March 29, 2005
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TERPS HOST UMBC, TEMPLE IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION
Concluding its seven-game home stand, Maryland baseball will host UMBC on Tuesday, March 29 and Temple on Wednesday, March 30. Brett Cecil (1-0, 2.60 ERA) will make his first career start against UMBC, and Mike Sufczynski (2-0, 2.40 ERA) will look for his third straight win Wednesday against Temple.
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 UMBC
2005 Record: 4-10 (0-0 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference).
2004 Record: 14-38 (6-15 MEAC).
All-Time Series: Maryland leads, 35-12-0.
Last Meeting: Maryland 2, UMBC 0 - April 7, 2004.
UMBC will come to College Park with a 4-10 overall record and a 1-7 road record. Five of the team's 10 losses this season have been by two runs or less, including extra-inning games at Old Dominion and at Georgetown. In their last action, the Retrievers split a doubleheader with Buffalo on March 25, winning the second game, 5-3.
First baseman Kyle Wildasin leads the UMBC offense with a .379 average, six extra-base hits and 30 total bases. Alex Laddbush is hitting .364 and leads the team with a .568 slugging percentage. As a team, the Retrievers have 31 extra-base hits, compared to 53 by their opponents. Opponents are hitting .323, slugging .506 and have a .394 on-base percentage against UMBC, outscoring the Retrievers 103-73 in 14 games this season.
Right-hander Blake Phipps leads the team with a 0.75 ERA in six relief appearances, but has walked eight and struck out three in 12.0 innings. Wildasin is also a regular UMBC starter, tying for second on the team with three starts this season. Four different Retrievers have wins this season, including Jon Pavlis and Eric Butkiewicz, who have each thrown complete games.
PREVIEWING TEMPLE
2005 Record: 7-11 (0-3 Atlantic 10).
2004 Record: 23-26 (10-14 A-10).
All-Time Series: Series is tied, 4-4-0.
Last Meeting: Maryland 8, Temple 4 - April 3, 2002.
Temple was rained out of its Tuesday game against Maryland-Eastern Shore and will enter Wednesday's non-conference game with a 7-11 record. The Owls were swept at home by Richmond in three tight ball games after defeating UMES earlier in the week (11-6, 3/22).
Mike Weckenman and Devon Swope each lead the Temple offense with respective .288 and .286 batting averages, and Jason Connor leads the team with 14 runs scored. Collectively, Temple is hitting .225 with 28 extra-base hits, four home runs and a .291 slugging percentage this season. Owl hitters have walked 85 times and have been hit by 23 pitches for a solid .348 on-base percentage, but have struck out 145 times.
Owl pitchers have allowed opposing hitters to hit just .260 against them, led by Tim Foulkrod who is 3-1 with a 1.54 ERA. Wednesday's probable starter, Eric Fritz, is second on the team with a 2.40 ERA, but has struck out eight and walked 11 in 15.0 innings. Chris Hamilton has been the Owls' most steady reliever, posting a 3.55 ERA in a team-high seven appearances.
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 1.50 ERA when he comes out of the bullpen ... Bowen has a team-best 0.93 ERA this season and an opponent batting average of .162 ... with 6.0 innings against Clemson (3/25), senior Chris Clem moved into fourth place on the school's all-time innings pitched list and is now four strikeouts shy of 200 for his career ... after some unfortunate earned runs at UNC Wilmington, Justin Hulse has lowered his ERA with each appearance (nine) he's made ... Hulse hasn't given up a run in his last seven appearances ... freshman Brett Jones appeared in two games in the Clemson series and has pitched in three of the team's last four games ... Sean Kane leads the team with 10.0 strikeouts per nine innings ... Ben Pfinsgraff has 36 strikeouts and just five walks in 42.2 innings this season ... Pfinsgraff has gone at least five innings with one walk or less in all seven of his starts this season ... with four strikeouts in his start at UVa (3/19), Pfinsgraff went over the 100 career strikeout mark, currently sitting at 105 ... 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 struck out the side in one inning in the series finale against Clemson, moving his strikeout-to-walk ratio to 14:1 this season ... Terp left-handers have a 2.40 ERA this season (16 ER in 60 innings), including newcomers Michael Meagher and Brett Tidball, who have combined for 3.2 scoreless innings in the last four games.
Offense
Chad Durakis has a current nine-game hit streak, the team's second longest of the season ...Will Frazier is starting to heat up, raising his average nearly 50 points (.222 to .270) over a current six-game hit streak ... Frazier leads the team with five home runs and is three homers shy of second place on the Maryland career list ... Nick Jowers had a five-game hit streak in the second game of the Clemson series ... the freshman center fielder hit .471 (8-for-17) with three multi-hit games over those five games ... Truan Mehl has reached base safely in 21 of the team's 22 games this season ... Mehl currently has a team season-high 11-game hit streak and has already surpassed his 2004 RBI total (11) ... Dan Melvin is tied for seventh in the ACC in doubles (0.40/g) and leads the team with 10 ... freshman Joe Palumbo leads the team with 13 walks and has struck out just twice ... his walks account for 13 of his 20 times on base (65 percent) ... Elliot Singletary's last 11 hits have been for extra bases, and he now ranks fifth in the ACC in doubles (nine, 0.45/game) ... Singletary has a .450 slugging percentage and has reached base in 14 of his last 16 games ... Jason Von Behren put together a season-high tying four-game hit streak between the Duquesne doubleheader and the Clemson series ... in the second game against Clemson, Von Behren had two sacrifice bunts ... first baseman Jordan Wilson has a team-leading 17 RBI this season ... Maryland is 7-3 in games that Wilson has at least one RBI.
RECAPPING THE CLEMSON SERIES
The Terps had a tough series at Clemson, as the Tigers swept the three-game set. The Terps fell in extra innings in the second game of the series, and Clemson rolled to double-digit wins in the first and third games.
With inclement weather on the horizon, Maryland and Clemson hooked up for a twi-night doubleheader on Saturday. Clemson got the better end of both games, recording 6-4 and 12-0 wins to complete a three-game series sweep. The day started with a 13-inning thriller and ended with a 17-hit Clemson outburst, as Maryland fell to 11-14 on the season and 3-9 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Will Frazier led the Maryland offense with five hits in the two games, including his fifth home run of the season in the first game. Frazier extended a hit streak to six games and raised his batting average to .270 for the season - its highest point since the final game of the Virginia Tech series (.282 - 3/6). Truan Mehl and Chad Durakis each had hits in both games to extend current hitting streaks. Mehl extended his to a team-best 11 games, and Durakis has now hit safely in nine straight.
Ben Pfinsgraff got a no-decision in the first game of the day, going 6.1 innings and giving up two earned runs. He struck out four, walked one and gave up just five hits in the extra inning affair. Chris Bowen threw the final 5.0 innings of the game and got the loss, despite not giving up any earned runs (two unearned runs). For the year, Bowen and Pfinsgraff are among Terp pitching leaders with respective 0.93 and 2.95 ERAs.
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 12 starts at second base and three more appearances at shortstop this season. He's hitting .167, but has a .400 on-base percentage and is showing maturity beyond his years in the middle infield.
Jowers has started in center field in eight straight games and is coming off a six-game hit streak, during which he hit .471 (8-for-17) with five walks and a .542 on-base percentage. 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 nine-game hitting streak and .300 season 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 started in the last three conference series finales. He has improved in each of his four appearances this season, and went a career-high 4.1 innings at Virginia (3/20).
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 three more 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 12.1 innings this season, Taylor has a 2.92 ERA and a 14:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
WILSON PRODUCES WINS
First baseman Jordan Wilson, the team's RBI leader (17), has driven in runs in 10 games this season. Maryland is 7-3 in those 10 games and 2-7 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.
TERP PITCHERS EFFICIENT IN THEIR WORK
Led by a combined 62 strikeouts and 13 walks from Friday and Saturday starters, Chris Clem and Ben Pfinsgraff, the Maryland pitching staff has an ACC-best 161:55 strikeout-to-walk ratio this season. Pfinsgraff and Brad Taylor have standout ratios, having struck out a combined 50 batters to just six walks in 57 innings this year, and Clem has walked just eight in a team-high 44.0 innings. The Terp staff also leads the ACC with just 55 walks and 2.26 walks per nine innings.
STREAKING OUT OF CHARLOTTESVILLE
Despite a tough weekend against Virginia, several Terps extended 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 a hit streak to 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 34 hits and six stolen bases and has been a consistent threat from the left side of the plate. Frazier is starting to heat up, and Jarosisinski's powerful bat yielded 16 home runs and 58 RBI a year ago.
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 fourth all-time at Maryland with 256.1 innings and stands 37.2 innings shy of career innings pitched leader, John Rayne (1989-92). Clem is four strikeouts shy of ninth on the Maryland career list and four wins shy of sixth place.
LEFTIES ANCHOR TERP BULLPEN
Through 25 games this season, Terp left-handers have combined for a 2.40 ERA in 60 innings this season. Chris Bowen leads that group with a 0.93 ERA and one save in six appearances. Brett Cecil got off to a red-hot start and is 1-0 with two saves and a 2.60 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 is hitting 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 13 walks and a .400 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 34 hits and six stolen bases and has reached base 13 times via bases on balls (8) 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.
SINGLETARY SETTLING IN AT LEADOFF SPOT
Since senior Elliot Singletary returned to action against Virginia Tech (3/4), he has been a starter in 17 of the team's 18 games. Singletary has hit leadoff spot in the majority of those starts and has been just the type of hitter the Maryland lineup has needed. He has reached base in 14 of his last 16 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 13 games, he has seven walks, three 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 ... Brian Jarosinski has missed the last three games with a sprained left knee.
