No. 23 Maryland is coming into the week fresh off a series win against the Illinois Fighting Illini. The trip up to Champaign started very rocky as the Terps’ five game winning streak was put to an end with a 19-1 loss. Maryland used six different pitchers and could barely find its offensive firepower. Before that, Maryland hadn’t conceded more than nine runs in a single game. 

However, Maryland bounced back nicely, picking up two wins on Saturday in a double-header. The first of which took an extra inning to decide. The 13-9 victory for Maryland was earned by extra inning hits from sophomore catcher Luke Shliger and senior outfielder Chris Alleyne, who drove in runs to provide the four run cushion for the Terps. 

The late night game featured sophomore pitcher Jason Savacool getting through eight innings and striking out nine batters. In the 7-4 win, senior Maxwell Costes and junior Troy Schreffler both had two hits and two RBI. The Terps improved to 32-8 on the season and 9-3 in Big Ten play. 

Maryland turns to the Navy Midshipmen for a midweek game in College Park Tuesday evening. 

Navy Midshipmen (18-22, 9-13)

Last Season:

The Midshipmen finished with a 17-15 record last season and an 11-12 record in conference. While Navy isn’t having the hottest year thus far, the Midshipmen are always dangerous and are primed for an upset against anyone in the country with Head Coach Paul Kostacopoulos at the helm. Kostacopoulos is the second winningest coach in program history. 

This season:

Navy is 18-22 on the season and hasn’t played anyone to the level of the Terps this year. They have series wins against Air Force, UMBC and Holy Cross. The Midshipmen aren’t the hottest pitching team in the country with a collective 6.49 ERA, which is where Maryland can make them pay. 

Hitters to Watch For:

Senior catcher Christian Policelli leads the team with 53 hits on the season and a batting average of .342. While Policelli only has two home runs on the season, he gets on base and drives in runs with 28 RBI on the year which also leads the team. 

Junior outfielder Colin Smith also has an average slightly above .300, and leads the team in home runs with three. The Midshipmen don’t have a ton of ammunition when it comes to hitting, but these two can definitely make you pay at the plate. 

Probable Starting Pitching Matchup:

Logan Ott vs. Zach Powers

In Ott’s last outing against Towson, he went 3 2/3 innings, striking out one but only allowing one run as well. He will look to build on his already impressive midweek track record this season and lead the Terps to another victory.

Powers, a sophomore right handed pitcher, is 1-6 in games this season and has only pitched a total of eight innings this season. The Maryland hitters will look to pounce on Powers early and knock him out of the game, which seems to be a common occurrence for the underclassman.