Terps Host VMI, Towson In Midweek Series
3/1/2010 7:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 1, 2010
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland baseball team has a pair of midweek home games on tap this week, as VMI visits College Park Tuesday and Towson comes to town Wednesday. Both games are scheduled for 3 p.m. and will be played at Shipley Field at Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium.
The Terps enter the games with three players batting over .400 this season. Redshirt freshman Jack Cleary has started all six games at catcher and is 7-for-17 (.412) in those games. Matt Marquis, a transfer from Vanderbilt, made his first appearances for the Terps last weekend, going 5-for-12 (.417) with a home run and three runs scored. Brandon Padula, meanwhile, leads the team with a .471 batting average. The junior went 5-for-10 in the weekend series against Delaware and is 8-for-17 on the season.
LHP Adam Kolarek, who has provided great versatility in playing first base and pitching for the Terps this season, is expected to start Tuesday against VMI. In his first appearance this season, Kolarek pitched three shutout innings against FIU in which he didn't allow a hit.
VMI enters the contest with a 6-0 mark after home sweeps of Bucknell and Lafayette. The Keydets were picked to finish sixth out of 10 teams in the Big South Conference by league coaches. They are led offensively by two players - Jacob Morley and Tanner Biagini - batting over .500. Morley is hitting .556 in six starts while Biagini has a 1.050 slugging percentage aided by three home runs and two doubles.
LHP Jason Farley is expected to get the start for VMI. In his lone appearance this season, Farley pitched two shutout innings in relief.
Maryland holds a 27-11 advantage in the all-time series with VMI.
Towson visits College Park fresh off a trip to Arizona State, where they were swept by the No. 2 Sun Devils. The Tigers returned 21 letterwinners from a team that went 28-25 a year ago, but have struggled early against a tough schedule and have a 1-6 record. Maryland holds a 36-27-2 edge in the all-time series.
Pitching matchups for the Maryland-Towson game likely won't be determined until Wednesday.
Live audio of both games can be found at WMUCSports.com.
