Preview: Maryland baseball prepares for weekend series against Albany

Maryland baseball (9-7) returns to College Park this weekend for a series against Albany (2-7-1). 

Coming off an extra innings win over Delaware, the Terps find themselves two games above .500 following a 4-7 start, winners of their last five.

“There’s a lot of season left and we haven’t even hit our stride yet,” junior catcher Luke Shliger said. “We’re approaching our stride soon which is exciting.” 

The Terps trailed multiple times against the Blue Hens, 5-3 after the first inning and 10-7 after the eighth. But a four-run top of the ninth put the Terps ahead before Delaware tied it up in the bottom half, sending the game into extras.

Two runs from Maryland in the tenth — including an RBI double from Shliger and an RBI single off the bat of sophomore pinch-hitter Jacob Orr — gave the Terps a two-run lead they didn’t relinquish, securing a 13-11 victory.

Shliger is one of the mean features in Maryland’s dynamite offense, which averages 8.5 runs a game. Shliger is batting .311 on the year with a .963 OPS along with 11 RBIs. The team captain also holds a .488 on-base percentage, the highest on the team for players with at least 10 at-bats. 

Senior third baseman Nick Lorusso has starred in his second year in College Park, batting .338, a team-high among qualified hitters. Lorusso’s eight home runs and 26 RBIs are also team-highs. 

Junior shortstop Matt Shaw also stars in the Maryland offense. The projected top draft pick has a .317 batting average with three home runs and 20 hits on the young season, acting as a mainstay in the top of the Terps’ lineup. 

The pitching staff is where the Terps have struggled so far this season with a 5.54 collective ERA. Maryland has allowed five or more runs in 11 of its 16 games. 

Despite the struggles, junior ace Jason Savacool has been the highlight of the Terps’ pitching staff. The right-hander enters the weekend with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP, both team-highs among those with at least 15 innings pitched. He has a 2-2 record in four starts, and is expected to be the Friday night starter against Albany.

“We’ve pitched at times pretty good, we’ve hit at times pretty good,” coach Rob Vaughn said. “We played defense pretty good, but we haven’t put all three phases of the game together very consistently.”

Albany started the season with five-straight losses before tying with Fairleigh Dickinson in the second game of a doubleheader. After wins against Central Connecticut State and Saint John’s, Albany followed that up with two more losses. 

The Great Danes average 7.7 runs a game but allow 8.6 runs a game, as they have endured significant struggles early on this season.

Junior outfielder Dan Tauken leads the offense after transferring from Rockland Community College. Tauken boasts a .406 batting average and a 1.313 OPS, both team-highs. Tauklen has also added three home runs and 12 RBIs. 

Redshirt junior catcher Chris Fisher has also contributed to the Great Danes as an on base machine with a .385 average, nine walks and one hit-by-pitch. He’s also driven in six of his teammates. 

On the pitching side, Albany has no reliable starter. Redshirt junior left-hander Cregg Scherrer is the Friday night starter but has recorded a 6.60 ERA in three starters. Right-handers Dylan Banner and Connor Eisenmann are the other weekend starters but have 6.57 and 9.95 ERAs, respectively. 

The pitching staff as a whole has a 7.94 ERA, allowing five or more runs in all but one game this season.

Despite Albany’s poor record, the Terps aren’t overlooking the Great Danes.

“The record of some of these teams coming in is not indicative at all of who they necessarily are,” Vaughn said. “It’s time for us to flip the switch and really start playing a good brand of baseball.”

The first game is set for 4 p.m. on Friday with start times at 2 and 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.