Maryland (19-13) vs. Illinois (15-16)
May 7 - May 9, 2021
Illinois Field (Champaign, Ill.)
7:00 pm ET (Friday, 5/7)
5:00 pm ET (Saturday, 5/8)
12:00 pm ET (Sunday, 5/9)
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland baseball team is set to play three games in Champaign, Illinois against the Illinois Fighting Illini this weekend. Maryland looks to improve upon its six-game win streak as the The Terps take on the Illini for a chance to move up in the Big Ten conference standings. Friday and Saturday's will be streamed live on Big Ten Network Plus, while Sunday's tilt will air nationally on the Big Ten Network.
THIS WEEK'S STORYLINES
last time out
- Maryland is coming off a 3-0 weekend sweep of Minnesota at home in College Park. The Terrapins have now won six consecutive games and nine of their last 10.
- Maryland's six straight wins ties its longest Big Ten winning streak in program history, also accomplished in the 2017 season - the last season the Terps advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
- The Terps have also won three consecutive series dating back to Maryland's three-game sweep of Ohio State. Maryland went 3-1 at the Iowa City pod before returning home to sweep the Gophers.
- Offensively, the Terps are led by junior SS Benjamin Cowles. Cowles leads the Big Ten in HRs (13) and slugging (.718). Freshman Matthew Shaw has also rounded into form, leading the team with a .331 avg.
- Maryland's starting 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 74 strikeouts ranks #2 in the B1G, while Dean has won 2 consecutive starts, and Savacool leads the B1G in wins (5) and CGs (2).
- The Terps travel to Champaign, home of the eighth-place Fighting Illini. Illinois is coming off a series split vs. Michigan. Winners of five of their last eight, the Illini hold a league-best .286 batting avg.
in the stretch
- Now 32 games complete in the spring season, Maryland is coming up on 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 Michigan.
- At the conclusion of the ninth week of conference play, Maryland is tied for fourth in the Big Ten conference standings. Indiana leads the pack with a 20-9 record on the season, while Michigan, Nebraska, and Iowa are firmly in the race to the top of the leaderboard.
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 44th 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 second in stolen bases (44), third in the conference in home runs (41), and fifth in runs scored (209).
- 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 (13) and slugging pct. (.718).
- On the pitching rubber, Jason Savacool's two complete games ranks first in the conference. Sean Burke's 74 strikeouts ranks second in the league - while his 14.27 K/9 mark ranks second in the league and 10th nationally - and Sam Bello's six saves is the fourth-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 seventh 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 (13) and slugging pct. (.718).
- 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)
- The rate at which Cowles continues to collect four-baggers - hitting nearly a homer every two games (.41/game) - ranks fourth for the most homers/game in the NCAA.
series history vs. the Fighting illini
- Maryland and Illinois are tied in the all-time series, 8-8.
- The Terps and the Illini met just twice before becoming conference foes in 2015. Despite being tied in the all-time series between the teams, Illinois has taken three of the last four series.
- Most recently, Maryland knocked Illinois out of the 2019 Big Ten Tournament in Omaha, as senior RHP Hunter Parsons starred in his final start as a Terp. Parsons helped the sixth-seeded Terps knock off the third-seeded Illini with his 10th win of the season, tossing 7 1/3 innings of one-run, four-hit ball.
