Coming off a rough weekend series in Michigan, the Terps’ midweek matchup against VCU on Tuesday was an opportunity for the team to get back on track ahead of another Big Ten series this weekend.
But, the team continued to falter, getting blown out by the Rams 14-3. The loss further demonstrated the reality of the Terps’ (16-20, 3-5) situation of late: They just aren’t playing well enough.
“We just aren’t playing clean baseball,” said head coach Rob Vaughn after the loss. “We’re not responding to adversity very well.”
Vaughn is right. Maryland has made at least one error in five straight contests, and on Tuesday the pitching staff walked 11 batters. Defensive mishaps and free bases have hindered the team’s ability to pull out victories all season, resulting in numerous tough losses.
As Maryland welcomes the Purdue Boilermakers (16-16, 4-4) to town this weekend, they’ll look to change all of that, as each series becomes more and more crucial.
“Winning our conference is our best chance to keep playing baseball for a while,” said Vaughn. “We’re trying to put our best foot forward and run our best guys out there in a situation where we feel like we can compete in the league.”
In addition to the importance of winning conference games, the weekend matchup against the Boilermakers becomes even more interesting for the Terps due to some injuries on the mound.
Typical Friday starter Taylor Bloom is unlikely to take the mound this weekend, after being struck in the head by a foul ball last Friday before his start. Freshman Mark DiLuia, the usual midweek start, was flexed out of his Tuesday start in order to potentially replace Bloom over the weekend and join Tyler Blohm and Hunter Parsons as the starting trio.
However, Parsons and Blohm have had injury concerns of their own. Blohm only made it through one inning last Sunday before leaving with an arm problem, while Parsons returned to the mound later that Sunday after injuring his leg the week before. Though both seem good to go for the weekend, the Terps could end up relying heavily on the bullpen if pitching struggles or injuries begin to resurface.
No matter who finds themselves on the mound for the Terps, Purdue’s lineup could pose some challenges. Specifically, the three-headed monster of Skyler Hunter, Jacson McGowan and Nick Dalesandro. The three Boilermakers are batting .328, .310 and .305, respectively, and lead an offense scoring 5.5 runs per game. McGowan also leads the team with nine homers and 39 RBIs.
For the Maryland offense, Marty Costes has continued to be the bright spot in a feast-or-famine lineup.
After a slow start to the season that saw his batting average dip below .200 for a stretch, Costes has turned it around due to a new found outlook and approach. He demonstrated that on Tuesday, going 2-for-4, while launching his third homer of the season.
Like Costes, the rest of the Terps lineup has had their ups and downs as well this season, but are working to find their groove as the calendar creeps towards May.
“We just need to simplify things a little bit, make the moment a little bit less bigger,” said Costes. “I think we’re still one of the best-hitting teams I’ve been apart of.”
The lineup will have a chance to prove that this weekend against a Purdue staff that has been vulnerable as of late. Last weekend, the staff allowed a combined 40 runs to Minnesota in two games.
Tanner Andrews, Ryan Beard and Gareth Stroh will likely be the starters for the three games this weekend.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday.
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