No. 12 NC State To Visit College Park For Weekend Series With Terps

April 13, 2006

Maryland Set To Host Wolfpack In Critical ACC Set

Coming off two wins against strong non-conference opponents, the Maryland Terrapins (16-20, 6-12 ACC) will be ready when No. 12 North Carolina State rolls into town this weekend for a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series from April 14-16 at Shipley Field.

Maryland heads into its matchup against the Wolfpack having won two straight mid-week games in College Park. On Tuesday, the Terps knocked off 15th-ranked Old Dominion, 7-2, before edging James Madison, 6-5 on Wednesday. They have now won five straight at home, including an April 5 victory over Towson and two against then-No. 3 Georgia Tech to start the month. After being swept by then-No. 7 Clemson on the road last weekend, the Terps will look to add to their league win total as they strive to secure a berth in the eight-team ACC Tournament in Jacksonville, Fla.

The Terps' grueling 2006 schedule is currently rated as the fourth toughest in the nation. With an RPI of 38 (.5706), Maryland owns six victories over Top 50 teams and is 4-1 against clubs ranked 51-100. The Terps have posted wins over No. 3 North Carolina and No. 25 James Madison on the road and No. 14 Miami, No. 3 Georgia Tech (twice) and No. 15 ODU at home.

Maryland trails the all-time series with NC State, 47-87-1 but is 5-4 during the Pack's last three trips to Shipley. In 2002, Maryland swept a three-game set from third-ranked NCSU from May 2-4 in College Park. The Terps won a 16-12 slugfest in Friday's opener and pulled out a 7-6 victory in the middle matchup. Sean Kane threw a two-hit shutout in the finale to clinch the sweep for Maryland. A year later, the Terps took the series again, two games to one, in Raleigh.

NC State (27-10, 10-5 ACC) comes to College Park with a reputation as one of the most balanced and skilled teams in the league. The Wolfpack currently leads the ACC in hitting with a team batting average of .347 and defense with a .975 fielding percentage. Third baseman Matt Mangini paces the club with a .405 average over 37 games to go along with six homers, 40 RBI and .635 slugging percentage. NC State is 2-4 on the road in 2006.

All three games this weekend will be broadcast online by WMUC Sports at www.wmucports.com. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Probable pitching matchups for the weekend are as follows:
Friday, April 14: LHP Casey Baron (1-3, 4.19 ERA) vs. RHP Andrew Brackman (1-2, 7.41)
Saturday, April 15: RHP Ben Pfinsgraff (2-3, 5.57) vs. LHP Eric Surkamp (2-2, 4.66)
Sunday, April 16: Maryland TBD vs. RHP Eryk McConnell (6-3, 3.05)

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