Maryland (13-12) vs. Minnesota (3-23)
April 30 - May 2, 2021
Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium (College Park, Md.)
6:30 pm ET (Friday, 4/30)
2:00 pm ET (Saturday, 5/1)
12:00 pm ET (Sunday, 5/2)
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland baseball team is set to play three games in College Park against the Minnesota Golden Gophers this weekend. Maryland looks to improve upon its three-game win streak as the The Terps take on the Gophers for a chance to move up in the Big Ten conference standings. All three games will be streamed live on Big Ten Network Plus and broadcast on the Maryland Baseball Network.
THIS WEEK'S STORYLINES
last time out
- Maryland is coming off a 3-1 weekend against Iowa and Northwestern in the Iowa City pod series. The Terps completed the season sweep with two wins against Wildcats, while splitting two with Iowa.
- The Terps boast some of the most talented hitters in the conference. With the emergence of junior shortstop Benjamin Cowles - who ranks first in the conference in slugging (.727), and homers (12) - as well as offensive stalwarts in Chris Alleyne (#1 in B1G with 18 SB), and Maxwell Costes, Maryland's offense is grooving now nearly three quarters through the 44-game Big Ten slate.
- Freshman Matt Shaw is coming off his best weekend as a Terp, going 9-for-18 (.500) in Iowa City.
- Maryland's three-man pitching rotation has given the Terps steady starts all season, as Sean Burke, Nick Dean, and Jason Savacool have settled comfortably in their roles. Burke's league-leading 74 strikeouts - and 14.84 K's/9 (#2 in B1G, #7 in NCAA) have driven his draft stock up as one of the nation's most elite college pitching prospects.
Now past the halfway mark
- Now 28 games complete in the spring season, Maryland is nearing the three-quarter mark of the 44-game 2021 Big Ten Slate. Maryland's remaining matchups include home series against Purdue and Indiana - while the Terps have yet to travel to Illinois and Michigan.
- At the conclusion of the eighth week of conference play, Maryland sits at fifth place in the Big Ten conference standings. Nebraska leads the pack, as the Huskers have yet to lose a conference series on the year and possess an 20-7 record. Michigan, Indiana, and Iowa also stand between the Terps and Nebraska in the conference standings.
terps in the mlb draft rankings
- Maryland has developed a number of elite draft prospects over the years, and this year's squad may be as loaded as ever with major-league potential.
- In the latest 2021 MLB Draft Rankings, right-handed pitcher Sean Burke seems poised to be one of Maryland's highest draftees in program history. Baseball America has the Sutton, Mass. native ranked 43rd in the nation, while Burke stands at No. 65 in MLB Pipeline's latest rankings. In the latest D1Baseball.com college draft rankings, the publication lists Burke as the 27th best college prospect in the draft and the 14th-best college right-handed pitcher.
- According to D1Baseball, Maryland possesses two of the best Big Ten draft prospects in the 2021 draft class (Sean Burke, #6; Maxwell Costes, #10), four top prospects in the 2022 draft class (Bobby Zmarzlak, #1; Connor Staine, #2; Nick Dean, #6; Dave Falco, #8), and two more in the 2023 draft class (Jason Savacool, #2; Matt Shaw, #9).
- Baseball America ranks the current Maryland prospects highly as well - with Burke ranked third overall among Big Ten prospects in the 2021 draft class and Maxwell Costes ranked 14th.
- The 2022 Baseball America prospect rankings feature Bobby Zmarzlak (#1 overall in the Big Ten) and Connor Staine (#7), while the 2023 Big Ten prospects are headlined by another Terp in Jason Savacool (#1).
Statistical standouts in the big ten
- As a team, Maryland ranks first in stolen bases (41), second in the conference in home runs (37), and fourth in runs scored (187).
- Individually, Benjamin Cowles' breakout junior campaign has vaulted him to the top of the Big Ten leaderboard in several statistical categories. Cowles ranks first in the league in homers (12) and slugging pct. (.727).
- On the pitching rubber, Jason Savacool's two complete games ranks first in the conference and 19th nationally. Sean Burke's 72 strikeouts leads the legue - while his 14.84 K/9 mark ranks second in the league and seventh nationally - and Sam Bello's five saves is the fifth-best mark in the league.
- On the base paths, Chris Alleyne and Randy Bednar have been creating havoc, ranking among the best bag-swipers in the conference. Alleyne's 18 steals leads the Big Ten, while Bednar ranks fifth in the league with nine.
COWLES FOR BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE YEAR
- Junior shortstop Benjamin Cowles' breakout campaign has been one for the record books.
- The Newark, N.Y. native leads the Big Ten in home runs (12) and slugging pct. (.727).
- After hitting five homers in a four-game series against Rutgers, Cowles was named the Big Ten Player of the Week for the first time in his career (3/24).
- Cowles has hit the long ball in every series he's played in this season. (1 vs. MSU, 5 vs. RU, 1 vs. PSU, 1 vs. Iowa/OSU, 1 vs. NW/Mich, 1 vs. NEB, 1 vs. OSU, 1 vs. Iowa/NW)
- The rate at which Cowles continues to collect four-baggers - hitting nearly a homer every two games (.41/game) - ranks third for the most homers/game in the NCAA.
series history vs. the GOPHERS
- Maryland leads the all-time series against Minnesota, 5-4.
- The Terps and the Golden Gophers didn't meet until becoming conference foes in 2015.
- Most recently, Minnesota took two of three from the Terps in Minneapolis in 2019. Hunter Parsons gave the Terps a quality start in Maryland's Friday night win, as Parsons went 7 innings
allowing just three runs, becoming just the second pitcher in Maryland history to record nine or more wins in a season.
- Maryland was scheduled to host the Gophers to close the 2020 season before the spring season was canceled.
- Minnesota comes to town with a 4-23 record, currently standing at 13th in the Big Ten. Junior infielder Zack Rabbe has paced the Gophers' offense, hitting a team-best .379 on the season.
