April 1, 2010
Game Notes (PDF)
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
The Maryland baseball team continues its five-game homestand, as North Carolina comes to Shipley Field at Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium for a three-game set that starts Friday at 6 p.m.
Live stats for all three games can be found on umterps.com, while WMUCSports.com has the call online.
Probable Pitching Matchups
Friday, 6:00 p.m.: RHP Brett Harman (3-3, 4.32) vs. RHP Matt Harvey (3-1, 1.85)
Saturday, 1:00 p.m.: RHP Sander Beck (0-4, 8.36) vs. RHP Patrick Johnson (2-2, 3.25)
Sunday, 1:00 p.m.: Pitching matchups TBA
Leading Off...
• Maryland, coming off a mid-week sweep of VCU and Navy, will play its third series against an Atlantic Coast Conference Coastal Division team when North Carolina visits this weekend. The Tar Heels, ranked 22nd in the NCBWA poll, are the third-straight ranked ACC opponent for the Terps.
Tracking the Terrapins...
• Pitching guided the Terps to their mid-week wins over VCU and Navy, as Maryland allowed just three runs combined in the two games. Ian Schwalenberg earned the win in relief against VCU, giving up just two hits without allowing a run in 3.2 innings of work.
• Eric Potter was even more impressive in his start against Navy on Wednesday. The junior didn't allow a hit in five innings, struck out four and walked two in his best outing this season.
• Although the Terps have just a .963 fielding percentage over the course of the season, they have been much better since conference play began. Maryland has committed just six errors as a team in nine conference games (.981), which ties for the best fielding percentage in the ACC.
• Friday starter Brett Harman has been one of the best pitchers in the ACC during conference action. He ranks fourth in the league with a 1.16 ERA in league games, and is fourth with 22 strikeouts in league action. Against Virginia Tech on March 12, Harman again went eight innings in leading the Terps to their first shutout of an ACC opponent since 2002. Against No. 3 Georgia Tech, the junior again pitched eight innings to help Maryland defeat a top-5 team for the first time in nearly two years. In his most recent outing, against No. 6 Florida State, Harman went 7 1/3, struck out nine and allowed just one earned run.
• Senior John Dischert has been Maryland's most effective reliever, posting a 1.62 ERA in nine appearances this season. In 16.2 innings, he has allowed just seven hits and three runs, while striking out 25 and walking only three. The senior earned the first save of his career by striking out two in the ninth inning in the win over Navy.
About the Tar Heels...
• North Carolina, led by two preseason All-America pitchers in Matt Harvey and Colin Bates, is 18-9 this season.
• The Tar Heels rank fifth in the ACC with a .318 team batting average; eight of UNC's everyday starters have batting averages above .300, led by catcher Jesse Wierzbicki (.362), who is also the team leader with six home runs. In conference action, Wierzbicki is hitting .417, which ranks fifth in the league.
• The series marks the Tar Heels' first trip outside of the state of North Carolina this year. UNC has played just four road games thus far: a three-game set at Duke, and one against UNC Wilmington.
SERIES HISTORY: Maryland trails the all-time series with North Carolina, 52-126-2.
Versatile veteran...
Senior Dan Gentzler already ranked on Maryland's career saves list entering 2010, but this season he has made contributions on the mound and at the plate.
• Gentzler, who is now third on Maryland's all-time saves list with 14, has made a team-high 14 appearances on the mound and owns a 4.40 ERA.
• He ranks second in the ACC with six saves this season and has allowed just four hits in his last seven appearances.
• Before this season, Gentzler did not have a career at-bat. In 2010, he has made 14 starts at first base and is hitting .250.
• Against Georgia Tech on March 19, Gentzler belted two home runs off 2009 ACC pitcher of the year Deck McGuire, totaling four RBI and leading Maryland to a 5-2 win. Showing his versatility, Gentzler moved from first base to pitcher and threw a perfect ninth inning to preserve the win and earn a save.
• For his performance against the Yellow Jackets, Gentzler was given the Primetime Performer Award by CollegeBaseball360.com.
• In his most recent outing on the mound, Gentzler set a career-high with five strikeouts in two innings against VCU.
Power from Padula...
Outfielder/DH Brandon Padula has continued his offensive onslaught this season, leading the ACC with a .452 batting average. The redshirt-sophomore has recorded three hits in a game six times this season, and has 14 multi-hit games.
• Padula leads the team with 19 RBI on the year, including a career-high four in a 7-5, come from behind victory over Hofstra on 3/7. In that game, Padula hit a two-out, three-run home run that proved to be the game-winner in the bottom of the eighth inning.
• Padula came through with his second game-winning hit of the season against Old Dominion (3/16), breaking a 2-2 tie with an RBI double in the eighth inning.
• In addition to leading the team in batting average and RBI, he also paces the Terps in doubles (8), slugging percentage (.602) and on-base percentage (.500).
• Padula has hit safely in 22 of 25 games this season.
Blazing a path...
• Less than halfway through the season, Alfredo Rodriguez is near the top 10 on Maryland's single-season steals list. The sophomore leads the ACC with 16 steals in 18 tries, and is just four away from tying for seventh on the school's single-season list. Always a threat to run and sporting a .289 batting average, Rodriguez has taken over in the leadoff spot for the Terps.
• As a team, Maryland also leads the conference with 59 stolen bases.
Poutier hitting his stride...
• Although David Poutier got off to a somewhat slow start, he has come around at the plate recently. The senior has at least one hit in eight of the last 10 games, and is second on the team with a .402 on-base percentage.
