No. 19 Maryland baseball vs. Northeastern midweek preview

No. 19 Maryland baseball (33-16, 13-5 B1G) takes host to Northeastern (36-9, 17-7 CAA) in its final midweek game of the season.

The Terps are coming off a 3-1 week, bumping them up four spots in D1Baseball’s rankings. Maryland scored 57 runs this past week, defeating Delaware 19-7 on Tuesday before claiming a series victory over Nebraska, the 22nd straight Big Ten series without a loss. The strong week kept the Terps in first place in the Big Ten with a one-game lead over Indiana. 

The Terps exhibit one of the top offenses in college baseball. They average 9.7 runs per game, the third most in the NCAA, and have blasted 109 home runs, the second most in the NCAA. The Terps have also posted a league-high 11 grand slams, just three short of tying the NCAA record of 14 set by Arizona State in 2003. 

“They’re just relentless,” coach Rob Vaughn said. “Just a relentless group of guys. Those guys do not take an at-bat off.”

Senior third baseman Nick Lorusso stars for the Terps, hitting an NCAA-high 84 RBIs on the season. Lorusso broke Maryland’s single-season RBI record in the Terps’ 20-5 Sunday win over Nebraska with an eight-RBI performance, breaking Derek Hacopian’s 1992 record of 83.

Lorusso is hitting .380 on the season and has also added 20 home runs, tied for the most in the Big Ten. Junior shortstop Matt Shaw has been just as effective, smashing 20 home runs as well. He also sports a .484 on-base percentage. 

“I think the big thing you try to do as a coach is to make sure that you soak this up because you don’t get you don’t get to coach a lot of the Nick Lorussos, you don’t get to coach a lot of Matt Shaws. … Those guys don’t come around very often,” Vaughn said. 

While the offense has been electric, the pitching has had its struggles this season. Maryland’s collective 6.04 ERA is the third worst in the Big Ten, with only 8-34 Northwestern and 23-25 Ohio State posting worse numbers. Those numbers only get worse during midweek battles, where the Terps have a combined 7.20 ERA.  

Sophomore right-hander Ryan Van Buren is likely to get the start for the Terps after earning the win in last Tuesday’s 19-7 victory over Delaware. Van Buren pitched five innings, allowing only one earned run and five hits. He had struggled up to that point, averaging a 7.61 ERA with a 0-3 record before the start. 

“I’m so dang proud of that kid,” Vaughn said. “He had a great preseason, unbelievable preseason. And he came in and got punched in the mouth by West Virginia. And it kind of knocked him down for a couple of weeks. … And to see him pull himself back off the mat, keep working, and turn in the [last two outings].” 

In the other dugout, Northeastern enters coming off a series loss to UNC Wilmington, dropping to second place in the CAA behind the Seahawks. Midweek games have not been a struggle for Northeastern, however, winning eight out of nine games this season including ranked wins over Boston College and UConn.

Unlike Maryland, the Huskies have seen great success on the mound this season. The team is posting a collective 3.56 ERA, the third-best in the NCAA. 

Redshirt junior right-hander Jake Gigliotti is the Huskies’ primary starter. Gigliotti has a 3.49 ERA in 17 appearances this season, earning himself a perfect 7-0 record.

Offensively, Northeastern is the best in the Colonial Athletic Conference, recording a conference-high 8.4 runs per game. Like Maryland, the Huskies are an exceptional power-hitting team. They are posting the best slugging percentage and the most home runs in their conference. 

Freshman outfielder Cam Maldonado has made an immediate impact on the team, hitting a team-best .391 batting average and .745 slugging percentage. Sophomore center fielder Mike Sirota has also been dangerous offensively, smashing 15 home runs and 44 RBIs, both team highs. 

The Terps will look to slow down the Huskies’ offense, with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Bob Smith Stadium.