March 4, 2010

Game Notes (PDF) | Season Stats (PDF)

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland baseball team welcomes Hofstra for a three-game set starting Friday at 3 p.m. The series is the final part of an eight-game homestand for the Terps and will mark Maryland's final non-conference series before heading in to Atlantic Coast Conference play against Virginia Tech March 12-14.

Live stats for the series can be found here, while WMUCSports.com will call the action live online.

Leading Off...
• Maryland continues a busy eight-game homestand as Hofstra comes to College Park for a three-game series, Maryland's last against a non-conference opponent before starting ACC play. The Terps won one of three against Delaware last weekend and split a midweek series, falling to VMI in 11 innings before defeating instate rival Towson on Wednesday.
• The Terps have received solid starting pitching performances in each of the last four games. Eric Potter went 4.2 innings in the second game of a doubleheader against Delaware on Saturday, settling down after a three-run first to strike out six. Sander Beck pitched effectively on Sunday against the Blue Hens, allowing just two earned runs in seven innings while striking out five. On Tuesday, lefty Adam Kolarek was dominant in seven innings, giving up just four hits and not yielding a single earned run. In the win over Towson Wednesday, Blair Delean pitched a career high 6.1 innings while striking out a career high eight batters, giving up two earned runs in his first win of the season.

Tracking the Terrapins...
• Several Terps have gotten off to outstanding starts on the young season. Brandon Padula leads the team with a .538 batting average and is slugging a team-high .769. The junior is coming off back-to-back three-hit games and has been Maryland's most consistent offensive contributor. Padula has made starts in the outfield and at designated hitter and also leads the team with three doubles this season.
• Adam Kolarek has shown great versatility for the Terps in playing first base and pitching. He leads the team with a 0.00 ERA, having yet to allow an earned run in 10 innings pitched this season. The junior also is batting .292 in five starts at first, with a home run and five runs scored.
• Matt Marquis made immediate contributions once being cleared to play in his first games for Maryland against Delaware. Marquis currently has a .333 batting average, third on the team (minimum 10 at-bats).
• Jack Cleary has also been solid offensively. The redshirt freshman has nine hits in 24 at-bats (.375) and is tied for the team lead with four RBI.

About the Pride...
• Hofstra has struggled to an 0-6 start after returning just nine players from a team that went 11-32 in 2009.
• The Pride have 16 freshman and six transfers competing for positions across the diamond in head coach Patrick Anderson's second season with the team.
• Hofstra was swept in both of its three-game series - against Troy and No. 6 Florida State.
• The Pride are led offensively by Ethan Paquette, who is batting .300 this year.
SERIES HISTORY: Maryland leads the all-time series with Hofstra 4-1.

From club baseball to Terps' closer...
• Relief pitcher Dan Gentzler has evolved into one of the top relievers in the ACC after walking on to the team in 2008 after previously playing club baseball at Maryland. Gentzler led the team last season with a 3.13 ERA and had a team-high seven saves, the third most in a single season in school history. The senior made a team-high 28 appearances in 2009 while holding batters to a .250 clip.

Beck shines in summer league...
• Sander Beck, who was 2-0 with 43 strikeouts compared to just 14 walks as a freshman in 2009, had a productive summer pitching in the Cal Ripken, Sr., Collegiate Baseball League. Beck, now a sophomore, was named the league's co-most outstanding pitcher after tallying a 1.56 ERA with Youse's Orioles. He pitched a team-high 40 1/3 innings on his way to a 6-1 record, striking out 28 batters, while holding opponents to a .192 batting average.

Power deficit...
• Maryland's biggest question mark entering 2010 is offensive production. Mike Murphy, who batted .318 with a team-high 12 HRs and a team-best .606 slugging percentage, was lost to graduation. Murphy ranks in the top 5 of nine different career batting records (398 total bases, 2nd; 91 extra-base hits, 2nd; 145 RBI, 3rd; 795 at-bats, 3rd; 56 doubles, third; 32 HRs, t-3rd; 150 runs, t-4th; 240 hits, 4th; 90 walks, t-5th).
• Overall, Maryland has to replace 65 percent of its run production and 66 percent of its RBI from 2009.

Pitching surplus...
• Maryland will rely on its depth in pitching early in the season. The Terps return 11 pitchers that accounted for 350 of 469 innings pitched in 2009. (.746 percent). Harman, who led the team with a 3.75 K/BB ratio in 2009, returns and will serve as the No. 1 starter. Potter, a 6-foot-3 lefty from Crofton, Md., made great progess as a sophomore, going 2-2 in 17 appearances (seven starts), and will serve as the No. 2 starter. Beck and Kolarek, a junior, are expected to battle for the final weekend starting job.
• The Terps ranked fifth in the ACC with a .968 fielding percentage last season, and return three players with starting experince in the infield. Rodriguez started 40 games at shortstop last season and will be the stalwart at that position. Murakami played in 34 games with 15 starts last season and will take over at second base. Poutier slides over from second base to third base to replace the departed Mike Murphy.

New looks at catcher, in the outfield...
• Maryland will have an all new outfield as Gerry Spessard and Dan Benick graduated, while Casario moved on to the professional ranks. Brandon Padula, a transfer from West Virginia, Mike Rozak, a senior, freshman Jon Wilson and Vanderbilt transfer have seen the majority of time in the outfield thus far. Redshirt freshman Jack Cleary earned the job at catcher after sophomore Tyler Bennett suffered an injury and has been solid offensively (.375 batting average).