#13 Terps Set for South Alabama Tournament

2/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

By: Maryland Athletics

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - After sweeping the Caravelle Resort Tournament, the No. 13 Maryland baseball team (3-0) heads to Mobile for the South Alabama Tournament. The Terps will face the hosts Friday night at 7:30 before taking on UCF at 3 p.m., Saturday. Arkansas will serve as Maryland's final opponent on Sunday at 11 a.m.

Leading it off

South Alabama Tournament

Fri., Feb. 20-Sun., Feb 22

Friday - Feb. 20
7:30 p.m. Maryland (RHP Mike Shawaryn) vs. South Alabama (LHP Austin Stephens)

Saturday - Feb. 21
3 p.m. Maryland (LHP Tayler Stiles) vs. UCF (TBA)

Sunday - Feb. 22
11 a.m. Maryland (RHP Brian Shaffer) vs. Arkansas (TBA)

Location: Mobile, Ala.
Stadium: Stanky Field
Live Stats: usajaguars.com
Twitter: @TerpsBaseball

• With wins over Western Kentucky, Canisius and Old Dominion at the Caravelle Resort Tournament, Maryland notched its first 3-0 start since the 1987 season when the Terps defeated Catholic, UMBC and George Washington to start the year.

• Maryland is 2-1 all-time against UCF. The Terrapins have never faced Arkansas or South Alabama.

• Nick Cieri batted. 500 (6-for-12) in Myrtle Beach, swatting one home run and driving in five RBIs. Cieri leads the team in average, RBIs, and is second in slugging percentage (.833) and on-base percentage (.538).

• LaMonte Wade made a seamless transition from first base to center field over his first three games. Wade posted a .364 batting average (4-for-11) and notched the game winning RBIs in the seventh inning against Old Dominion.

• Right hander Mike Shawaryn earned his first victory of the season against Western Kentucky, striking out seven Hilltoppers in six innings of work. Shawaryn won a Maryland single-season record 11 games last season.

• Left hander Tayler Stiles recorded a career-high nine strikeouts against Old Dominion. Stiles previous high was four Ks, which he accomplished four times last season.

• After recording a Maryland single-season record 31 appearances last season, right hander Bobby Ruse picked up where he left off pitching 5.0 innings of one-run relief and getting the decision against Canisius.

• Closer Kevin Mooney earned his first save of the season in Saturday's win over Old Dominion. Mooney is tied with Brett Cecil for the Maryland all-time mark record of 23.

Highly rated

Terps in the Polls
	D1Baseball	Baseball America	USA Today/ESPN	NCBWA
Team	13	16	20	19

• After a historic 2014, Maryland has received its highest preseason ranking in history from multiple polls. D1Baseball.com had the Terrapins the highest at No. 14.

• Maryland is the highest ranked Big Ten team in most major polls.

Preseason Honors

INF Jose Cuas

• Perfect Game Preseason All-Conference Team.

INF Brandon Lowe

• D1Baseball Preseason All-American (3rd Team)
• Big Ten Player to Watch

RHP Kevin Mooney

• Big Ten Player to Watch
• 2015 NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List

RHP Mike Shawaryn

• D1Baseball Preseason Big Ten Pitcher of the Year.
• Big Ten Player to Watch

B1G Favorite

• The Terps have been picked to top the Big Ten in its inaugural season in the conference. The conference's coaches voted on the top six teams.

1. Maryland
2. Nebraska
3. Illinois
4. Indiana
5. Michigan
6. Ohio State

• Maryland is also the consensus selection to win the conference among national publications.

Super 2014

• Following a 43-year absence, Maryland advanced to the NCAA Tournament, and then swept the Columbia Regional, beating Old Dominion and South Carolina, to make their first trip to a Super Regional in team history. The squad's first victory in that regional over the Gamecocks snapped the home team's 28-game postseason winning streak. Maryland fell one game short of a trip to Omaha, falling to Virginia in the Super Regional.

• Maryland set a school record for wins in a season with 40. The Terps notched its third straight winning season, a streak not seen since 1976-78.

• The Terrapins left the ACC with a bang, notching its first winning season in the conference since 1981 and appearing in the ACC title game for the first time since 1976

• The Terps' success did not fly under the radar. Maryland finished the season with its highest ever ranking, rising to as high as No. 13 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. The Terps finished the season ranked 14th by Baseball American, Collegiate Baseball News and Perfect Game. The NCBWA ranked the Terps No. 16 in its final poll.

Postseason Plaudits

• The Terps had five players named to the Columbia All-Regional Team led by centerfielder Charlie White (graduated), who was named the regional's most outstanding player. Jose Cuas (third base), Kevin Martir (catcher) Mike Shawaryn (pitcher) and LaMonte Wade (first base) joined White on the squad.

• Shawaryn and Brandon Lowe earned Freshman All-American honors from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, the NCBWA and Perfect Game. Shawaryn recorded a Maryland single-season record 11 victories while Lowe paced the Terps in average (.348), slugging (.464), on-base percentage (.464) and triples (3).

• Lowe, White and Jake Stinnett all earned All-ACC honors. Stinnett and White were named to the second team while Lowe was a third-team selection.

• Maryland had three players placed on the ACC All-Tournament Team. Martir batted .462 in the tournament and added two home runs, three runs scored and four RBIs. Wade and Blake Schmit were also named to the team.

Stellar Szefc

• Head coach John Szefc is 70-48 at Maryland entering his third year in College Park. No Maryland skipper has ever won that many games in a two-year span.

• The native of Middletown, N.Y., has coached 80 players that have been drafted or signed professional contracts since 1997.

• Szefc earned 30 victories in his first season, the most ever by a Maryland first-year head coach. He was most previously the associate head coach at Kansas State.

pro Terps

• Four Terrapins were selected in the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft, led by Jake Stinnett who was taken 45th overall by the Chicago Cubs. Left-handed pitcher Ben Brewster was chosed in the 15th round by the Chicago White Sox while Charlie White was picked in the 21st round by the Cubs. Blake Schmitt rounded out the selections, drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 26th rounds.

• The four join former Maryland players Brett Cecil (Toronto Blue Jays), Justin Maxwell (San Francisco Giants)*, Alfredo Rodriguez (Milwaukee Brewers), Adam Kolarek (New York Mets), Jimmy Reed (St. Louis Cardinals) and Jack Cleary (Milwaukee Brewers) as members of MLB organizations at the end of the 2014 season.

*ended the season as a member of the Kansas City Royals. Non-roster invite to San Francisco spring training.

Power surge

• Maryland exploded for four home runs at the Caravelle Resort Tournament and leads the Big Ten in that category. Brandon Lowe (x2), Anthony Papio and Nick Cieri all went yard.

• The Terrapins are at the top of the Big Ten in slugging percentage (.462) and second in total bases (48).

Lowe sets the table

• With the departure of Charlie White, second baseman Brandon Lowe has been thrust into the leadoff spot.

• Lowe has a team-high .667 on-base percentage this season and has five hits and six walks.

• The sophomore is t-2 in the conference in runs scored (5) and his three walks against Western Kentucky is the most in a single game in the Big Ten so far this season.

• Lowe earned freshman All-American honors from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, the NCBWA and Perfect Game last season. He paced the Terps in average (.348), slugging (.464), on-base percentage (.464) and triples (3).

CIERI BREAKs out

• Sophomore Nick Cieri had a breakout weekend in Myrtle Beach. His five RBIs against Canisius are the most by a Big Ten player in a game this weekend.

• Cieri is t-2 in the conference in total bases (10) and t-3 batting average (.500).

-Terps-