COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The Maryland baseball team takes on Towson in the third annual Ripken Cup in Aberdeen, Md. at Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium Wednesday night. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.
Coverage of the game can be heard on the Maryland Baseball Network, with Terps Pregame Live starting 30 minutes before first pitch.
LEADING IT OFF
• Maryland has won both editions of the Ripken Cup against Towson; taking matchups held in 2014 and 2015. The 2016 edition of the matchup was rained out. Current Maryland players Kevin Smith, Justin Morris, Jamal Wade, Zach Jancarski, Patrick Hisle, Brian Shaffer, Andrew Green and Mike Rescigno played in the 2015 game.
• Junior outfielder Zach Jancarski's 14-game hit streak came to an end Saturday, but he continues to rank highly in a number of categories in the Big Ten. Jancarski is ninth in average (.337), ninth in on-base percentage (.426) and second in runs scored (38).
• Sophomore outfielder Marty Costes has emerged as one of the biggest offensive threats in the Big Ten this season. He leads Maryland in multi-RBI games (8) and multi-hit games (19). Costes is third in the Big Ten in hits (60).
• Senior Brandon Gum is third in the Big Ten in on-base percentage with a .449 mark. Gum hit a walk-off solo home run against Penn State to give the Terps a come-from-behind 2-1 win.
• Junior RHP Ryan Hill will get the ball for Maryland on Wednesday. Hill was spotless in his first career start against William & Mary, tossing three scoreless innings with three strikeouts.
• Junior Kevin Smith continues to be among the top sluggers in the Big Ten, with a slugging percentage of .558. Smith has eight home runs which ranks ninth in the conference,
• The 2017 season is head coach John Szefc's fifth season in College Park. Szefc has led the Terps to four straight 30-win seasons and two NCAA Super Regional appearances, both program firsts. He became the fastest coach in Maryland history to win 150 games when the Terps topped Bryant in game one of a doubleheader on 3/12.
• The Terps topped the Big Ten preseason coaches poll while D1Baseball, Perfect Game and Baseball America named Maryland the Big Ten favorites for the 2017 season. It is the third straight year D1Baseball has tabbed the Terps its Big Ten preseason frontrunner.
Pitching Match-Ups
| Game | Maryland | Towson |
|---|
| Friday |
RHP-Ryan Hill, Jr. (3-1, 3.45, 43 K) |
RHP-Matt Allen, Sr. (3-1, 6.31, 14 K) |
-Terps-
