Matt Present and John Vittas got a chance to talk to Big Ten Baseball Blog’s Chris Webb prior to the start of conference play to get some insight on the Terps’ new conference.

Chris started the Big Ten Baseball Blog in 2011 after covering Ohio State baseball in the late 2000s. Be sure to check out his work here.

Take a listen:

Takeaways:

Other team’s take on Maryland joining the league:

“Adding Maryland is going to add to that growth. I don’t think there will be a fear or concern in respect to playing them. They feel like they want to take on the best to be the best.”

Names to Remember:

Cam Gibson – Michigan State (Kurt’s son) – 80 runner

Travis Maezes – Michigan – polished left handed swing

Jacob Cronenworth – Michigan – 2-way player – closer/1B

Tyler Jay – closer at Illinois

Ryan Boldt – Nebraska – outfielder

Biggest Questions that Terps have to answer:

Starting a freshman at SS

Weekend rotation after Shawaryn – how does it shake out?

Can Jake Drossner turn it around and pitch deeper into games?

Big Ten Style of Play:

You have to hit, must have meat in the middle of the order – not much small ball

“If you want to win, you have to put runs on the board”

Conference is deeper than ever in pitching department

Not station to station baseball – need some guys who can hit with authority

Relies on doubles and XBH

Conference Scheduling:

Up until 2008, the conference weekend series was 4 games. The doubleheader on Saturday was two 7-inning games.

Starting in 2009, they went to three games.

Right now, you’re only playing 8 of the 12 other teams

On postseason seeding: “It hasn’t been a detriment that I’ve noticed to this point. It’s not all about getting forty wins, it’s about who you’re playing and how you’re playing.”

Potential Changes to Schedule:

There was a proposal to do away with most non-conference games and play all 12 in-conference opponents.

Can’t go to divisions with odd number of teams

Could add week to conference schedule, but the current format is set through 2017