Maryland Opens Season With 5-3 Win Over UNC Wilmington

Friday, February 13

Wilmington, NC

4 PM

Maryland

1-0

UNC Wilmington

0-1

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Maryland	0	0	1	1	0	1	2	0	0	5	10	0
UNCW	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	3	10	0

Maryland Opens Season With 5-3 Win Over UNC Wilmington

2/13/2026 4:00:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Two career days on the mound paved the way to the Terps’ third straight 1-0 start.

WILMINGTON, NC — Maryland opened its season with a strong 5-3 win over UNC Wilmington on Friday night. A dominant pitching performance from Lance Williams and a 10-hit night from the Terps offense combined for a third straight season-opening win.

UNCW got the scoring started in the second with an RBI single off the bat of Kevin Jones. It wasn't a lead that would last long as Jackson Sirois scored the Terps' first run of the season by scampering home on a passed ball to even the game in the third. A pair of early singles by Jordan Crosland and Rylen Stockton put a pair of runners on base with one out in the fourth. Aden Hill brought a man home with an RBI ground out as the Terps took their first lead of the night.

Williams made his first start as a Terp on the bump on Friday night. His strong Maryland debut featured five full innings of one-run ball on three hits while he collected a career-high six strikeouts to earn his first win of the season.

That Lance Williams heater 🔥

Bottom 4
Terps 2, Seahawks 1#DirtyTerps pic.twitter.com/F0cCS6XEP5
— Maryland Baseball (@TerpsBaseball) February 13, 2026

Stockton doubled the Terps' lead in the top of the sixth with a solo shot to center to mark Maryland's first homer of the new season. He was one of three new faces to record multi-hit nights on Friday.

392 feet and 103 mph off the bat to left-center field for Rylen's first homer as a Terp and the first of the season for Maryland! 💥#DirtyTerps https://t.co/hJ5DyAQ4fD pic.twitter.com/ojPbKcagkC
— Maryland Baseball (@TerpsBaseball) February 13, 2026

Maryland broke it open in the seventh. Brayden Martin manufactured a run of his own in the seventh, swiping third and coming home to score on a passed ball before Ryan Costello plated Crosland with a two-out RBI double, extending the Terps' lead to 5-2.

Ryan Costello records his first extra-base hit as a Terp to extend the lead‼️#DirtyTerps pic.twitter.com/kbSUtvOOvj
— Maryland Baseball (@TerpsBaseball) February 13, 2026

Cristofer Cespedes was incredible in relief of Williams, working a four-inning save and allowing just two runs across that span. He tallied a career-high five strikeouts as he locked up Maryland's first win of the new season.

How it Happened:
First Inning:

Williams recorded his first two strikeouts of the season in a scoreless first frame.

Second Inning:

Ryan Costello singled up the middle for the Terps' first hit of 2026.
UNC Wilmington got the scoring started with an RBI single.

Third Inning:

Sirois scored on a passed ball to tie the game at 1-1.

Fourth Inning:

Hill brought a run in with an RBI groundout to put Maryland in front.
Williams fanned two in a 1-2-3 inning.

Fifth Inning:

Ty Kaunas ripped his first-career hit in the fifth inning.

Sixth Inning:

Stockton doubled the lead with Maryland's first blast of the season.
UNCW got a run back with an RBI double.

Seventh Inning:

After stealing third, Martin scored on a passed ball to put the Terps back up by two.
Costello's first extra-base hit of the season plated Crosland to push the lead to 5-2.
Cespedes struck out two in a clean seventh frame.

Eighth Inning:

Cespedes stranded two as Maryland took a three-run lead into the ninth.

Ninth Inning:

The Seahawks grabbed a run in the ninth.
Cespedes earned the four-inning save as the Terps held on for the 5-3 win.

Fresh Faces:

Williams made his Maryland debut on the bump.
David Mendez made his first start as a Terp at second base.
Kaunas made his first collegiate start at shortstop.
Costello made his first start as a Terp at first base.
Stockton made his Terrapin debut behind the dish.
Sirois made his first start as a Terp at third base.
Antonio Morales made his first start as a Terp in center field.

The first collegiate hit for @KaunasTy ‼️#DirtyTerps pic.twitter.com/DPaKCLHriZ
— Maryland Baseball (@TerpsBaseball) February 13, 2026

Impact Performances:

Williams (SP): 5.0 IP, W (1-0), 1 R, 3 H, 6 K, 2 BB, 74 pitches
Cespedes (RP): 4.0 IP, S (1), 2 R, 6 H, 5 K, 0 BB, 34 pitches
Stockton (C): 2-4, HR (1), RBI, R
Costello (1B): 2-4, 2B, RBI
Martin (LF): 2-4, R, BB
Crosland (DH): 1-3, 2 R, BB
Kaunas (SS): 2-5

Season-Opening Success:

Maryland won its third straight season opener and its fourth in the past five seasons.
The Terps have now opened their season with a win away from College Park six times since 2018.

Grounding the Seahawks:

Friday marked the 16th all-time meeting between Maryland and UNC Wilmington, with the Terps winning 10 of the previous games.
This weekend's series is the Terps' first action against the Seahawks since 2017 and the first of the Matt Swope era.

Swope's Notes:

"The energy was good. They guys have been ready to play. It feels good to have these guys out here playing some baseball."
"Lance was pounding the zone. His stuff was really really good. He's a dog and that's why we went and got him. We have all the confidence in the world in him."
"Today was one of the days where we had to scratch and claw for things. That's who we're going to be. We're going to play hard."
"Martin is just steady. You can bat him anywhere and play him anywhere and he'll be an anchor in the lineup. We're excited for big things from him this season."

Numbers to Know:

1: Maryland is 1-0 for a third straight season and the fourth time in the last five seasons:
4: Four different Terps had multiple hits.
5: Cespedes threw a career-high five strikeouts in the win.
6: Williams tallied a career-high six Ks in his first start as a Terp.
10: Maryland had 10 hits in the win.