Maryland Welcomes No. 15 Old Dominion on Tuesday

April 10, 2006

Maryland Looks For Redemption Against ODU

Coming off a weekend series against then-No. 7 Clemson, things don't get much easier for the Maryland Terrapins (14-20) when they play host to 15th-ranked Old Dominion on Tuesday, April 11 at Shipley Field. It will be the teams' second meeting of the season with the Monarchs defeating the Terps, 4-1, in the first matchup back on March 29 in Norfolk, Va.

After entering the weekend on a three-game winning streak, Maryland was swept in a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference set by the Tigers. The Terps dropped the first two contests (including one extra-inning affair) by a total of three runs, before falling, 15-7, in Sunday's series finale. On the mound, Maryland received strong performances from Casey Baron and Ben Pfinsgraff. In the opener on Friday, Baron started and surrendered three runs over a career-long 7.1 innings on the mound. He walked none and allowed just one Clemson run over his first seven innings of work. Pfinsgraff was just as impressive the following day, giving up two runs on 11 hits with six strikeouts in 7.1 innings. He also issued no walks and held the Tigers scoreless over his final five innings on the hill.

Following their set against Clemson, the Terps rank as having played the sixth hardest schedule in all of college baseball. They also hold an RPI rating of 54 (0.5564). Maryland owns five wins over top-50 RPI teams and is 3-2 against squads ranked 51-100. So far this season, the Terps have knocked off No. 3 North Carolina and No. 25 James Madison on the road and No. 14 Miami and No. 3 Georgia Tech (twice) at Shipley.

The Terps now trail the all-time series with Old Dominion, 3-7, after the Monarchs took the last meeting, 4-1. First baseman Gerry Spessard went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Dan Melvin finished 1-for-3 with a walk but four Terp errors paved the way for ODU to win its 15th consecutive game. Casey Baron started on the mound for Maryland, allowing six hits and three runs, only one of which was earned, in 4.1 innings. Senior Seth Overbey pitched 2.2 innings in long relief for the Terps, yielding an unearned run on one hit while striking out a career-high five hitters.

Maryland will also be in action on Wednesday when the squad welcomes James Madison. On March 22, the Terps defeated JMU, 6-5 in Harrisonburg, Va., snapping the Dukes' 16-game winning streak. Nick Jowers went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI and six different pitchers appeared for the Terps, as Maryland halted the longest active win streak in the country. John Dischert allowed no earned runs in two innings of relief to pick up the win and left-hander Brett Cecil came on in the ninth to record the save. At the plate, Jowers finished a homer shy of the cycle and Matt Maropis went 2-for-4 with two runs driven in.

The Old Dominion and James Madison games will both be broadcast live online by WMUC Sports at www.wmucsports.com. Nick Sekkas and Nick Verderame will be doing color and play-by-play on Tuesday and Mark Leff and Mike Mulhern have the call Wednesday. First pitch at Shipley is scheduled for 7 p.m both nights.

Scouting The Monarchs

ODU enters Tuesday's showdown with an overall record of 31-4 and a 14-1 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). The Monarchs recently swept a Sunday doubleheader from Hofstra, but not before seeing their 18-win streak snapped by the Pride in the series opener on April 7.

As a team, Old Dominion is hitting at a .327 clip. Centerfielder Jimmy Miles currently paces the club with a .392 batting average in 35 games to go along with 14 doubles and a team-high 32 stolen bases in 35 attempts. Dana Arrowood follows close behind with a .389 average and Justin Gregula is third on the team in hitting at .341.

On the year, the Monarchs have stolen a total of 70 bases and have been caught just 10 times. Second baseman Chris Keenan is a perfect 14-of-14 in steals and outfielder Mike Zahm has swiped eight bags in 10 tries.

ODU's three-man starting pitching rotation has combined to go 18-2 so far this year. Right-hander Jason Godin is a perfect 7-0 in nine starts, including three complete games. He leads the team with 81 strikeouts in 70 innings. Freshman Dan Hudson has made seven starts, going 6-0 with a team-best 1.49 ERA over 60.1 innings pitched. And senior righty Kevin Gunter stands 5-2 with a 4.03 ERA and 59 strikeouts. Out of the bullpen, Hunter Hall is 5-0 with a 2.88 ERA while Arrowood, who doubles as the team's closer, has recorded six saves and a 2.08 ERA.

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