Maryland will head to Harrisonburg, Virginia to take on the James Madison Dukes for the second time this season. The Terps are coming off of a 1-2 weekend against the Minnesota Golden Gophers and currently sit in 10th place in the Big Ten.

The Terps and the Dukes faced off in College Park in April. James Madison had its way against Maryland, recording a dominant 14-1 victory. The Dukes are coming off of a recent 1-2 weekend against the Northeastern Huskies.

This will be a big momentum game for the Terps before they face the Iowa Hawkeyes in a crucial Big Ten series finale. After this past weekend, Maryland has put themselves in a tough spot and the Terps will have some work to do to get into the Big Ten tournament.

Maryland will be coming off of a tough last game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, where the Terrapins’ bats were cold, hitting 4-for-29 and posting just one run in the loss. The Terps had a tough time at the plate against the Dukes in the first outing as well, hitting 3-for-30 and scoring one run.

Coming into this midweek game, the Terps’ lone batter above .300 is sophomore Randy Bednar. This past weekend, Bednar went 5-for-11 with four RBIs and four runs scored. For the season, the outfielder is hitting .302 with team-highs in RBIs (48) and runs scored (43). Senior Taylor Wright had a solid weekend hitting 5-for-13. The veteran is behind Bednar with a .288 batting average for the season.

James Madison Dukes (30-21, 10-11 CAA)

Last Season

The Dukes were .500 last season, finishing with a 26-26 record, but it wasn’t good enough to qualify for the CAA tournament. James Madison posted a 11-13 record in conference play, which put them just outside of the qualifying teams. In both games against the Terps last season, Maryland came out on top, with 2-1 and 6-1 victories.

This Season

James Madison is currently 30-21 and they hold an impressive 22-10 record at their home field. After their 1-2 weekend, the Dukes currently are in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Hitters to Watch

Freshman Kyle Novak is the only batter on James Madison with a batting average above .300, posting a .311 with 26 RBIs and 23 runs scored. Junior Brady Harju is far and away the team’s leader in RBIs with 40 as well as the home run leader with eight. The leadoff batter, freshman Trevon Dabney is another dangerous batter. Dabney is a .292 hitter, leading the team in runs scored (39) as well as leading the Dukes with 15 stolen bases.

Relievers to Watch

Redshirt sophomore Nick Robertson is the most dangerous reliever out of the James Madison bullpen. Robertson has a 0.57 ERA in 21 appearances with 50 strikeouts and a team-high seven saves. Sophomore Justin Showalter has made a few appearances as an “opener” in midweek games, recording a 4.31 ERA in 31 ⅓ innings. Redshirt junior Shelton Perkins has pitched 41 ⅓ innings in relief with a 3.27 ERA and 65 strikeouts.