Maryland (24-14) vs. No. 24 Michigan (25-13)
May 21 - May 23, 2021
Ray Fisher Stadium (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
5:00 pm ET (Friday, 5/21)
5:00 pm ET (Saturday, 5/22)
1:00 pm ET (Sunday, 5/23)
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland baseball team is set to play three games in Ann Arbor, Michigan against the 24th-ranked Michigan Wolverines this weekend. Maryland looks to improve upon its five-game win streak as the The Terps take on the Wolverines for a chance to move up in the Big Ten conference standings. Friday and Saturday's games will air nationally on the Big Ten Network, while Sunday's tilt will be streamed live on Big Ten Network Plus.
THIS WEEK'S STORYLINES
last time out
- Maryland is coming off a 3-0 weekend sweep of Purdue at home in College Park. The Terrapins have now won five consecutive games and improve to 14-2 in the second half of the season.
- The Terps have defended home turf at an extremely high level this season, now 14-3 at Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium in 2021. Maryland has swept three consecutive three-game weekend series (Ohio State, Minnesota, Purdue) at the Bob. Maryland's 14 home wins is its most since winning 20 in 2017, the last year the Terps advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
- The Terps travel to Ann Arbor, home of the second-place Wolverines. Michigan is coming off a strong series win against a then-ranked Indiana club. Michigan is led offensively by sophomore Ted Burton - last week's Big Ten Player of the Week - who is hitting .365 on the season, good for second in the conference.
- Michigan's pitching staff is among the best in the conference, as Steven Hajjar, Cameron Weston, and Jacob Denner are slated to get the starts on the mound this weekend for the Wolverines. Hajjar is one of the league's premier strikeout artists, ranking second in the Big Ten with 88 this season. Weston (2.85) and Hajjar's (3.02) ERA numbers rank fifth and sixth in the conference, respectively, while Denner (3.86) ranks 14th.
in the stretch
- Now 38 games complete in the spring season, Maryland is coming up on the home stretch of the 44-game 2021 Big Ten Slate. Maryland's remaining matchups incklude this weekend's three-game series in Ann Arbor, and a three-game series against Indiana in College Park to close out the regular season.
- At the conclusion of the 11th week of conference play, Maryland stands at fourth in the Big Ten conference standings. Maryland is just one game behind Michigan in the conference standings.
- Maryland's current conference winning percentage (.632) would be the Terps' highest Big Ten winning percentage since joining the conference in 2015, if the season ended today. It would also be Maryland's best overall conference winning percentage since going .700 in the ACC in 1981, playing in just 10 conference games that season.
- Over the last 24 games, Maryland is 19-5. It's Maryland's best 24 game stretch mark in program history, tying 19-5 stretches that were last accomplished in 2017 (NCAA Tournament Team) and 2015 (NCAA Super Regional Team).
- Maryland has won 10 straight at home, the Terps' longest winning streak at home since also winning 10 straight in College Park in 2017.
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 is poised to be one of Maryland's highest draft picks in recent history. Baseball America has the Sutton, Mass. native ranked 44th in the nation, while Burke stands at No. 73 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 top-5 in the Big Ten in stolen bases (1st), home runs (2nd), walks (3rd), on-base percentage (3rd), runs scored (3rd), slugging percentage (3rd), WHIP (4th), and ERA (5th).
- Maryland's offense is one of just two in the conference - along with Michigan - to rank top-three in home runs, on-base percentage, runs scored, slugging percentage, and stolen bases.
- 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 (16), second in slugging percentage (.693), and second in RBIs (43).
- On the pitching rubber, Nick Dean's ERA (2.68) ranks second among starters in the league. Sean Burke ranks fourth in opposing batting average (.187) and sixth in strikeouts (79). Jason Savacool ranks first in wins (7) and complete games (2). Sam Bello ranks third in saves (7).
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 (16), ranks second in slugging percentage (.693), and second in RBIs (43).
- 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, 1 vs. MINN, 1 vs. ILL, 2 vs. PUR)
- The rate at which Cowles continues to collect four-baggers - hitting nearly a homer every two games (.42/game) - ranks fourth for the most homers/game in the NCAA.
- Cowles is also fielding at an elite level at shortstop, leading the conference in assists (106) and ranking second in fielding percentage (.964) among conference shortstops.
series history vs. the WOLVERINES
- Maryland trails in the all-time series against Michigan, 8-19.
- The Wolverines have won two of the last three series between the teams.
- Earlier this season, Maryland and Michigan split two games at the College Park pod.
- Since joining the Big Ten, Maryland is 3-11 against Michigan. The two teams also met nearly annually throughout the 1930s and '40s.
- Michigan head coach Erik Bakich served at Maryland in the same role from 2010-12.
