April 1, 2005
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TERPS TRAVEL TO ATLANTA TO TAKE ON NO. 1 GEORGIA TECH
Coming off wins in its last two games, Maryland baseball will look to carry that momentum into the weekend when it travels to No. 1 Georgia Tech. Chris Clem (1-3, 4.91 ERA) is expected to face Jason Neighborgall (5-1, 4.33 ERA) in the first of three games on Friday at 7 p.m.
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 YELLOW JACKETS
2005 Record: 21-5 (11-1 Atlantic Coast Conference).
2004 Record: 44-21 (18-5 ACC).
All-Time Series: Maryland trails, 17-54-0.
Last Meeting: Georgia Tech 4, Maryland 3 - 2004 ACC Tournament, May 26, 2004.
Notes: Three of Georgia Tech's five losses have come in its last five games, including an 8-5 loss to Western Carolina this week ... Tech is undefeated when it scores at least 10 runs (16-0) and 5-5 when it scores fewer than 10.
The Georgia Tech offense has been one of the best in the Atlantic Coast Conference all season long, entering the week leading the conference in: batting average (.356), runs (281), doubles (72), home runs (42) and walks (165). Every Yellow Jacket hitter with at least 70 at-bats has at least a .400 on-base percentage, and seven have at least 20 RBI. Third baseman Wes Hodges leads the team with 46 hits and a .434 average and is one of six Yellow Jackets among the conference's hits leaders. Hodges is third in the league in home runs (7, 0.29/g), a category led by teammate Jeremy Slayden (9, 0.38/g).
Freshman outfielder Danny Payne leads the conference with 48 runs scored, and is hitting .354 for the season. Shortstop Tyler Greene, the number one ranked prospect in the Cape Cod League last summer, is hitting .349 with 13 extra-base hits for a Tech offense that is hitting .350, slugging .559 and has a .455 on-base percentage.
Control issues have been a large factor for Georgia Tech pitchers this season. The Yellow Jacket staff is averaging nearly five walks per nine innings and has issued nearly twice as many free passes as Terp pitchers this season (122 to 63). The difference has led to a difference in ERA of almost half a point (5.16 to 4.78), despite similar batting averages against (GT, .284 - Maryland .283) and hits allowed per game (GT, 10.3/g - Maryland 10.2/g).
Friday starter Jason Neighborgall has plus-stuff, but has struggled with command so far in his college career. This season, the 6-foot-5 junior right-hander has allowed opponents to hit just .220, but has walked 28 batters in 35.1 innings. Left-hander Lee Hyde is expected to start on Sunday, and sophomore righty Blake Wood is Sunday's probable starter.
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 ... freshman Brett Cecil made his first career start against UMBC this week (3/29), throwing 2.0 scoreless innings ... Cecil was on a limited pitch count and left after throwing 30 pitches ... 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 ... Justin Hulse had a streak of 10 straight appearances in which he lowered his season ERA snapped this week against Temple ... Hulse hadn't given up a run in his previous seven appearances ... after missing the team's 21 games with a shoulder injury, junior transfer Michael Meagher has been lights out in three relief appearances ... Meagher has given up just two hits and no runs, while striking out six in 3.2 innings ... scouts scrambled to find their radar guns and position themselves behind home plate to watch Meagher pick up his first career save against Temple ... 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 third straight start against Temple, giving up two earned runs in 5.1 innings ... Brad Taylor struck out the side in one inning in the series finale against Clemson (3/26), moving his strikeout-to-walk ratio to 14:1 this season ... Terp left-handers have a 2.55 ERA this season (19 ER in 67 innings).
Offense
Chad Durakis has a current 11-game hit streak, raising his season average from .268 to .312 over that span ...Will Frazier is starting to heat up, raising his average 60 points (.222 to .282) over a current eight-game hit streak ... this past week, Frazier became just the eighth player in school history to record 200 career hits ... Nick Jowers had a five-game hit streak snapped in the second game of the Clemson series, but rebounded with three hits and two RBI in mid-week games against UMBC and Temple ... Truan Mehl has reached base safely in 26 of the team's 27 games this season ... Mehl currently has a team season-high 13-game hit streak and has already surpassed his 2004 RBI total (11) ... Dan Melvin has three sacrifice bunts and two HBPs in the last five games ... freshman Joe Palumbo leads the team with 13 walks and has struck out just four times ... his walks account for 13 of his 20 times on base (65 percent) ... Elliot Singletary has scored eight runs over his last six games, including a career-high tying three versus Temple ... Singletary reached base in all five of his plate appearances against the Owls, hitting a double, walking twice and being hit by five pitches ... Jason Von Behren tied a career-high with three hits against UMBC, including a game-tying three-run double ... with q huge solo home run against Temple, first baseman Jordan Wilson upped his team-leading season RBI total to 18 ... Wilson has driven in runs in 11 of his 21 games this season, with Maryland going 8-3 in those games.
FRAZIER RECORDS 200TH CAREER HIT
With a single in five at-bats against UMBC, senior outfielder Will Frazier went over the 200 hit mark in his Maryland career. He became just the eighth Terp to do so and moved into seventh place on the Maryland career hits list with 203.
Frazier has nearly half of his season total of 31 hits over his last eight games, raising his average 60 points over that span (.222 to .282). He has three doubles in his last three games, including two Wednesday against Temple, moving into third place on the school's career doubles list with 48.
OFFENSE FINDS ITS STRIDE
In two non-conference games this week, the Maryland bats combined to pound out 28 hits and score 19 runs. They had double digit hits for the third time in the last four games and fifth time in the last seven. The hot bats of Elliot Singletary, Will Frazier, Truan Mehl and Chad Durakis have been a huge factor in the current hot streak, but a change in offensive approach has led to more offensive consistency and fluidity. The team is bunting, sacrificing and hitting and running more, putting pressure on opposing defenses and giving players more opportunities to drive in runs. Elliot Singletary and Dan Melvin, commonly first and second in the Terp lineup, have led that charge with a combined nine sacrifice bunts between the two.
SINGLETARY BRUISES OPPOSING PITCHERS, HIMSELF
Since returning to the Maryland lineup against Virginia Tech, senior Elliot Singletary has kept finding ways to get on base and score runs. He now has a team-leading 11 doubles, putting himself in scoring position enough to also have scored a team-high 19 runs. Over that stretch, Singletary has reached base in 19 of 21 games, including five by hit by pitch and 10 by walk.
On Wednesday against Temple, Singletary found his way on base in all five of his plate appearances. He hit a single, walked twice and was hit by two pitches on his way to tying a career-high with three runs scored. He also stole two bases and continued to play sharp defense at second base.
RECAPPING THE WEEK OF 3/28
Coming off a sweep by Clemson and eight straight losses in ACC play, the Terps needed to get back on track before heading to No. 1 Georgia Tech. They did just that in taking a pair of mid-week games against UMBC.
On Tuesday, Maryland spotted UMBC a 6-1 lead through five innings, before the Terp bats blew up for seven unanswered runs in the final four innings. Jason Von Behren capped a five-run comeback with a bases loaded double in the seventh inning, and Elliot Singletary chipped in with three hits and two RBI. Eight different Terps scored one run apiece, and Justin Hulse wiped out any chance of a UMBC comeback with 1.2 scoreless innings.
Will Frazier was 1-for-5 with a run scored in the game, becoming just the eighth Terrapin player ever to reach the 200 hit plateau. Frazier, among the school career leaders in multiple offensive categories, has had one of the most consistent and prolific four-year careers in school history.
The momentum of the comeback carried over into Wednesday, as the Terp offense put up runs in seven of its eight at-bats on the way to an 11-5 win over Temple. Will Frazier doubled twice and drove in two runs, and Elliot Singletary and Jordan Wilson each scored three runs apiece. Mike Sufczynski won his third straight start, and Michael Meagher got the Terps out of an eighth inning jam to pick up his first career save.
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.
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 (18), has driven in runs in 11 of 21 games this season. Maryland is 8-3 in those 10 games and 4-7 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 174:63 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 63 walks and 2.39 walks per nine innings.
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 37 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 27 games this season, Terp left-handers have combined for a 2.55 ERA in 67 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 2.33 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).
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 37 hits and six stolen bases and has reached base 14 times via bases on balls (9) 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.
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 five games with a sprained left knee.
