Terps Finish Regular Season with Spartans
5/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – In its final series of the season, the Maryland baseball team heads to Michigan State to take on the Spartans in a three-game set at McLane Stadium. Thursday's game will be broadcast live on BTN and all three contests can be heard live on the Maryland Baseball Network.
Setting the stage
Thursday, May 18, 2016 - 3:05 p.m.
RHP Mike Shawaryn (4-4, 3.33 ERA) vs. RHP Ethan Landon (7-2, 2.47 ERA)
Friday, May 19, 2016 - 3:05 p.m.
RHP Taylor Bloom (6-4, 2.45 ERA) vs. LHP Joe Mockbee (2-1, 3.00 ERA)
Saturday, May 20, 2016 - 1:05 p.m.
RHP Brian Shaffer (6-3, 2.70 ERA) vs. TBD
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Stadium: McLane Stadium
Stream: BTN (Thursday)
Radio: Maryland Baseball Network
Live Stats: msuspartans.com
Twitter: @TerpsBaseball
• Maryland will end the regular season with its first ever trip to Michigan State to face the Spartans in a three-game series. Maryland leads the all-time series 1-0 after a 2-1 win in the first ever meeting betweent the two programs at the 2015 Big Ten Tournament.
• Maryland is one of just six teams nationally to make back-to-back Super Regional appearances. The Terrapins upended top overall seed UCLA to win the Los Angeles Regional last season before falling in the next round to eventual national champion Virginia.
• Maryland head coach John Szefc has accumulated 138 victories in his first four seasons at the helm. That total is the most in a four-year span in program history. Szefc is the only skipper in school history to win an NCAA Regional and notch back-to-back 40-win seasons.
• Junior Mike Shawaryn is already among the most accomplished hurlers in school history. A preseason first-team All-American, Shawaryn owns the Maryland records for career wins (28), single season victories (13, in 2015), single season strikeouts (138, in 2015) and career strikeouts (285), a record he broke against Penn State in the first complete game of his career. The Carney's Point, N.J., native was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week after he tossed eight innings of one-hit ball against Rhode Island on Feb. 26.
• Maryland starters Taylor Bloom and Brian Shaffer have thrown a combined seven complete games this season. Shaffer earned Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week honors on March 21 for his 99-pitch shutout, five strikeout performance. Bloom has tossed five complete games, the most in the Big Ten. The hurlers have more combined starts (25) than walks (20).
• Boosted by its three outstanding starters, Maryland has the eighth best walks allowed per nine innings mark (2.54) and 19th best strikeout to walk ratio (2.71) in the country.
• Sophomore Kevin Biondic has paced the Terps offense in his second season, leading Maryland in batting average (.306) and on-base percentage (.415).
• Freshman Nick Dunn was named Big Ten Player and Freshman of the Week on March 7.
• Freshman Marty Costes has earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors twice this season, most recently on May 2. Costes leads all Big Ten freshman in home runs (8) and slugging percentage (.500).
• Sophomore Kevin Smith notched seven RBI at James Madison, the most by a Maryland player since 5/9/09.
Power Surge
• Maryland is fourth in the Big Ten with 38 home runs.
• The Terrapin offense exploded against Rhode Island on Feb. 28 with four home runs, including a go-ahead grand slam from junior Nick Cieri. It is the first time Maryland has hit four home runs in a game since May 22, 2014 against Virginia.
• Maryland's six-run fourth in its 9-5 victory over the Alabama was highlighted by three two-run home runs.Cieri, Nickens and Anthony Papio all went yard.
• It's the first time Maryland has had three home runs in an inning since March 1, 2008 when Chad Durakis, Gerry Spessard and Mike Murphy hit back-to-back-to-back home runs against Hofstra.
Getting iT dunn
• Freshman Nick Dunn has been a solid contributer in his debut campaign. He is second on the team with 36 runs scored and leads the team in hits with 58. His 13 doubles are tied for 14th in the Big Ten and lead Maryland.
• Dunn has 13 multi-hit games, tied for the team high, and reached base in the first 20 games of the season. Dunn has Maryland's longest hitting streak of the season (13) and has 26 RBIs.
• Dunn earned Big Ten Player and Freshman of the Week honors after slashing .642/.700/.786 with nine hits, four RBIs and four runs scored. He is Maryland's first player to ever win two Big Ten weekly honors in the same week. He is the first double player/freshman of the week since Kyle Johnson accomplished the feat for Purdue in 2013.
TERPS AMONG B1G FAVORITES
• Junior RHP Mike Shawaryn earned Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors on Feb. 29 after tossing eight innings of one hit ball against Rhode Island. He struck out five batters and retired 22-of-24 Rams faced.
• With a strikeout in the third inning against Penn State, Shawaryn broke the Maryland all-time strikeout record and now holds the mark with a total of 285.
• The junior tossed the first complete game of his career in that Penn State contest.
• Shawaryn has 75 strikeouts, the sixth-best mark in the Big Ten, and is holding opponents to a .203 average, the second-best number in the Big Ten. Shawaryn has thrown 81.0 IP, tied for eighth in the conference.
• Shawaryn tied his season high with 10 strikeouts in a win over Purdue on April 23.
• Shawaryn has 28 career wins, the most in Maryland history
• Shawaryn put together the best season by a pitcher in Maryland history in 2015, racking up a program record 13 wins and 138 strikeouts. Shawaryn recorded a 1.71 ERA and held opposing hitters to a .202 average.
• Shawaryn was named a preseason first-team All-American in most major outlets. He was named the preseason Big Ten Pitcher of the Year by Perfect Game and D1Baseball.com.
• After pitching for USA Baseball this summer, Shawaryn was named to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List. Sponsored by Major League Baseball and USA Baseball, the award is presented to the top amateur baseball player in the country.
• He was named a first-team All-American by the NCBWA, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and Perfect Game in 2015. Shawaryn was the first Maryland player to be named a first-team All-American since 2002, when John McCurdy was a NCBWA first teamer.
• Shawaryn became the second student-athlete in Maryland baseball history to don the Stars and Stripes since 1979 when he joined the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team over the summer. Shawaryn recorded 10.1 IP for the national team.
• He was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on four occasions last season.
• Shawaryn was a freshman All-American in 2014 where he set the program record for wins in a season with 11.
BIONDIC FINDS A GROOVE
• Sophomore Kevin Biondic has had a breakout second campaign for the Terps leads the team in batting average (.296) and on-base percentage (.403). Biondic has improved his numbers from his freshman campaign in which he batted under .200.
• Biondic has hit five home runs and is fourth on the team with 10 multi-hit games.
weekend potential
• Maryland boasts a pair of talented young arms that have emerged as weekend options in sophomores Taylor Bloom and Brian Shaffer. Both starters have great control, and have more combined starts (23) than walks (16).
• A native of Crofton, Md., Bloom has thrown five complete games, the most in the Big Ten and tied for 5th in the country. He is fourth in the Big Ten in ERA at 2.45 and has tossed 88.1 IP, the third-best total in the conference.
• Bloom ranks first in the Big Ten in walks per nine innings (0.92), a mark that is seventh in the country. He is second in strikeout to walk ratio (5.89).
• Bloom earned Los Angeles Regional All-Tournament honors last year after throwing 6.1 IP with just one run and one hit allowed. Bloom needed just 58 pitches in that effort.
• Shaffer has emerged as a solid option in the Terps' rotation, holding a 2.70 ERA, the eighth-best mark in the conference, in 86.2 IP, the sixth best mark in the Big Ten. Shaffer's opposing batting average of .214 is the fourth-best in the Big Ten and his 62 strikeouts ranks tied for 11th.
• He leads the Big Ten in WHIP at 0.91.
• Shaffer notched with his second complete game of the season against Iowa. He gave up just one earned run and tied a career high with seven strikeouts.
• Shaffer recorded the best start of his career against Cal State Fullerton and earned Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week honors after tossing a complete game, 99-pitch shutout to beat the Titans. Shaffer struck out five and did not walk a batter.
• Shaffer started 11 games last season as a true freshman, going 5-1 with a 4.57 ERA. His biggest start of the season came in the Big Ten Championships against Illinois. Shaffer tossed seven innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts to help the Terps end the Illini's 27-game winning streak.
SENSATIONAL SMITH
• Sophomore Kevin Smith had a spectacular debut campaign in College Park en route to being named a freshman All-American by D1Baseball.com and Perfect Game. He is the Terps' third freshman All-American in the last two season with Mike Shawaryn and Brandon Lowe earning plaudits in 2014.
• Smith had a reached base streak of 18 games, which was the second longest on the team. Smith has nine doubles, second on the team, and eight home runs which is tied for the best mark on the team and tied for sixth in the conference.
• Smith is third in the conference with nine sacrifice bunts.
• Smith was named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List, given to the nation's best shortstop.
Smith's 55 runs scored were the best mark by a freshman in the Big Ten last year. He started 65 games, mostly at shortstop, and batted .273 with seven home runs and 35 RBIs.
• He starred during the Terps' postseason run and was named the Big Ten All-Tournament team.
REWRITE THE RECORD BOOK
• The 2015 Terps left their mark in the school's record book. The squad won a school record 42 games, breaking the record of 40 that was set in 2014.
• The Terrapins also notched a program-best 36 regular season wins.
• The Terps advanced to consecutive NCAA Tournaments for the first time in 44 years (1970, 71).
• The 2015 squad produced a school record eight players selected in the MLB Draft.
• Maryland pitchers produced 549 strikeouts, which represents a school and conference record.
• Mike Shawaryn set the school record for total wins (13) and strikeouts (138) in a season.
SZEFC AT THE HELM
• John Szefc is in his fourth season at Maryland. Szefc became the fastest coach in Maryland history to reach 100 wins when the Terps defeated Purdue on April 26, 2015.
• He earned his 350th victory as a head coach on May 15 against Rutgers.
• Szefc is the only coach to win 40 games in back-to-back seasons after a 42-win campaign in 2015. The skipper is also the first Maryland coach to achieve three straight 30-win seasons.
• With another trip to the NCAA Super Regionals last season, Szefc became the first skipper in Maryland history to reach the round in back-to-back years.
• On his first attempt, Szefc led the Terps to the final of the Big Ten Tournament. It is the second straight year the Terps have advanced to a conference tournament championship game after making the ACC final in 2014.
• Szefc picked up his 300th career victory against Michigan on March 28, 2015.
• Szefc's second season saw him lead Maryland to a then program record 40 wins and its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1971.
• Maryland won the Columbia Regional and advanced to the Super Regional round for the first time in school history.
• The Terrapins advanced to the ACC Tournament for the first time since 2005 and advanced to the conference title game for the first time since 1976.
• Under Szefc, Maryland has won seven NCAA Tournament games. The Terps had previously won just one NCAA Tournament game - in 1970.
• In his first season as skipper in 2013, head coach Szefc led the Terps to a 30-25 record and finished 11-19 in the ACC.
• Szefc's 30 wins were the most by a first-year Maryland coach in program history.
BEST CLASS... EVER
• Maryland baseball's 2016 recruiting class earned the program's highest ever rating from multiple publications including D1Baseball.com (17), Baseball America (22) and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper (27).
• The Terrapin class includes 12 true freshman and two junior college transfers.
• Two members of the group, pitchers Hunter Parsons (40th round, Indians) and Andrew Miller (34th round, Yankees), were selected in the 2015 MLB Draft.
• Freshman Nick Dunn was named a top prospect from the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League by Perfect Game.
• Nick Browne earned Perfect Game top prospect honors in the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League.
• Baseball American named outfielder Marty Costes a top prospect from the Cal Ripken League.
• Maryland's class is boasted by two outstanding JUCO transfers. Former Harford Community College star Brandon Smith clashed .420/.510/.663 to help his squad win the Maryland JUCO Championships.
• Madison Nickens helped LSU-Eunice win the NJCAA Division II National Championship with a .289 average with six home runs and 37 RBIs. Nickens also brings elite speed. His 39 stolen bases ranked fifth in the nation.
• The class also boats two-time Washington D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year AJ Lee along with 2015 Baltimore Sun Metro Player of the Year Truman Thomas.
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