BLOG: Terps Look To Maintain Momentum, Peak At Right Time
4/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
By Michael Errigo
Late April matters in college softball. Late April is a measuring stick, a time that is thought about through hours of offseason training, early-season tests and everyday practice. Anything that has been said or predicted or dreamt can be answered by late April. Where you stand in late April- after so many tests and on the brink of a chance at postseason success- matters.
Here's where Maryland softball stands in late April: This past weekend, the Terps scored 17 runs in three games to get their first-ever Big Ten sweep over the Penn State Nittany Lions and land them at 26 wins on the season. They currently sit in the middle of the Big Ten standings tied for seventh. They rank fourth for number of hits in the conference (410), fourth in team ERA (4.40) and third in home runs (61). They have hit .313 as a team.
Games are played with grit. In last Friday night's Penn State game, the team came back from being down twice on their way to a 10-hit, 8-6 victory. On Saturday, it was a walk-off homerun by catcher Shannon Bustillos that sealed the Terps win of a game in which they trailed 4-0 at one point. On Sunday, Maryland held off a late-game rally and finished off the sweep.
“I'm really proud of how the team came out from the first pitch of the first game to the last pitch of the last game,” said Coach Courtney Scott Deifel.
Asked after Sunday's win what her team did well in the series sweep, shortstop Lindsey Schmeiser lauded their defense and added: “I mean, we hit the ball every weekend, that wasn't a surprise.”
A high-powered offensive performance from the Terps surely hasn't taken anyone by surprise for some time now. Their aggression at the plate has become a driving force of this season, a facet of the game that they can build on in other areas.
But it's not just the flashy contact stats above behind this production, as the Terps place second in the Big Ten for walks drawn with 209 on the year. This is the kind of stat that helps the Terps keep up in their inaugural Big Ten season.
“One thing I would say about Big Ten teams that I've noticed is that it doesn't matter if it's a team that's at the bottom of the Big Ten, they all have bats,” Schmeiser said. “Every team that you face has some really good hitting.”
This will be the case when the Terps are visited by Michigan this weekend. The Wolverines have hit 91 homeruns this year, powering their way to a 42-6 record and a spot atop the conference. It will be an uphill climb for Maryland softball, one that will take more than the ability to score runs. But the Terps feel ready for the challenge. They feel good about their late April.
“We're getting in a groove,” Dewey said. “We're playing really good softball right now.”
--Michael Errigo is a contributing writer to UmTerps.com
