Maryland Set To Square Off Against Mountaineers

April 17, 2006

The Maryland Terrapins (16-23) will look to get back in the win column when they play host to West Virginia at 7 p.m. on Tuesday night at Shipley Field. The Terps enter their showdown against the Big East's Mountaineers with a non-conference record of 10-8 and a 9-6 mark at home.

Last weekend, the Terps were swept by then-No. 12 North Carolina State in a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series in College Park. Maryland allowed a combined 26 runs in the first two losses before slipping, 7-4, in Sunday's finale. It marked the sixth consecutive weekend that Maryland took on an ACC squad ranked in the Top 25.

Following their three-game set against NC State, the Terps rank as having played the third most difficult schedule in all of college baseball. They also hold an RPI rating of 44 (0.5632). Maryland owns eight wins over top-50 RPI teams and is 2-1 against squads ranked 51-100. So far this season, the Terps have knocked off a ranked team six times, including No. 3 North Carolina and No. 25 James Madison on the road and No. 14 Miami, No. 3 Georgia Tech (twice) No. 15 Old Dominion at Shipley.

Maryland leads the all-time series with West Virginia, 24-15-1. The last meeting between the programs occurred on April 28, 2004 when the Mountaineers defeated the Terps, 6-3, in a game played at Harry Grove Stadium in Frederick. Third baseman Anthony Buffone finished 2-for-4 and shortstop Elliot Singletary had an RBI single for Maryland. Seth Overbey contributed 1.2 scoreless innings in relief of starter Chris Clem. Maryland's last victory over WVU was April 1, 2003, a 4-0 shutout in College Park. Steve Schmoll tossed a complete game for the Terps, surrendering six hits while striking out 15. The teams are scheduled to meet once more this season, May 9 in Morgantown, W.Va.

Tuesday's game will be broadcast live online by WMUC Sports at www.wmucsports.com with Edan Algazy on the call. Right-handed pitcher Mike Sufczynski (1-1, 5.90 ERA) is expected to get the start for Maryland against lefty Matt Yurish (4-1. 2.91).

Scouting the Moutaineers

West Virginia enters its matchup against Maryland with an overall record of 25-11 and a 5-7 Big East mark. The Mountaineers have lost seven straight games, their last wins coming during an April 4 doubleheader sweep of Coppin State. Earlier in the year, WVU enjoyed a 17-game win streak that spanned from March 4-31.

As a team, West Virginia is batting .345 with a .411 on-base percentage. They have smacked 31 homers and swiped 57 bases in 62 attempts. The Mountaineers have eight regulars hitting over .300, including five batting .374 or better.

Centerfielder Adam White leads West Virginia in hitting with a .427 average in all 36 of the team's games. He is also slugging .500 with a .493 on-base percentage and 17 steals. Third baseman Justin Jenkins is currently batting .408 with a team-high nine home runs and a .684 slugging percentage for the `Neers.

On the mound, WVU has compiled an ERA of 3.73. Matt Yurish, the team leader in innings pitched with 46.1 and strikeouts with 49, is 4-1 on the season with a 2.91 ERA. On April 4, he became the seventh player in school history to toss a no-hitter, blanking Coppin St. in the first contest of a doubleheader.

Junior right-hander Dan Leatherman owns a team-best five wins to go along with a 2.68 ERA in 11 appearances. He also leads the Mountaineers with three saves.

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