Maryland Gears Up For Final ACC Home Series Against No. 13 UVA

April 28, 2006

The Maryland Terrapins (20-25, 7-17 ACC) are set to take on No. 13 Virginia in a three-game Senior Weekend series from April 28-30 at Shipley Field that will also mark the squad's final home Atlantic Coast Conference set of 2006. Still alive in the hunt for the eighth and final spot in the conference tournament, the Terps will look to add the Cavaliers to the long list of ranked teams they have already knocked off this season.

Following a three-game set against then-No. 24 Wake Forest and a pair of mid-week nonconference matchups, the Terps have won three straight and rank as having played the sixth hardest schedule in all of college baseball. They hold an RPI rating of 49 (0.564) and own seven wins over top-50 RPI teams. So far this season, the Terps have upset a ranked team seven times, including No. 3 North Carolina, No. 25 James Madison and Wake on the road and No. 14 Miami, No. 3 Georgia Tech (twice) No. 15 ODU at Shipley.

The Terps trail the all-time series with Cavs, 73-80-1. Virginia has won nine straight against Maryland with the Terps' last victory coming April 4, 2002. Last season, UVA swept the series in Charlottesville, winning three games by a total of six runs. In the middle contest, starter Ben Pfinsgraff yielded three earned runs in 5.1 innings on the hill to give the team a chance, but the Terps ultimately fell victim to a Ryan Hudson pinch-hit, walk-off homer.

With a 35-10 record and 13-8 mark in the league, Virginia has succeeded with strong hitting and even better pitching. As a team, the Cavaliers are batting .331, good for second in the conference. They also lead the ACC in pitching with a 2.63 ERA, over 50 points better than second-place NC State, and are holding opponents to a .217 batting average. Virginia has won five of their seven ACC series and enters the weekend in a tie with Georgia Tech for second place in the Coastal Division. Winners of 10 of their last 11 games, the Cavs are also known as one of the most efficient defensive teams in the league, ranking second in fielding percentage at .969.

First baseman Tom Hagan and outfielder Brandon Marsh lead UVA on offense, batting.394 and .393, respectively. The duo has also combined to steal 25 bases in 28 tries. On the mound, the Cavaliers' three-man starting rotation enters this weekend with a combined record of 21-4. Staff ace and All-America candidate Sean Doolittle owns a 7-1 mark an a team-best 2.19 ERA (third in the ACC). One of the top two-way players in the nation, he is hitting .299 with 35 RBI in 157 at-bats. Out of the bullpen, Casey Lambert owns a teamhigh six saves.

All three games this weekend will be broadcast live online by WMUC Sports at www.wmucports.com. Mark "Swan" Butman, Matt Ray, Dave Kosin, Mike Mulhern and Kyle Cox plan to rotate on color and play-by-play duties throughout the series. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday's Senior Day.

Probable pitching matchups for the weekend are as follows:
Friday, April 28: LHP Casey Baron (1-4, 4.73 ERA) vs. LHP Sean Doolittle (7-1, 2.19)
Saturday, April 29: RHP Ben Pfinsgraff (2-5, 6.21) vs. RHP Jacob Thompson (8-1, 2.63)
Sunday, April 30: Maryland TBD vs. LHP Mike Ballard (6-2, 2.66)

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