Big Ten play continues with weekend series against Illinois

This weekend, the Maryland Terrapins baseball team will look to improve on its strong start to Big Ten play and rebound from a tough midweek loss to William & Mary when the Illinois Fighting Illini come to town.

Weather has forced a little change in the schedule, with Saturday’s game being switched to a doubleheader on Friday, but there’s still plenty to watch for in the Terps second straight weekend series with a team from the “Prairie State”.

The Pitching

Maryland

Junior Hunter Parsons (3-2, 3.33 ERA) won’t get the ball until Sunday for the Terps, but he’s been the hottest arm for Maryland as of late. Although his seven innings of three run ball last Sunday against Northwestern may not seem as impressive as the complete game shutout he threw a week prior.

His ability to avoid the big innings and keep runners stranded allowed the Terps to complete a comeback in those late innings.

Taylor Bloom and Tyler Blohm will both make starts  Friday. The two have not had the sharpest starts recently, but can give head coach Rob Vaughn a reliable six innings almost every time they take the mound.

In the bullpen, the trio of John Murphy, Mike Vasturia and Kevin Biondic will most likely be the first ones to come in relief. Biondic, the Terps two-way player, has been excellent on the mound with a 0.63 ERA in 14.1 innings, while recording two saves. Murphy also has two saves and an ERA of 2.45, while Vasturia holds a 2.63 ERA in 13.2 innings.

If Vaughn is forced go deeper into the bullpen, things could get interesting for the Terps with Sean Fisher, Grant Burleson, Elliot Zoellner and Billy Phillips all possessing ERA’s of over 6.00 on the season.

Illinois

Much like Maryland, the Fighting Illini’s strongest starter as of late will most likely get the ball on Sunday. Ty Weber (3-1, 2.74 ERA) has pitched the most innings (42.2) and allowed the fewest amount of runs (15) among the team’s three main starters. Quinn Snarskis (3-1, 4.37 ERA) and Andy Fisher (2-0, 3.75 ERA)  are the probables for Friday’s two games, with Snarskis likely taking the first matchup.

If a starter is to get into trouble, expect Ryan Thompson (5-2, 3.32 ERA) to be the first man out of the pen for Illinois. Thompson has pitched 21.2 innings in relief this season, only 15 less than the starter, Snarskis. Joey Gerber will also be part of the plan for the Illini, as he leads the team with seven saves.

The offense

Maryland

After struggling to find any consistency on offense, Vaughn once again switched up the lineup last weekend, putting Nick Dunn in the leadoff spot. Dunn delivered, adding his seventh homerun of the season during the series. The junior is batting .368 and leads the team with 22 RBI’s, so it is expected that he will remain in that spot for the time being.

Biondic will  the other Maryland batter to keep an eye on. The senior got off to a scorching hot start this season, batting over .300 entering, but has cooled down to a .257 average. However, his go-ahead two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth of Saturday’s game against Northwestern could be the swing that wakes up a big bat in the Terps’ lineup.

Illinois

The Illini’s offense is strong overall, averaging seven runs per contests, but things could be different if Bren Spillane was not in the lineup. Spillane, who was voted Player of the Year by Perfect Game through the halfway point of the season, has started all 24 games, batting .494 with 14 homers and 38 RBI’s. He’s also slugging an insane 1.149 with an on-base percentage of .579.

If Spillane isn’t enough of a problem for the Terps’ staff, Illinois’ has three other batters hitting over .290. Michael Massey, Ben Troike and Doran Turchin hold averages of .350, .302, .291, respectively.

Quick Hits

Cheers to the weekend

Maryland’s record isn’t great overall (14-15), but midweek games have been the toughest on the Terps as they are 2-6 playing Tuesday-Thursday, but 12-9 during weekend series.

Poppin’ Champaign

After a 23-28 season last year, Illinois looks to be a strong contender for a Big Ten title and more, as they sit at 17-7 entering the weekend.