Feb. 14, 2013

Game Notes (PDF)

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland baseball team opens its 2013 season against 10th-ranked LSU at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., this weekend. The three-game series begins Friday at 8 p.m. ET.

The series continues Saturday at 2 p.m. ET and concludes Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

Live video and stats will be available through LSUsports.net for all three games. Saturday's matchup will also be available on Cox Sports Television. Check your local listings for availability.

The Terps are coming off a 32-win season, which ranks as the second most in school history, and returning 6 of 8 positional starters from last season along with senior left-hander Jimmy Reed, who ranked ninth in the ACC with a 2.70 ERA last year.

The Tigers are coming off a 47-win campaign in 2012 and are the reigning Southeastern Conference champions. LSU secured a seventh seed in last season's NCAA tournament and advanced to the Super Regional round before falling to Stony Brook.

LSU features six 2013 preseason all-Americans - senior outfielder Raph Rhymes, the 2012 SEC Player of the Year; senior all-SEC outfielder/first baseman Mason Katz; sophomore pitcher Aaron Nola, a 2012 first-team Freshman all-American; junior second baseman JaCoby Jones, junior catcher Ty Ross and junior pitcher Ryan Eades.

Pitching Matchups

Game 1 (Friday), 8 p.m.: LHP Jimmy Reed (1-3, 2.70 ERA) vs. RHP Aaron Nola (7-4, 3.61 ERA)
Game 2 (Saturday), 2 p.m.: RHP Brady Kirkpatrick (3-4, 3.04 ERA) vs. RHP Ryan Eades (5-3, 3.83 ERA)
Game 3 (Sunday), RHP Kevin Mooney/LHP Alex Robinson vs. LHP Chris Cotton (7-0, 1.59)/LHP Brent Bonvillain (4-0, 3.49 ERA)

Leading It Off

• Maryland returns 6 of 8 positional starters from a team that ranked as one of the best defensive teams in the ACC. The Terps finished the year tied for first with Clemson with a .973 fielding percentage.

• The Terps return four of their top five hitters in terms of average from last season. Catcher Jack Cleary led the team with a .319 batting average, OF Jordan Hagel hit .317 and 3B K.J. Hockaday was third with a .308 average.

• Senior LHP Jimmy Reed will take the ball Friday night after leading the team with a 2.70 ERA in 2012 and finishing second on the squad with 52 Ks.

• John Szefc is in his first season as head coach at Maryland after spending two seasons as an associate head coach at Kansas State. From 1996 to 2002, Szefc was the head coach at Marist leading the Foxes to 212-137-1 record and the program's first NEC title in 1997.

Series History

• This weekend marks the first three meetings all-time between Maryland and LSU.