Maryland baseball (8-7) takes a short trip to Newark to take on Delaware (6-9) on Wednesday. The game, originally scheduled for Tuesday, was pushed back to Wednesday due to forecasted weather.
The Terps are on a hot streak, winners of their last four after losing three-straight at the Cambra College Classic two weekends ago. The Terps swept Maine this past weekend, scoring as many as 25 runs on Saturday while holding the Black Bears to as little as one run on Sunday. Maryland climbed back above .500 for the first time since Feb. 24.
“It feels great,” junior second baseman Kevin Keister said. “We’re back above .500, and we’re gonna build off of it.”
Freshman left-hander Kyle McCoy and junior right-hander Nate Haberthier, who competed in the preseason for the Sunday starter job, worked in tandem for the first time on Sunday, and the results turned out well.
McCoy started the game, throwing three innings of near-mistake free ball outside of a solo shot in the third. Haberthier then came out of relief for the first time this season, turning in his first scoreless outing as a Terp. The Ohio State transfer struck out eight in four frames while allowing just two hits.
“We both pound the strike zone well, work ahead of hitters,” Haberthier said. “[McCoy’s] a big lefty, I’m a big righty. It’s kind of just complete opposite. So I think that’s why it works really well.”
While coach Rob Vaughn had originally hoped for Haberthier to take on the Sunday starter role and McCoy to work in a key bullpen role, Haberthier struggled out of the gates (12.1 IP, 8.76 ERA), resulting in an early shakeup of the rotation.
McCoy had started the previous two Tuesday games, turning in one and four innings of work against Delaware and UMBC, respectively. With McCoy now seemingly locked into a Sunday role, it will be interesting to see who Vaughn turns to as his midweek starter.
Junior left-hander Logan Ott is certainly a candidate. Ott has pitched at least three innings of relief out of the ‘pen in each midweek game thus far and could be pushed up to a starter role. Another possibility is sophomore right-hander Ryan Van Buren, who started the first midweek game of the year against West Virginia.
Maryland and Delaware faced off in a midweek matchup just two weeks ago in College Park. The Terps took the victory, defeating the Blue Hens, 8-3. This will be Maryland’s first time traveling away from ‘The Bob’ for a midweek game this season.
The Blue Hens started junior right-hander Wyatt Nelson in the last Maryand-Delaware matchup. Nelson was rocked, allowing six runs in 3.2 innings and walking five batters. Meanwhile, the Terps used five arms in a bullpen-heavy game, combining for 14 strikeouts and three earned runs.
Delaware has gone 3-4 since the last matchup, most recently taking two out of three against Hofstra this past weekend. The Blue Hens put up 18 runs in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday before producing 19 more on Sunday.
Redshirt junior outfielder Bryce Greenly leads the Blue Hens with a 1.085 OPS and a .368 average, and is tied for the team-lead with four home runs. Redshirt junior infielder Joey Loynd paces the Blue Hens with 22 RBIs, and ranks just behind Greenly with a 1.075 OPS. Loynd was a first team All-CAA selection in 2022, leading the Blue Hens and ranking fifth in the conference with 45 RBI.
The Blue Hens currently lead the CAA in runs batted in, and rank in the top three in hits, home runs, slugging percentage and on-base percentage.
First pitch from Bob Hannah Stadium is set for 4 p.m.
