Maryland (31-18) vs. USC Upstate (30-18)
May 8, 2024
Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium
6:00 p.m.
B1G+
COLLEGE PARK, MD -- Maryland baseball is back at home as they host USC Upstate at The Bob on Wednesday. This will be the first meet between the program. Maryland is coming off its second consecutive Big Ten series win and its first road series win in the conference this season. The game will be streamed on B1G+ and will air on the Maryland Baseball Network.
Where We Are
- Maryland (31-18) comes into this midweek meeting after taking its second-straight Big Ten conference series and first on the road.
- Maryland took two of three on the road against Rutgers, taking game one of the series on Friday and split the doubleheader on Saturday.
- In game one of the series, Maryland fell behind early 1-0 after the first inning. Omar Melendez got the start and would throw five consecutive scoreless innings after the first to help keep it a 1-0 game. The Terrapins would score four runs in the top of the sixth to take the lead. After Rutgers scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh, Kenny Lippman would come on to shut the door to secure the 4-3 series opening win and pick up his second save of the season.
- In the first game of the doubleheader, the Terps dropped a pitchers duel 2-1. Evan Smith came on in relief and threw a career-high 4.1 innings and struck out three batters to keep it a one score game.
- In the second game of the doubleheader, the Terps were led by solid pitching from Logan Koester and a pair of three run innings in the fourth and sixth to take a 6-4 win. Koester would go six innings, picking up his fifth win of the year. Logan Berrier came on and picked up the three inning save for his fifth of the season.
About The Spartans
The Cardiac Terps
- A moniker bestowed to the team this season for its late game rallies. The Terrapins have won 11 games in their final at bats:
- Maryland has outscored its opponents by a wide margin in late inning situations.
- In the eighth inning or later, The Terps are outscoring their opponents by a margin of 75-39.
- The late-inning dramatics don't stop there, with the Terps also having 17 comeback wins so far this season.
- The Terps have scored three or more runs in the eighth and ninth innings eight times this season. The most in the eighth inning came in their 14-3 win over Mount St. Mary's on February 20 when they scored six-runs in the eighth inning. Their second-most runs in either inning came in their most recent win over James Madison, where the Terrapins erupted for a five-run bottom of the eighth to break a 4-4 tie. The Terps had another five-run inning in their come from behind win over Michigan on Friday, Mar. 29. Four of the five runs scored in the Michigan comeback were also scored with two outs.
Kevin Keister came up big for the Terps on April 7 with a walk-off single to give them a 6-5 win. This was the fourth walk-off for the Terps on the season, while also their 10th win in their final at-bat and 13th comeback win on the year.
Hojnar Driving in Runs in Bunches
- Sam Hojnar continues to be one of the consistent run producers in Terrapins lineup. Since the start of conference play, Hojnar had been hitting .314 with 11 home runs, 36 RBI, and a slugging percentage of .645.
- Hojnar has had game with six RBI on two occasions this season. The first time came in Maryland's 13-12 win over UMBC on Apr. 3, with Hojnar also walking off the game. The second came just a week later, with Hojnar drove in six runs on the road against Georgetown in a game where he hit two home runs.
- Hojnar currently has a team leading 54 RBI on the season and leads the team with 14 home runs. The 14 home runs for Hojnar are a career-high for the redshirt senior. His 14 home runs are also the second-most in the Big Ten, while his 53 RBI are the fourth-most in the conference.
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Hojnar had consecutive games with two or more home runs in a game, hitting two against Illinois on April 28 and Towson on Apri. 30. Hojnar became the first Terp to hit two or more home runs in consecutive games since Matt Shaw, who hit three home runs against Michigan on May 14 and two against Michigan on May 15 of 2022.
Sam Hojnar has been a consistent force in the Terrapins lineup. The junior second baseman leads the team with 14 home runs and 54 RBI. Hojnar's 14 home runs are a career-high for the junior and the second-most in the Big Ten
Agent zero
- One of the bright spots in the bullpen for the Terps has been Longwood transfer Logan Berrier. The redshirt senior has a 7-1 record with five saves, a 2.77 ERA, 34 strikeouts, in 39 innings across 17 appearances.
- Berrier's seven wins on the season rank in the top 30 in Division I and tied for the most in the Big Ten.
- Berrier began the season with a 7-0 record, becoming the first Terps pitcher to start a season with a record of 7-0 or better since Kansas City Royals prospect Ryan Ramsey began the 2022 season with a 10-0 record.
Logan Berrier has had a strong start to his Terrapins career. The righty leads the team with a 7-1 record and has a 2.77 ERA. Berrier's seven wins are tied for the 18-most in Division I this season.
You Only Need One
- A team with a penchant for the dramatic, the Terrapins currently hold a 13-4 record this season in one-run games. The 13 wins the Terps have this season is a program record for wins in one-run games in a single-season.
- The Terps added their fourth walk-off win on Sunday in a 6-5 win over Indiana. This was their second walk-off of the week, with the other coming in in their 13-12 win over UMBC on April 3. The other two walk-offs for the Terps came in their Big Ten opening series against Michigan State where they got wins of 7-6 on March 22 and 5-4 on March 24.
- The Terps have eclipsed their win total in one-run games from last season, with them holding a record of 7-4 on such occasions in 2023.
- Most One-Run Wins In Program History
1. 2024: 13 (13-4)
2. 2006: 11 (11-3)
3. 2022: 9 (9-1)
2013: 9 (9-7)
2012: 9 (9-7)
6. 2017: 8 (8-4)
2014: 8 (8-2)
1988: 8 (8-2)
The Terps have a penchant for winning close games.
Brayden Martin has been a key force in those one-run games, as the freshman has two walk-offs on the year that have led to Terrapin wins.
Not You Average Freshman
- Chris Hacopian has been a mainstay in the Maryland lineup for the entire season. The freshman infielder has started in 48 games this season, hitting for a .318 average with 12 home runs and 35 RBI.
- Hacopian is beginning to climb up the program record books for a freshman. The most recent being his 12 home runs this season. Hacopian's 12 home runs tied him with Kyle Rockefeller for the third most home runs in a freshman season in program history, and the most since Maxwell Costes' 15 home runs in 2019.
- Maryland Freshman Home Run Leaders
- Jason Maxey - 17 (2002)
- Maxwell Costes - 15 (2019)
- Chris Hacopian - 12 (2024)
- Kyle Rockefeller - 12 (1997)
Chris Hacopian has been an important piece of the Terrapins' season, and is starting to make his way up the Maryland freshman lists. Chris hit his 12th home run of the season in Maryland's 13-8 win over Towson on April 30, and now tied for third in program history for home runs as a freshman.
Walk It Out
- As a team, the Terrapins have walked a total of 245 times to begin the season. Their 245 walks currently rank as the fourth-most in the Big Ten.
- Three Terps rank in the top 20 in the Big Ten in walks this year, with junior Eddie Hacopian tied for sixth in the conference with 34. Next is senior and team captain Kevin Keister, whose 32 walks on the year which is tied for ninth in the Big Ten in the Big Ten. Jacob Orr closes out the list for the Terps, as the junior is tied for 20th in the Big Ten with 28 walks in 2024.
Junior
Jacob Orr is one of three Terps that rank in the top 20 in the conference in walks on the season. Orr has 28 walks in 2024, which is tied for the 20th-most in the Big Ten
