COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Armed with the top defense in the country, the No. 12 Maryland baseball team detours to Georgia for a series with Appalachian State at the Lake Point Complex in Emerson.

Leading it off

Appalachian State

Fri., Feb. 27-Sun., March 1

Friday - Feb. 27 
3:30 p.m. RHP Mike Shawaryn vs. LHP Jeffrey Springs

Saturday - Feb. 28 
4 p.m. Maryland LHP Tayler Stiles vs. RHP Travis Holden

Sunday - March. 1 
11 a.m. Maryland RHP Brian Shaffer vs. TBA 

Location: Emerson, Ga.
Stadium: Lake Point Complex
Live Audio: Maryland Baseball Network
Live Stats: umterps.com
Twitter: @TerpsBaseball

• Maryland captured wins over South Alabama and Arkansas at the South Alabama Tournament in Mobile, Ala. The Terps dominated the Jaguars, 8-0, and used a nine-run sixth to get past the Razorbacks, 13-6.

• The Terps have never faced Appalachian State.

• Maryland is one of two teams in the country that has yet to commit an error. Only Delaware can also boast a 1.000 fielding percentage, and the Blue Hens have played just two games. 

• Sophomore right-hander Mike Shawaryn captured Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors after a dominant performance against Western Kentucky. The New Jersey native pitched seven scoreless innings in an ultra-efficient 72 pitches, allowing just three hits and striking out six. Shawaryn also did not give up a walk.

• Shortstop Kevin Smith used an excellent weekend at the plate and in the field to take home the Big Ten Freshman of the Week award. The New Yorker batted .455 (5-for-11) with four RBIs, including a career-high three hits in the Terps' come-from-behind win over Arkansas.

• Junior center fielder LaMonte Wade had an outstanding weekend in Mobile, batting .583 (7-for-12) and notching five RBIs. Wade tied his career high with four hits in the Terps' rout of South Alabama. He ranks second in the Big Ten in RBIs (9) and 10th in batting average (.478).

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

• Bobby Ruse picked up the win after coming on in relief against Arkansas. The senior pitched three scoreless frames and is now tied for the team lead in wins with Shawaryn (2). 

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

Highly rated

• 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

-Terps-