Terps Look To Snap No. 25 JMU's 16-Game Win Streak

March 21, 2006

MARYLAND HITS THE ROAD FOR CLASH WITH NO. 25 JAMES MADISON

The Maryland Terrapins (8-13, 3-6 ACC) will take on the No. 25 James Madison Dukes and their 16-game winning streak on Wednesday afternoon in Harrisonburg, Va.

The Terps come into their matchup with the Dukes having dropped two in a row to No. 3 North Carolina in Chapel Hill over the weekend. In Friday's series opener, however, the Terps managed a 15-8 upset of the Tar Heels and their All-American pitcher, Daniel Bard. Brett Tidball threw 7.0 shutout innings in relief and Maryland scored seven runs in the sixth inning as they earned their first win over a top-five team since May 1, 2005 when they defeated No. 4 Miami, 11-9, in Coral Gables.

Maryland trails the all-time series with JMU, 18-25-1, though the Terps have won three of the last four meetings. Last season, the teams played three times with Maryland winning twice. On April 26, the Terps beat JMU, 5-3, in Harrisonburg. Right-hander Mike Sufczynski picked up the win for Maryland, scattering seven hits over 7.0 scoreless innings while eight different Terrapins recorded hits. In March, the clubs split a two-game series in College Park. The Terps won the first game, 3-2, but dropped the second, 6-4.

Wednesday's game will be broadcast online by WMUC Sports at www.wmucsports.com with Mark Solid on the call. First pitch at Mauck Stadium is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

SCOUTING THE DUKES

James Madison enters Wednesday's contest riding the longest active win streak in Division I, one that has now reached 16 games. The Dukes are 16-4 overall and 6-0 in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) action after sweeping a three-game series from Delaware last weekend.

JMU is powered on offense by sophomore Kellen Kulbacki. The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's current National Hitter of the Week, Kulbacki leads the CAA with a .533 batting average, 11 home runs and 39 RBI. Nate Schill, Matt Sluder and Davis Stoneburner are all hitting over .400 for the Dukes, who are batting at a .359 clip as a team.

On the mound, James Madison used a four-man starting rotation that features one four-game winner and three hurlers who own three victories apiece. Sophomore right-hander Ryan Reid is 4-1 with a 1.72 ERA and a team-high 51 strikeouts in 31.1 innings pitched. Greg Nesbitt, Jacob Cook and Travis Miller are all 3-1 this year for JMU. Bobby Lasko (1-0, 5.62 ERA) leads the Dukes with two saves and eight appearances.

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