Terps Finish Up Year With Four Games In Three Days

May 8, 2006

After wrapping up Atlantic Coast Conference play over the weekend, the Maryland Terrapins (22-30) will conclude their regular season schedule this week with four games in a span of three days. The first of those contests will take place on Tuesday, May 9 at 7 p.m. when the Terps head to Morgantown, W. Va. for the second matchup of a home-and-home series against the Mountaineers.

Following a three-game set against Boston College from May 5-7, Maryland finished its ACC schedule at 8-22, a one-game improvement from the squad's 2005 mark. The Terps won two conference series this year, their opener at Duke (March 3-5) and a momentous victory over then-No. 3 Georgia Tech in College Park the weekend of March 31-April 2.

The Terps rank as having played the fifth toughest schedule in all of college baseball in 2006. They hold an RPI rating of 55 (0.5522) and own nine wins over top-50 RPI teams. So far this season, the Terps have knocked off a ranked team seven times, including No. 3 North Carolina, No. 25 James Madison and No. 24 Wake Forest on the road and No. 14 Miami, No. 3 Georgia Tech (twice) and No. 15 Old Dominion at Shipley Field.

Maryland leads the all-time series with West Virginia, 25-15-1. The Terps took the first matchup this season, a 10-8 win in College Park on April 18. Nick Jowers drove in the winning run on a double in the bottom of the eighth and closer Brett Cecil came on to get the game's final out and ensure a comeback win for Maryland. Exhibiting some pop at the plate from the leadoff spot in the order, Jowers finished 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI for Maryland, which improved to 7-0 in non-conference home games.

After Tuesday's showdown with the Mountaineers, Maryland will head back to Shipley take part in a Wednesday doubleheader against Maryland-Eastern Shore before wrapping up the season vs. Coppin State on May 11. The Terps have been involved in two other doubleheaders this year, both occurring back in February. During opening weekend they split with East Carolina, winning the opener, 1-0, before dropping the back end, 5-4. At the Griffin Pontiac Challenge on Feb. 17, Maryland fell to Gardner-Webb, 3-0 and host Winthrop, 10-3.

All four games this week will be broadcast live online by WMUC at www.wmucsports.com. Left-handed pitcher Casey Baron (1-5, 5.10 ERA) will start for Maryland on Tuesday while southpaw John Dischert (3-3, 6.10) is expected to get the nod for Wednesday's front end. Senior Ben Pfinsgraff (2-7, 6.39) will take the mound for the final time in a Maryland uniform against Coppin St., making his second start in six days. First pitch at Shipley on Wednesday is scheduled for 5 p.m. while Thursday's season finale will get underway at 7 p.m.

Scouting the Mountaineers

West Virginia owns a 30-17 record entering its showdown with Maryland, including a 10-11 mark in the Big East. At home, the Mountaineers are 21-6 and have lost three of their last four overall. As a team they are hitting .338 with 44 homers on the season.

On Sunday, West Virginia avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of Georgetown with a 10-8 victory in the finale. Justin Jenkins hit a two-run home run in the top of the ninth to snap an eight-all tie and lift WVU to a 10-8 come-from-behind win.

Outfielder Casey Bowling and Jenkins lead the club with a .396 average. A junior third baseman, Jenkins also has a team-high 10 home runs, 23 doubles, 44 RBI and a .658 slugging percentage. With 18 stolen bases in 20 tries, freshman Adam White owns a .446 on-base percentage to go along with an impressive .386 batting average.

Southpaw Brendan Bergerson, who is a candidate to start against the Terps, is 3-0 with a 2.36 ERA in five appearances for WVU. With a 7-2 mark in 14 appearances, Dan Leatherman owns the team lead in wins. He has also tossed four complete games in five starts. The junior righty also has leads the Mountaineers with three saves. As a staff, West Virginia has compiled a 4.38 ERA in 2006.

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