The past four weeks have not been kind to the Dirty Terps. 

On Mar. 29, Maryland (26-16, 6-9) opened a series at Michigan. Entering play on that Friday the Terps were 19-6 overall and looked well on their way to make berths in both the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments. 

Since that weekend in Ann Arbor though, the Terps just haven’t looked the same. Maryland is currently in the midst of a 4-8 stretch in conference play, losing all of its previous four sets. The last time Maryland lost four series in a row was in 2017, when the Terps closed out the regular season with series losses to Indiana, Illinois, Northwestern, and High Point.  

The Terps have also faced some midweek woes as well. Maryland has gone 3-2 in its five midweeks this month, with the two losses coming against Georgetown and UMBC (currently 79th and 201st in RPI respectively). Two of the three victories were also one-run wins in which the Terps gave up double-digit runs on both occasions. Maryland’s opponents in those two games were Delaware (currently 124th in RPI) and UMBC.

Despite the struggles though, there are still a few bright spots heading into this weekend’s set against Illinois. The Terps are finally returning to “The Bob,” following a 10-game road trip, which should work in their favor since they’re currently 11-3 at home this season.

Maryland is also coming off a resilient victory at James Madison on Tuesday. The Terps went down 4-2 in the early going but came back to win 6-4 thanks to a go-ahead 3-run homer from Michael Iannazzo in the fifth inning. The blast was Iannazzo’s first of the season. 

With Spring weather in this weekend’s forecast and Maryland Day set for this Saturday, it should be a fun weekend from “The Bob.”   

Illinois Fighting Illini (24-13, 10-2 Big Ten)

Last Season

The Fighting Illini took a step back after a solid 2022 season, finishing tied for seventh in the Big Ten behind a 12-12 conference record. They were then bounced in the conference tournament after losing to Indiana and Michigan. 

Illinois’ overall performance on the season wasn’t much more impressive either, finishing the year at 25-27 overall, never having a winning or losing streak longer than three games. 

While the Illinois offense didn’t produce much to write home about, the pitching is ultimately what plagued last season’s squad. None of the five pitchers who started games in 2023 held an ERA below 4.50. The staff as a whole gave up just below 10 hits per game as well.   

The Terps and Fighting Illini didn’t play each other last season. Their last meeting came a year prior when Maryland took two of three from Illinois in Champaign.  

This Season

In many ways, Illinois has had the exact opposite season as Maryland.

Illinois had a rough start to the 2024 campaign, which can largely be tied to a difficult non-conference slate. Within the opening month of the season, the Fighting Illini played single  games against No. 6 Florida State, No. 10 Indiana State, No. 11 Wake Forest, and No. 15 Coastal Carolina (all current RPI rankings). They also played a road series against current No. 4 Tennessee. Illinois lost all four of the aforementioned single games, and also got swept by the Volunteers in Knoxville.

Since a 5-10 start though, the Fighting Illini have gone 19-3. If that wasn’t impressive enough, Illinois is currently in the midst of a 15-1 stretch, hasn’t lost a conference series yet, and with just under a month to go, sits atop the Big Ten standings holding a two-game lead over second-place Nebraska. 

The recent Fighting Illini tear has been built on offensive firepower. Over the aforementioned 15-1 stretch Illinois is averaging an absurd 11.7 runs per game. To say that this Maryland pitching staff will have a tall task this weekend would be an understatement   

Hitters to Watch

Picking one or two standout hitters from this Illinois lineup is difficult because one through nine have flat out raked this season.

With that being said, often hiding in the six-hole is catcher/designated hitter Jacob Schroder, who leads the Fighting Illini in AVG (.370) and OPS (1.265). Recently he’s been even more exceptional. Schroder has gone 12 for 25 in his past seven games and also has a 16-game run-scored streak. 

Two other Illinois hitters—Camden Janik and Drake Westcott—hold OPS’ north of 1.000. Janik typically splits catching duties with Schroder and often bats in the two-hole, while Westcott is the everyday first baseman and usually bats third. 

In addition to the three hitters already mentioned, Coltin Quagliano, Cameron Chee-Aloy, and Cal Hejza are also hitting above .300 on the year.        

Pitchers to Watch

If this Illinois squad has a weakness it’s the pitching staff. 

Friday night starter Jack Crowder hasn’t necessarily been exceptional this season, as his ERA and WHIP sit at 5.03 and 1.29 respectively. Saturday starter Cooper Omans has actually been better for the Fighting Illini. The lefty has a lower ERA (3.55) and WHIP (1.23) and is also coming off of a 7-inning, 2-hit, 1-run, gem against Northwestern last Saturday.

The bullpen hasn’t been overly stellar either. Korey Bunselmeyer has been one of their more reliable arms, with a 2.65 ERA and 14 strikeouts, in his 13 appearances this season. Other guys like Joe Glassy, Regan Hall, and Ben Plumley have all given Illinois consistent innings out of the pen this season, but none has an ERA below 5.     

Probable Starters

Friday, April 26: Logan Koester vs. Jack Crowder

Saturday, April 27: Omar Melendez vs. Cooper Omans

Sunday, April 28: Joey McMannis vs. Jake Swartz