Terp Baseball Hits The Road For Three-Game Set At NC State

March 10, 2005

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TERPS HIT THE ROAD FOR THREE-GAME SET WITH NC STATE

Winners of five of its last six games, Maryland (8-4, 2-1 ACC) next heads to NC State (13-4, 1-2 ACC) for its first conference road series of the season. The Terps are off to their best start through 12 games since 2002 (10-2), and have won eight of their first 12 games for the second time since 1980.

Audio broadcasts are available all weekend, with links available on www.umterps.com and www.wmucsports.com. Live stats will also be available 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, game recaps, feature stories and more.

PREVIEWING NC STATE

All-Time Series: Maryland trails 46-85-1.

2005 Record: 13-4, 1-2 ACC.

2004 Record: 36-24.

The Wolfpack will enter this weekend's games with a 13-4 overall record, including a 6-0 win over UNC Wilmington on Wednesday. With a 19-10 record at Doak Field last season and a 9-0 home record this season, NC State has proven tough to beat at home. Probable starters, Phillip Davidson (1-2, 3.13 ERA), Jeff Stallings (3-1, 4.94 ERA) and Gib Hobson (3-1, 5.32 ERA) have each made at least four starts this season.

Stallings leads the team with 23.2 innings pitched this season and has a 15:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. As a whole, the NC State starters have had a tough task in replacing All-America pitchers Michael Rogers and Vern Sterry, who each won nine games last season.

Six of nine position players have returned this season, led by second baseman Matt Camp outfielder Lee Mezistrano - both .300 hitters last season. This season, four Wolfpack hitters are above the .400 mark through 17 games, with Matt Devine leading the team with a .462 average and .561 on-base percentage. As a team, NC State is hitting .328 with 138 runs scored (8.1 runs/g), 61 extra-base hits and 74 walks this season.

Devine is the older brother of preseason All-America reliever Joey Devine, who has been dominant in seven appearances this season. Devine has given up two runs in 8.2 innings, while striking out 15 and walking just one this season.

CURRENT STATS AND TRENDS

Pitching

Josh Andrews has a 3.06 ERA in his last 10 non-conference appearances ... dating back to last season, left-hander Casey Baron has given up two earned runs in his last 11 appearances of less than 2.0 innings (1.59 ERA in 11.1 innings) ... In the last two seasons, left-hander Chris Bowen has a 2.00 ERA when he comes out of the bullpen ... Brett Cecil gave up his first run of the season against Virginia Tech, but has a 0.90 ERA and 11:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio ... nearly half of Chris Clem's runs given up this season are unearned (6 of 13) ... the senior is 0-1 with a 2.78 ERA ... after some unfortunate earned runs at UNC Wilmington, Justin Hulse has lowered his ERA with each appearance (four) he's made ... Ben Pfinsgraff has struck out 22 batters this season, with only two walks ... Pfinsgraff has struck out 16, walked none and given up no extra-base hits in his last two starts ... Mike Sufczynski made his first collegiate appearance on Wednesday against UMES and struck out four batters in 2.1 innings ... Brad Taylor gave up three hits and two runs in the first inning against UMES, but gave up two hits and no runs over his final 3.0 innings.

Offense

Maryland is 4-0 when Chad Durakis scores at least one run ... with two home runs and one double against Virginia Tech, Will Frazier moved up on Maryland's career lists to fifth place in extra-base hits (71) and a seventh place tie in home runs (27) ... Brian Jarosinski is hitting .474 in his last six games (9-for-19) and has five RBI and five extra-base hits over that span ... Nick Jowers has appeared in the team's last six games and has seen time as a left fielder, center fielder and pinch runner in seven games this season ... Truan Mehl had career-highs of five hits and three runs on Sunday against Virginia Tech and tied a career-high with three RBI on Friday ... against UMES, Mehl went 1-for-3 with two RBI, two HBPs and two stolen bases ... Dan Melvin leads the team in doubles (six) and extra-base hits (seven) and is tied for the team-lead with eight runs ... freshman Joe Palumbo leads active Terps with a .522 on-base percentage, having walked six times and struck out just once ... catcher Bobby Ryan made his first appearance of the season, starting behind the plate in Game One against UMES on Wednesday ... Elliot Singletary has led off from the DH spot in the team's last four games ... Jason Von Behren raised his batting average 89 points (.148 to .237) with a 5-for-11, three-run, four-RBI series against Virginia Tech ... over his last six games, Von Behren has struck out just three times, after starting the year with nine strikeouts in his first six games ... first baseman Jordan Wilson drove in three more runs against UMES, bringing his team-high season RBI total to 12.

RECAPPING THE DOUBLEHEADER VS. UMES

The team had more walks (11) than hits (nine) in a pair of games against UMES, but was able to manufacture eight runs and sweep a doubleheader over the Hawks. Fighting off frigid temperatures and a persistent UMES team, Maryland baseball swept its Wednesday doubleheader (3/5-2/1) to move to 8-4 on the young season.

Brian Jarosinski led the team with three hits, and Maryland held the Hawk offense to six hits and a run over the final 13 innings to pick up its fifth win in six games.

The Terps faced an early two-run deficit in the first game, after UMES strung together three first inning hits off Maryland starter Brad Taylor. The freshman, Taylor, made his first career appearance and start in the game, putting together a line of 4.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 K. Taylor settled down after leaving the ball up in the zone early and retired nine of his next 10 batters to keep the Terps in the game.

Brian Jarosinski got the Terps on the board in the second inning with one of two RBI base hits in the game. After Dan Melvin hit a two-out triple to right field, Jarosinski drilled an RBI double to deep left center field.

Two innings later, Jarosinski would drive in his fifth RBI in five games and tie the game up at 2-2. Jarosinski ripped a Jason Janeski offering to left field to score Jason Von Behren from second base. The junior outfielder now has eight hits (five for extra bases) and those five RBI in his last five games.

Mike Sufczynski was dominant in his first career appearance, relieving Taylor in the fifth inning. Sufczynski gave up just a hit and a walk, while striking out four over 2.1 innings.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Terps plated the game-winning run, despite not recording a hit in the inning. Joe Palumbo led off the inning with a walk, and pinch-runner Matt Maropis was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Elliot Singletary. With a runner on second, Truan Mehl was intentionally walked to set up a righty-vs.-righty matchup with Will Frazier. After a double steal by Maropis and Mehl, Frazier was put on first to load the bases for Jordan Wilson. On the second pitch of Wilson's at-bat, Sean Davis came too far inside and hit Wilson to drive in the game-winner.

In Game Two, Josh Andrews threw 5.0 dominant innings, giving up two hits and a walk to pick up his first win of the season. The Maryland offense struggled to get going, but put up four runs in a deciding fifth inning to nail down a 5-1 win.

Jordan Wilson had the Terps' lone hit of the four-run inning, lining a single to right field and driving in two runs. Two Terps walked, two more were hit by pitches and one reached by error to build a four-run cushion late in the seven-inning game.

Andrews was in control most of the game, retiring eight straight Hawk batters at one point and throwing 42 of his 66 pitches for strikes. Casey Baron relieved Andrews in the sixth and threw 2.0 shutout innings to close out the game. Baron lowered his season ERA to 1.80 and allowed just one hit, as the Hawks never threatened late.

SHIPLEY FIELD OPENS TO RAVE REVIEWS

Though delayed with the postponement of last Wednesday's game against Towson, the re-opening of Shipley Field did not disappoint. Shipley opened to rave reviews in the Terps' conference-opening series, with a crowd of 412 in attendance despite windy and chilly conditions.

Contoured vinyl seats and remodeled restrooms have made for a more comfortable fan experience at Maryland games, while flags of Atlantic Coast Conference member institutions and a new sound system have given Shipley a more fan friendly, aesthetically pleasing look. On the field, the addition of batting cages and a bullpen gives both teams a better means to prepare for games, with padding and a revamped warning track making for a safer playing environment for players.

RECAPPING THE VIRGINIA TECH SERIES

Maryland got contributions across the board in taking two of three from Virginia Tech. The offense had 36 hits and scored 24 runs. The pitching gave up six runs in the first two games, both wins, and the defense put together a string of 16 errorless innings between the first and second games.

Five different Terps scored runs in the series opener, as Maryland scored two runs in the eighth inning to break a late 4-4 tie. Dan Melvin hit a three-run double in the third to help the Terps get off to a 4-0 lead, but Virginia Tech fought back to tie the game with runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Melvin scored the eventual game-winner on a wild pitch in the eighth, and Jason Von Behren tacked on an insurance run with an RBI single.

Ben Pfinsgraff made his second straight quality start in Game Two of the series, as the Terps again rallied late for a 6-2 win. Pfinsgraff breezed through five scoreless innings, before giving up two runs in the sixth and leaving with a no-decision. Jordan Wilson was 2-for-4 with two runs, with each of his hits starting Maryland scoring innings. Chris Bowen threw three scoreless innings of relief to pick up the win, his first of the season.

With the wind blowing out in the third and final game, the teams combined for 36 hits and 25 runs as Tech out-slugged Maryland, 13-12. Six home runs were hit in the game, equaling the number of homers hit in all of Maryland's first nine games combined. Will Frazier hit one of those, his second in two games, and drove in a career-high tying five RBI. Truan Mehl went a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate and made an impressive diving catch on a sinking line drive early in the game.

TERPS WITH CAREER DAYS AGAINST VIRGINIA TECH

Will Frazier tied career-highs with four hits and five RBI (3/6) ... Truan Mehl had career-highs with five hits and three runs (3/6) ... Dan Melvin had a career-high three RBI (3/4) ... Joe Palumbo had his first career multi-hit day (3/6) ... Elliot Singletary set new career-bests with three hits and three runs (3/6) ... Jason Von Behren hit his first career home run (at UMD) and had his first career multi-RBI day (3/6).

PITCHING KEEPS TERPS IN GAMES

The surprising start of Brett Cecil is one of many early success stories for Terp pitchers this season. Cecil picked up saves in his first two appearances, and has given up just one earned run in 10.0 innings. Both of Cecil's saves have been in relief of Ben Pfinsgraff, who won his first three starts of the season.

Pfinsgraff has given up just 17 hits and five earned runs in 25 innings so far this season, and has a 22:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. A Saturday starter in each of the first four weekends, the junior right-hander has only allowed more baserunners than innings pitched in just one of his four starts. He has thrown four different pitches for strikes, including 74 of his 88 total pitches against Towson at the Charleston Challenge.

Seven of the 12 Maryland pitchers who have seen action this year have sub-3.00 ERAs through the first 12 games, and the Maryland staff has climbed to fourth in the ACC with a 3.93 team ERA (as of 3/7). With a number of viable relief options in tight games, head coach Terry Rupp has also been able to keep all of those arms fresh. Only Brett Cecil has made more than three relief appearances in 12 games this season, and the Terps' top two starters (Pfinsgraff and Chris Clem) are both among the ACC's innings pitched leaders.

Terp Baseball Hits The Road For Three-Game Set At NC State

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