Terps Play Host To #19 Virginia
5/16/2012 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 16, 2012
#19 Virginia (34-15-1, 16-11 ACC) at Maryland (31-22, 9-18 ACC)
Thursday, May 17 (6 p.m.) | Friday, May 18 (6 p.m.) | Saturday, May 19 (1 p.m.)
Location: College Park, Md.
Stadium: Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium (2,500)
Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
Listen Live: WMUCSports.com
Probable Pitching Matchups
Thursday (6:00): RHP Brett Harman (6-3, 2.72) vs. RHP Branden Kline (6-3, 3.96)
Friday (6:00): TBA vs. LHP Scott Silverstein (2-4, 3.86)
Saturday (1:00): TBA vs. RHP Artie Lewicki (3-2, 4.10)
Storyline...
• Maryland plays host to Coastal-Division rival No. 19 Virginia this weekend in the final ACC series of the regular season. The Terps currently sit two games behind Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech for the eighth and final spot in the ACC Tournament.
• Maryland won two in a row last week, including an 8-5 win over No. 1 Florida State, before taking a seven-day break for finals. After this weekend's series, Maryland will have played 20 of its 56 games against ranked teams; the Terps have gone 9-8 against the top 25 so far, while playing the 17th most difficult schedule in the nation according to WarrenNolan.com and ranking 26th in the NCAAs official RPI.
• The Terps wrapped up the non-conference portion of their schedule last Wednesday with a 7-3 win over Penn State. In non-league games Maryland went 22-4, including a 14-1 mark inside the friendly confines of Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium. Pitching led the way in that 26-game slate, as the Terps accumulated a 1.27 ERA, allowing just 31 earned runs in 219 innings. The defense committed just 22 errors for a .977 fielding percentage.
• Maryland's pitching rotation is in flux this weekend; Brett Harman will start Thursday night's contest, while Friday and Saturday's starters have yet to be determined. Harman was scratched from his last scheduled start after coming down with food poisoning, but came on to pitch five innings of relief in the 8-5 win over FSU on May 7. On the year, Harman has a 6-3 record with a 2.72 ERA that ranks ninth in the ACC. He needs six strikeouts to take sole possession of second on the Maryland career strikeout list, while a win would move him into a tie for third on that career list.
• Offensively, Jordan Hagel leads the team in hitting (.311), doubles (17), slugging (.468) and on-base percentage (.403), while Alfredo Rodriguez is hitting .299 with a team-high 33 RBIs. Since April, Rodriguez has been Maryland's best hitter, having accumulated a .378 average in 24 games, along with a .449 on-base percentage.
Senior Day Set For Saturday...
• Maryland will honor its seniors prior to Saturday's home finale. This year's senior class consists of Sander Beck, Michael Boyden, David Carroll, Tomo Delp, Aaron Etchison, Brett Harman, Ryan Holland, Alfredo Rodriguez and Korey Wacker. The ceremony will take place on the field at 12:40 p.m.
Scouting Virginia...
• Virginia is 34-15-1 with a 16-11 mark in the ACC after taking two of three from Georgia Tech last weekend. The Cavaliers dropped the final game of that series, snapping a 10-game winning streak, though they have still won three straight conference series including a sweep at Miami.
• The Cavaliers lead the ACC with a .300 team batting average. Third baseman Stephen Bruno leads the team and ranks fifth in the league with a .365 average, and also has a team-high 47 RBIs, 17 doubles and is second with six home runs.
• The Virginia pitching staff has a 3.31 ERA which ranks fifth in the league. Thursday-night starter Branden Kline is fifth in the conference with 9.36 strikeouts/9 innings, while four relievers have accumulated at least 30 innings pitched with ERAs under 2.30. The Cavaliers also have a .973 fielding percentage which is tied with Maryland for best in the ACC.
Series history: Virginia leads the all-time series, 97-74-1. The Cavaliers have won seven straight in the series dating back to 2009, and 13 in a row in College Park. Maryland's last win at home came on April 6, 2002.
Looking Ahead...
• The ACC Tournament, which includes the top eight teams in terms of conference record, will be held May 23-27 in Greensboro, N.C. Following that, the NCAA will hold its selection show on May 28 at noon on ESPNU. NCAA Regionals get underway on June 1 at campus sites around the country.
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