong innings to help beat Western Kentucky 2-1. Justin Maxwell and Jordan Wilson each hit solo home runs, with Wilson's third-inning shot to left field proving to be the game's winning run.

  • Freshman Brett Cecil impressively closed out the game with scoreless eighth and ninth innings. He left a runner on third base in the eighth inning before striking out the side in the bottom of the ninth. The left-hander preserved the Terps' one run lead and picked up the save.

    DEFENSE AND PITCHING SHOW MARKED IMPROVEMENT

  • The Maryland defense showed huge improvement under new infielders coach Carmen Carcone, with Matt Maropis, Dan Melvin, Elliot Singletary and Jason Von Behren all making rangy plays over the weekend. The group as a whole had no errors in 48 chances and showed the type of range, versatility and glove work to keep Maryland in games all season.

    The Maryland pitching staff overcame a tough second inning against Winthrop, with starter Sean Kane being the victim of a key physical and mental error. The staff closed out that game giving up two earned runs the rest of the way, behind five strong innings from Chris Clem.

  • The next day, junior Ben Pfinsgraff and freshman Brett Cecil combined to hold a solid Western Kentucky offense to just five hits and one run in the team's Sunday win. Pfinsgraff threw 50 of his 70 pitches for strikes and kept hitters off balance with a spotted fastball and sharp breaking pitches. Cecil got the ball in the eighth inning of a 2-1 game and picked up a save in his first collegiate appearance. After allowing a leadoff single, the freshman retired six straight batters and struck out WKU's 2-3-4 hitters in the bottom of the ninth to preserve the one run lead.

    THE SHIPLEY EFFECT

  • Last season was an unquestionable endurance test for the entire Maryland team, but no more so than for the group of infielders. In addition to all of the woes associated with a season-long road trip, the Maryland infield started a freshman (Dan Melvin), first-time starter (Matt Maropis) and two junior transfers (Kevin Hart and Elliot Singletary).

  • This season, with the completion of Shipley Field's artificial turf infield surface, the team not only has a field to practice on regularly, but a surface that's comparable in speed to its indoor practice facility.

  • In addition to the extra practice time, last season allowed middle infielders Maropis and Singletary to jell as a unit and sophomore Dan Melvin to grow as a player. Jason Von Behren and Jordan Wilson could platoon at first base, with each making solid contributions opening weekend.

    CARCONE JOINS THE MARYLAND STAFF

  • Maryland rounded out its coaching staff in August with the hiring of assistant coach Carmen Carcone. Carcone joins the Terps after serving as the head coach at both Dowling College and for the Cape Cod League's Orleans Cardinals. He was a combined 152-82 in five years at Dowling, and was named NYCAC Coach of the Year in 2002 after leading the program to its first ever NCAA Regional appearance. Carcone also won Cape Cod League Manager of the Year honors in 2002 and led the Cardinals to a Cape Cod League Championship in 2003.

  • At Maryland, he works with the infielders and serves as the program's recruiting coordinator. A former second baseman at Illinois-Chicago, Carcone has extensive knowledge and experience working with infielders and has had tremendous success at each of his coaching stops.

    MAXWELL HEADLINES PRESEASON HONORS

  • For the second straight year, junior center fielder Justin Maxwell was named a preseason All-American by Baseball America. Maxwell, a second-team selection, joined seven other Atlantic Coast Conference players on BA's three teams, the second-most of any conference in the country (nine, Pac-10). In addition to All-America honors, Baseball America and the league's coaches called Maxwell the conference's best athlete and best defensive outfielder.

  • Maxwell was also one of the three Terps named to SEBaseball.com's preseason All-ACC teams. He was the lone first-team choice, with Matt Maropis and Will Frazier each being named to the second-team. Maropis and Frazier, earning their first career selections, both hit over .350 last season and finished among the conference's top 10 hitters.

    FRAZIER MOVING UP MARYLAND ALL-TIME LISTS

  • Coming off his most productive season as a Terp, senior Will Frazier is among the program's top 10 on three career batting lists. He ranks sixth in career doubles with 43, ninth with 24 career home runs and is tied for eighth place with 67 extra-base hits. If he can duplicate last year's career-best numbers, Frazier could leave College Park as Maryland's all-time leader in doubles, extra-base hits and possibly home runs. 

    Career Doubles
1.	Anthony Buffone	59	2001-04
2.	Matt Swope	47	1999-2002
	Brian Petenaude	47	1998-2001
	Chuck Easter	47	1997-2001
5.	Ken Noe	45	1990-92
6.	Will Frazier	43	2002-pr.
7.	Chris Smoot	42	1989-92

    Career Home Runs
1.	Paul Schager	43	1984-87
2.	Scott Patterson	32	1985-88
	John Brisee	32	1978-81
4.	Tim Gordon	30	1980-82
5.	Craig Munroe	29	1997-2000
6.	Chris Smoot	28	1989-92
7.	Scott Bronowicz	27	1995-98
8.	John McCurdy	26	2000-02
9.	Will Frazier	24	2002-pr.
10.	Derek Hacopian	23	1992

    Career Extra-Base Hits
1.	Paul Schager	81	1984-87
2.	Ken Noe	80	1990-92
3.	Chris Smoot	73	1989-92
4.	John McCurdy	72	2000-02
5.	Anthony Buffone	69	2001-04
	Matt Swope	69	1999-2002
7.	Scott Patterson	68	1985-88
8.	John Brisee	67	1978-81
	Will Frazier	67	2002-pr.
10.	Craig Munroe	65	1997-00

    MELVIN CONTINUES TO COME AROUND

  • Sophomore infielder Dan Melvin is one of many Terps that had sharp fall workouts, locking up the third base position to start the year. Melvin settled in at third last season, but also made starts at second base and shortstop. He is again providing depth at short and second as an important part of the Terrapins' flexible infield.

  • Offensively, Melvin raised his average to .262 at the end of 2004, hitting .302 in the month of May. He was also one of the team's top clutch hitters, hitting .354 with runners on base and driving in 20 two-out RBI. Hitting behind some big bats in the Terrapin lineup will give Melvin plenty of opportunities to hit with men on base this season.

    THE FRIENDLY CONFINES

  • With the installation of Shipley Field's artificial turf infield last season, home games were played in local minor league stadiums in Aberdeen, Md., Bowie, Md., and Frederick, Md. With as much as an hour commute to and from each park, the players began to tire down the stretch and had a tough second half of the conference schedule.

  • The turf infield project was wrapped up this summer, and Shipley is currently seeing improvements in the form of: new batting cages, expanded press box, bucket seats in the stands, upgraded restrooms and a 20-foot extension on the outfield fence.

  • With the move away from the more spacious minor league stadiums and into a renovated Shipley Field, the power bats of the Terrapin lineup will have shorter power alleys in left- and right-center field. The combination of the improvements and an easier travel schedule could mean an increase in the team's overall power numbers and a fresher lineup closing out the year.

    SOUTHPAW SUMMER

  • Among the Terps that had productive summers, three Maryland left-handers excelled in their respective summer leagues. Casey Baron continued to develop and again posted great control numbers. Brett Cecil was dominant in his intro to collegiate play, and the newest Terp, Michael Meagher, gave up just 11 hits in 20.2 innings in his second season with the Newport Gulls (New England Collegiate Baseball League).

  • Casey Baron, Bethesda Big Train (Clark Griffith League): Baron built on his successful freshman campaign with the Terps, going 5-2 in nine appearances for Bethesda of the Clark Griffith League. He made six starts, had one complete game and was among the league leaders with a 1.93 ERA. He struck out 43 batters and walked just 12 in 51.1 innings for the Big Train, after issuing a team-low 1.27 walks per nine innings for the Terps last season.

  • Brett Cecil, Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts (Clark Griffith League): Freshman Brett Cecil got his first taste of collegiate baseball by having a great summer in the Clark Griffith League. He made 11 appearances and nine starts for Silver Spring-Takoma, posting a 1.94 ERA, 47 strikeouts and just eight walks in 60.1 innings. Cecil will likely see some spot starts and relief duties to start the 2005 season.

  • Michael Meagher, Newport Gulls (New England Collegiate League): Terp newcomer Mike Meagher tied a team-high with 17 appearances for Newport of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) and had a 2.18 ERA in 20.2 innings of work. He struck out 36 batters and walked just 10, but his most impressive stat was his 11 hits allowed in 20.2 innings. He'll join the Terrapin bullpen in 2005 and provide another quality left-handed arm.

    JAWS TAKES A BITE OUT OF THE MARYLAND RECORD BOOKS

  • Junior outfielder Brian Jarosinski, a starter in all 56 games last year, split time in left, right and center fields and left his mark on several of the school's single-season records lists. Jarosinski's 16 home runs (t-6th), 31 extra-base hits (t-10th), 58 RBI (10th) and 217 at-bats (9th) were all among the top 10 single-season totals in school history, and he also tied a Maryland record with three home runs in a game versus Hartford (3/14/04).

  • A .314 hitter as a redshirt freshman, Jarosinski's average dipped as his power numbers went up last year, but look for the junior to find a happy medium and become a more complete hitter in 2005. He's worked hard over the summer and fall to become a better contact hitter, and he'll be surrounded by a number of quality veteran bats this season. With more lineup protection, he should see better pitches to hit and have more opportunities to drive in runs this spring.
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