March 25, 2005
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TERPS HOST CLEMSON THIS WEEKEND
The Terrapins look to get back on the winning track in Atlantic Coast Conference play when they host Clemson in a three-game set this weekend (March 25-27). Senior right-hander Chris Clem (1-2, 3.79 ERA) is expected to face Clemson's Josh Cribb (1-2, 3.38 ERA) in Friday's series opener (7 p.m. at Shipley Field).
Audio broadcasts are available for the weekend series, 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 THE TIGERS
2005 Record: 9-9 (2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference).
2004 Record: 39-26 (14-10 ACC).
All-Time Series: Maryland trails, 35-95-0.
Last Meeting: Clemson 8, Maryland 2 - April 4, 2004.
Notes: Clemson is 5-3 in eight games against ranked teams this season, including a three-game sweep of then-No. 18 Cal-Irvine (2/25-2/27) ... Clemson hasn't lost when it scores seven or more runs in a game (6-0) ... Old Dominion and Clemson met in Norfolk, Va. for two games this week, and the teams combined for just 19 hits and six runs in two games ... Clemson has played four different Carolina teams this season: Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, South Carolina and North Carolina.
Clemson enters its second weekend of conference play with a 2-1 ACC mark, winning the final two games of its series against No. 9 North Carolina. The Tigers allowed just six runs in the three-game set and won their two games by a combined 16-4 margin.
In that series against North Carolina, designated hitter/starting pitcher Kris Harvey homered twice and drove in seven runs on his way to being named ACC and National Player of the Week. For the year, Harvey is fourth in the conference with five home runs and seventh with 23 runs batted in. Both he and second baseman Taylor Harbin are slugging over .600 for the year, and Harbin leads the team with 26 hits, 18 runs scored, 11 doubles and 45 total bases. Tyler Colvin and Travis Storrer are both hitting over .300 this season, and four of first baseman Andy D'Alessio's eight hits have been home runs.
Harvey, one of the nation's premier talents, also leads the pitching staff with 29.2 innings pitched and three wins. In the same game he homered twice against North Carolina, he also one-hit the Tarheels over seven scoreless innings. Josh Cribb, Friday's expected starter leads the staff with 30 strikeouts and has a 3.38 ERA in 29.1 innings. Stephen Faris has been the Tigers' most effective reliever this season, throwing 17.1 innings in seven bullpen appearances and giving up just one run (0.52 ERA).
CURRENT STATS AND TRENDS
Pitching
Dating back to last season, 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, Chris Bowen has a 1.80 ERA when he comes out of the bullpen ... Bowen has a team-best 1.26 ERA this season and an opponent batting average of .163 ... all six of Brett Cecil's appearances have been at least 2.0 innings ... Chris Clem threw his first complete game of the season at Virginia (3/18), giving up three earned runs and striking out four in 8.0 innings ... Clem is now 3.2 innings and shy of fourth on the school's all-time innings pitched list and nine strikeouts shy of 200 for his career ... after some unfortunate earned runs at UNC Wilmington, Justin Hulse has lowered his ERA with each appearance (eight) he's made ... Hulse hasn't given up a run in his last six appearances and has twice as many strikeouts as hits allowed in his last seven appearances (2:1) ... the combination of newcomers Brett Jones, Brett Tidball and Michael Meagher closed out the second game of the Duquesne doubleheader (3/22) with 2.1 scoreless innings ... it was each of the three's first career appearance ... Sean Kane leads the team with 10.0 strikeouts per nine innings ... Ryan Moorer struck out the first batter of his career in the series finale at Virginia (3/20) ... Ben Pfinsgraff has 32 strikeouts and just four walks in 36.1 innings this season ... with four strikeouts on Saturday at UVa, Pfinsgraff went over the 100 career strikeout mark, currently sitting at 101 ... Mike Sufczynski won his second straight start in the doubleheader against Duquesne (Game Two, 3/22) ... Maryland has given up two runs in each game that Sufczynski has appeared in ... Brad Taylor threw a career-high 5.0 innings against Duquesne and struck out six batters.
Offense
Chad Durakis has a six-game hit streak, the team's second longest of the season ...Will Frazier's third inning home run moved him into a third place tie on the school's all-time extra-base hits (73) and a sixth place tie in home runs (28) ... Nick Jowers now has a four-game hit streak after singling three time in the doubleheader against Duquesne (3/22) ... in his last five games, Jowers is hitting .400 (6-for-15) with five walks and a .550 on-base percentage ... Matt Maropis has hits in five of his last six games ... Truan Mehl has reached base safely in 21 of the team's 22 games this season ... Mehl currently has a team season-high eight-game hit streak, with five of his last seven being multi-hit games ... Mehl has already matched his 2004 RBI total of 11 and is 17 total bases shy of matching in that category ... Dan Melvin is fifth in the ACC in doubles (0.45/g) and leads the team with 10 ... Melvin has hits in five of his last six games and is second on the team with a .522 slugging percentage ... freshman Joe Palumbo leads the team with 11 walks and has struck out just twice ... his walks account for 11 of his 18 times on base ... Elliot Singletary's last 10 hits have been for extra bases, and his eight doubles on the year rank fourth in the conference (0.47/g) ... Singletary is third on the team in slugging (.526) and has reached base in 12 of 13 games as the team's leadoff hitter ... first baseman Jordan Wilson has driven in at least one run in six of his last seven games and has a team-leading 17 RBI this season ... Maryland is 7-3 on the year in games that Wilson has at least one RBI.
RECAPPING THE DUQUESNE DOUBLEHEADER
Maryland baseball fell behind big early in the first of two games against Duquesne, but outscored the Dukes 15-3 over the final 13 innings of the doubleheader to earn a split (9/10 - 14/2). Twelve different Terps had hits and 10 scored runs to help jump start a Maryland offense that had scored 20 runs in its previous six games. Dan Melvin led that group with six hits and five runs, and Truan Mehl extended his team-best hitting streak to eight games.
Hitting out of the second spot in the lineup, Melvin went a combined 6-for-11 with five runs and three RBI for the day. Truan Mehl extended a hit streak to eight games, and Elliot Singletary continued a streak of 10 straight hits for extra bases.
Freshmen Chad Durakis and Nick Jowers each extended current hit streaks, with Durakis' current six-game streak tying for the team's second longest of the season. Jowers extended his streak to four games and walked twice on the day. In his last five games, Jowers is hitting .400, with five walks, two stolen bases and a .550 on-base percentage. Jordan Wilson had an RBI streak snapped at five games in the first game, but brought his season RBI total to a team-best 17 with a 2-for-5, two RBI second game.
On the mound, Mike Sufczynski won his second straight start with 6.2 innings, 7 hits, 2 runs and 5 strikeouts in the second game. Freshmen Brett Jones and Brett Tidball and junior transfer Michael Meagher each got their first career work to close out the game, and each held Duquesne scoreless.
THE TERRAPIN YOUTH MOVEMENT
With several players nursing injuries and working through early slumps, Head Coach Terry Rupp has looked to some Terp freshmen to step in and contribute right away. Joe Palumbo and Nick Jowers have been forces at the bottom of the Maryland order of late, getting on base and turning the lineup over for Elliot Singletary and company. Palumbo has made 11 starts at second base and two more appearances at shortstop this season. He's hitting .188, but has a .409 on-base percentage and is showing maturity beyond his years in the middle infield.
Jowers has started in center field in five straight games and is hitting .400 (6-for-15) with five walks over that span. Defensively, he is showing good instincts, range and grace as a center fielder, having made a running catch on the warning track at Virginia and gunning a Duquesne runner out at the plate in the last week.
Catcher Chad Durakis stepped in and started 11 of the team's first 12 games this season. Since senior Bobby Ryan returned to the lineup, Durakis has made starts behind the plate and at DH and has responded with a current six-game hitting streak and .274 average. Defensively, the early learning experience and a good catcher's body should allow Durakis to blossom over his Maryland career.
Brett Cecil, Ryan Moorer, Mike Sufczynski and Brad Taylor have all made big contributions on the mound this year. Cecil was the first reliever out of the bullpen against Western Kentucky, and he ranks among the conference leaders with two saves.
Moorer seems to have won the final weekend starting spot, having made the last two Sunday starts. He has improved in each of his four appearances this season, and went a career-high 4.1 innings last weekend at Virginia.
Sufczynski and Taylor have been major factors in mid-week games this season, combining to start three games (all Maryland wins). Sufczynski throws a hard fastball and tight breaking ball that have proven to be a dominant combination so far. He is 2-0 with a 2.40 ERA in 15.0 innings and is coming off career-highs of 6.2 innings and seven strikeouts against Duquesne (Game Two).
Taylor has appeared in one game as a starter and two as a reliever, and is coming off a 5.0 inning appearance in the first game against Duquesne (3/22). The freshman stays under control and is always around the plate, and he's been able to keep opponents in check when he keeps the ball down in the zone. In 11.1 innings this season, Taylor has a 3.18 ERA and 11 strikeouts.
WILSON PRODUCES WINS
First baseman Jordan Wilson, the team's RBI leader (17), has driven in runs in 10 of the 16 games he's played in this season. Maryland is 7-3 in those 10 games and 2-4 when Wilson does not collect an RBI.
Wilson just had a five-game RBI streak snapped in the first game of a doubleheader against Duquesne (3/22), but rebounded in the second game with two doubles and two RBI. Wilson has four doubles in his last five games and is leading the team this season with a .542 slugging percentage and .446 on-base percentage.
TERP PITCHERS EFFICIENT IN THEIR WORK
Led by a combined 53 strikeouts and 10 walks from Friday and Saturday starters, Chris Clem and Ben Pfinsgraff, the Maryland pitching staff has an ACC-best 140:46 strikeout-to-walk ratio this season. Pfinsgraff is the team's leader in the category, having struck out 32 and walked just four in 36.1 innings this year, and Clem has walked just six in a team-high 38.0 innings.
The Terp staff also leads the ACC with just 46 walks and 2.20 walks per nine innings. Twelve Terrapin pitchers are averaging 3.00 walks per nine or better, an efficiency that has led to significant Maryland advantages in both walks (76-46) and on-base percentage (.363-.343).
RECAPPING VIRGINIA
Coming off a doubleheader split against James Madison, the Terps headed to Charlottesville, Va. for a three-game conference set against Virginia. Virginia, winners of its last nine games, swept a series of games that were each decided by three runs or less.
On Friday, despite a complete game effort by Chris Clem, the Terps dropped the first game of the series, 4-1. Virginia starter, Mike Ballard, threw a complete game, five-hitter, as Maryland lost its first game of the season against a left-handed starter.
Saturday was a heartbreaker for Maryland, which led 5-1 through five innings. A four-run Virginia sixth was capped by an error on a run-down play at home plate and tied the game up at 5-5 through six. The Cavaliers turned to their closer, Casey Lambert, who proceeded to throw 2.2 hitless innings of relief. Chris Bowen was equally effective until giving up a ninth inning walk-off home run to pinch hitter Chris Hudson. Hudson hit an 0-2 offering into a wind that was blowing out to left field, and the home run just cleared the left field wall.
Virginia's Jeff Kamrath stifled Terp hitters on Sunday, throwing 8.0 shutout innings before giving way to Lambert to close out the game. All nine of Virginia's starters had hits, and the Cavaliers scored runs in five different innings to score a 5-2 victory and a series sweep. Nick Jowers and Truan Mehl each had multi-hit games for the Terps, and Jowers drove in his first career RBI with a two-run double in the bottom of the ninth.
STREAKING OUT OF CHARLOTTESVILLE
Despite a tough weekend against Virginia, several Terps current streaks, including Jordan Wilson who extended an RBI streak to five games. Chad Durakis and Wilson each extended hitting streaks to five games, and Truan Mehl extended his current hit streak to a team season-high six games. Justin Hulse lowered his ERA for the seventh straight time and continued a five-appearance scoreless streak. Chris Clem made his fourth straight start of 6.0 innings or more, and Nick Jowers reached base for the third straight game.
OUTFIELD CONTINUES TO PERFORM
With the emergence of freshman Nick Jowers into the outfield mix, the Terrapins now have a solid four-man rotation for the three positions. Will Frazier (left field) and Truan Mehl (right) have settled into the corner outfield spots, and Nick Jowers is showing great promise as a defensive center fielder. Jowers started the final two games of the Virginia series and showed great range and outfield instincts. On Saturday, he ran down a line drive to the base of the left-center field wall, making the catch on the warning track in a tight game.
Frazier also made an impressive catch over the weekend, laying out to make a catch on a liner towards the left field line. Truan Mehl is the key to the Terp outfield, flashing the team's best arm and range, and Brian Jarosinski can play each of the three the outfield positions.
Offensively, Mehl is the team leader with 28 hits and 13 runs and has been a consistent threat from the left side of the plate. Frazier has struggled to start the year, but was one of the Atlantic Coast Conference's best hitters in 2004, and Jarosisinski's powerful bat yielded 16 home runs and 58 RBI a year ago.
SLUGGING AWAY
Infielders Dan Melvin and Elliot Singletary both continue to rake for the Terps, and both continue to elevate their slugging percentages with extra-base hits. Melvin, the team's doubles leader, is second on the team with a .538 slugging percentage, and has hits in seven of his last eight games. Last season, Melvin fell just short of Maryland's single season doubles list with 16. This season, he is on pace for 24 doubles, which would place him among the program's single season leaders.
Singletary is slugging .526 this season and is tied for second on the team with eight doubles. The senior has also led two games off with a home run and has 10 RBI in his last 13 games. Singletary's last 10 hits have been for extra bases, and he has found his way on base with five walks and two hit-by-pitches in the last nine games.
CLEM CLOSING IN ON CAREER LEADERS
Senior Chris Clem, a four-year starter at Maryland, continues to close in on several school career lists. He is fifth all-time at Maryland with 250.1 innings and stands 43.2 innings shy of career innings pitched leader, John Rayne (1989-92). Clem is nine strikeouts shy of ninth on the Maryland career list and four wins shy of sixth place.
LEFTIES ANCHOR TERP BULLPEN
Through 22 games this season, three Terp left-handers have earned run averages at 2.25 or below. Chris Bowen leads that group with a 1.26 ERA, 1-1 record and one save in five appearances. Brett Cecil got off to a red-hot start and is 1-0 with two saves and a 2.25 ERA. Baron, the team leader in walks-per-nine innings last season (1.27) is nursing a sore elbow, but has given up one earned run in three appearances this year (1.80 ERA).
PALUMBO ADDS SPARK TO MARYLAND LINEUP
Though he has hit below .200 for the season, freshman Joe Palumbo has been a prototypical nine-hole hitter since making his first start at the Charleston Challenge. Palumbo had a hit in each of his first four starts and got off to a .357 start at the plate, with his approach helping to turn the lineup over and giving Maryland's big bats more opportunities to hit with men on base.
Palumbo has been patient and has stayed within himself at the plate, seeing pitches and hitting the ball where it's pitched. For the year, his scrappy approach has yielded a team-high 11 walks and a .409 on-base percentage.
MEHL DOES IT ALL FOR THE TERPS
In his second year at Maryland, senior right fielder Truan Mehl has blossomed into one of the team's most valuable players, both offensively and defensively. At the plate, he leads the team with 31 hits and six stolen bases and has reached base 12 times via bases on balls (7) and hit by pitches (5).
Defensively, Mehl has been a lockdown defender with the most powerful arm on the team. Mehl has made three standout diving catches this year, with the Terps winning each of those games. In Rock Hill, S.C., Mehl made a diving catch with a runner on third and two outs in the eighth inning of a 2-1 win against Western Kentucky. Against UMES (3/9), he made another diving grab to end an inning, laying out on a sinking line drive in the Terps' comeback win over the Hawks. He made a similar catch to rob Duquesne of a base hit, coming on late and extending to for a key second out of the inning.
MOORER SHOWS PROMISE IN FIRST CAREER START
After two bullpen appearances, freshman right-hander Ryan Moorer made his first career start in the series finale at NC State (3/13). The 13th round draft choice (Chicago Cubs) showed improved command and development of his secondary pitches. Moorer features a low 90's fastball as well as an improving power curveball and quality change-up. NC State hitters had a difficult time catching up with Moorer's fastball, with his curveball and change-up keeping hitters off balance.
Bobby Ryan BACK BEHIND THE DISH
Senior Bobby Ryan made his first start of the season against UMES (3/9) after working through some personal issues at the start of the year. Ryan is a big, strong player who can take control of a game behind the plate. He is also one of the top catch-and-throw guys in the conference and a player who threw out over 30 percent of would-be base stealers in 2004.
Ryan has quick feet behind the plate and can throw with a free and easy release from multiple arm angles. Since returning to the Maryland lineup, his reputation alone has slowed down opponents' running games, and his chemistry with veteran starters Chris Clem and Ben Pfinsgraff could pay huge dividends through conference play. Offensively, Ryan has shown an improved stroke and an ability to hit from both sides of the plate. In the series finale at NC State (3/13), Ryan recorded his first two hits of the season, including a hard double and run scored in the fourth inning.
SINGLETARY SETTLING IN AT LEADOFF SPOT
Since senior Elliot Singletary returned to action against Virginia Tech (3/4), he has been a starter in 14 of the team's 15 games. Singletary has settled into the leadoff spot in the order and has been just the type of hitter the Maryland lineup has needed. He has reached base in 13 of those 14 games and has had four multi-hit games and three multi-RBI games. He had four extra-base hits at NC State (3/11-3/13), including a leadoff home run in the first game of the series - a 15-6 Maryland win.
On top of the offensive production, Singletary has also shown a knack for getting on base and the toughness of a good leadoff hitter. In his last 10 games, he has five walks, two hit-by-pitches and a team-high four sacrifice bunts.
INJURY REPORT
Junior OF Justin Maxwell will be out 6-to-8 weeks with a broken left hand, retroactive to March 14 ... sophomore LHP Casey Baron tweaked his throwing elbow at NC State and is day-to-day with the injury ... senior infielder Elliot Singletary has been limited to first base and DH duties since opening weekend due to a right shoulder injury.
