Softball Ready for Final Road Tilt at Nebraska

Friday, April 26

Lincoln, NE

6:30 PM

Maryland

Nebraska

4/26/2019 11:23:00 AM | Softball

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Maryland (20-25, 4-11 B1G) will play its final road series of the season this weekend at Nebraska (17-28, 5-12 B1G). Freshman pitcher Amelia Jarecke will be making a return to her hometown of Lincoln when the Terps open up the series Friday night at 5:30 p.m. ET. Friday and Satuday's matchups will be streamed live on BTN Plus, while Sunday's game will be broadcast to a national audience on BTN with Lisa Byington and Carol Bruggeman on the call.

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LAST TIME OUT
• Maryland (20-25, 4-13 B1G) went 1-2 last weekend when they faced Penn State (22-25, 6-11 B1G) in College Park for the Terps' fifth conference series of the season.
• Maryland surpassed its 2018 season win total (18) with its 4-3 win in the second game of the three-game series at Indiana, and reached the 20-win plateau with a 5-4 defeat of Penn State.
• Regan Kerr paced the Terps in the batter's box, hitting at a .600 clip with three hits and knocking in the game-winning run with just her second double of the season. She also stole her first base of the season in Sunday's win over Penn State.
• JoJo McRae, Anna Kufta, Taylor Wilson, Gracie Voulgaris and Bailey Boyd each had multi-hit weekends. McRae led the team with four hits, while Kufta hit her sixth home run of the season.
• In the midweek doubleheader at Rutgers, the Terps went 0-2 but pitchers Sydney Golden and Victoria Galvan held the Scarlet Knights hitless through four innings in both games. Sammie Stefan hit the first grand slam for the Terps since 2016 and now leads the team in home runs (7).

SCOUTING NEBRASKA
• Nebraska sports a 17-28 record including a 5-12 mark in Big Ten play.
• Junior infielder Tristen Edwards paces the Huskers at the plate, batting at a team-high .350 clip and also leading the team in hits (42), runs (34), doubles (10), home runs (14), and RBI (41). Edwards has also stolen 11 bases on the season, ranking second on the team.
• Freshman right-hander Lindsey Walljasper has taken the brunt of the Huskers' pitching duties, leading the team in innings pitched (84.1), appearances (25), and strikeouts (71).

KEEPING TRACK OF THE TERPS
• Anna Kufta holds the eighth-highest mark in the conference and leads the team in RBI (41). Kufta has already surpassed her 2018 season total (23) and her freshman-year total of 27.
• As a team, Maryland ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 49th nationally in batting average (.298), fifth in the Big Ten hits (357), and fourth in the Big Ten in total bases (603).
• Maryland's offense has gotten off to one of its best starts in recent years, ranking inside the top five in batting average and hits for the first time since joining the conference.
• Maryland has slugged 24 home runs this season, its highest mark since crushing 69 in 2015, with two conference series left to play.

FRESHMAN MAKING THEIR MARKS
• Of the five freshman brought in by head coach Julie Wright, five have been able to make an immediate difference while two have been go-to starters nearly all season.
• Freshman catcher Gracie Voulgaris has taken nearly every pitch by the Maryland bullpen this season, and contributing heavily on the offensive end, batting over .300 with 38 hits and 23 RBI.
• Freshman utility player Regan Kerr has made an impact all over the diamond in her freshman campaign, making starts at shortstop, second base and in right field. The Phoenix native has been a vital member of the infield after losing Taylor Okada to a season-ending knee injury.
• Freshman second baseman Taylor Okada started 26 straight games at second base to start the season before she suffered a season-ending knee injury against Bryant on March 15. Okada led the team in batting average (.426) and hits (40) – while also ranking third nationally in hits before her injury. The freshman was a game-changer at the leadoff spot and was one of the toughest outs in the league, striking out only three times in 26 games played.
• Freshmen have also made an impact in the pitcher's circle. Victoria Galvan has been pivotal in relief for the Terps, also making six starts racking up a 3-2 record. Amelia Jarecke has pitched seven innings on the season and has also helped the Terps in pinch-running situations.

COMING OUT SWINGING
• The Terps have scored 39 first-inning runs this season and possess a 10-9 record in game when they score in the opening inning.
• Maryland has scored a run in the opening inning in 19 games and go on to score an average of 2 first-inning runs when they do score in the first inning.
• Maryland boasts a 12-7 record when the Terps are the first team on the board, but are 8-16 in games in which the opponent takes the early advantage.
• Maryland has been able to score in the opening inning in more than half of its conference matchups (9 of 17)

BOMBS AWAY
• As a team, Maryland has hit 24 home runs, its most homers since the 2015 season in which the team went yard 69 times over the course of the season.
• The Terps have eight different home run hitters, its most since the 2015 season when nine different players hit the long ball.
• Sammie Stefan leads the team with seven homers on the season. The sophomore from LaGrange, Ohio hit the first home run of her career in the first game of the season and has continued to be one of Maryland's most feared hitters, launching a grand slam in Tuesday's matchup at Rutgers.
• Junior Anna Kufta ranks second on the team with six home runs. Kufta notched the her 15th career homer this past weekend vs. Penn State.
• JoJo McRae hit a leadoff inside-the-park home run in the opening at-bat vs. Virginia on March 19.

-TERPS-