It was a very successful week for No. 19 Maryland baseball in Omaha, as they became the first team in five years to win both the Big Ten regular season and tournament. The squad defeated Michigan State, Nebraska twice, and then Iowa to capture its first Big Ten title in program history.

Despite their efforts, it’s right back to work for the Dirty Terps. On May 29, the NCAA released the 16 regional schedules for the annual College World Series. The Terps are bound for Winston-Salem to compete against the No. 1 overall Wake Forest Demon Deacons, along with the Northeastern Huskies and the George Mason Patriots. 

The Terps earned the No. 2 seed in the regional, so they will take on the No. 3 seed Huskies on Friday at 1 p.m. When the teams met in College Park back on May 9, which was the first time either team ever played each other, the Huskies dominated the Terps, 9-2. 

Trying to keep their season alive, the Terps will look to even the score and move on to play the winner of Wake Forest and George Mason. But they’ll have their work cut out for them to make it there. 

Northeastern Huskies (44-14)

Last Season

In 2022, the Huskies finished with a modest record of 31-29-1, which placed them fifth in the Colonial Athletic Association in terms of overall record. However, because of their 10-14 record in conference, they finished sixth. 

Despite these records, the Huskies found some success in the postseason. In the CAA tournament, they upset No. 4 seed William & Mary and No. 1 seed College of Charleston to earn a bid to the championship game. However, they would lose to No. 3 seed Hofstra there by one run. 

This Season

In 2023, the Huskies have been wildly successful. They finished the season with a 44-14 record, which was a division best by a long shot. It also broke the previous record of most wins in a single season, which was formally 36. 

With a 20-10 record in conference, they entered the tournament with the No. 3 seed. Once again, they would make it to the championship but lose, this time to No. 1 seed North Carolina Wilmington 

Earlier in the season, their efforts earned them a bid to a No. 25 ranking nationally. 

Hitters to Watch

The offensive output for the Huskies has been impressive to say the least. Six different players come into Friday’s matchup with batting averages of .315 or higher. The leaders in the clubhouse are sophomore centerfielder Mike Sirota and freshman outfielder Cam Maldonado. 

The two lead the team in batting average (.359, .357), OPS (1.188, 1.097), and slugging percentage (.704, .657), respectively. Sirota also is tied for the lead in home runs (18), while Maldonado leads the team in doubles (13) and triples (5). 

Pitchers to Watch

The Huskies also have a handful of impressive pitchers. Redshirt junior Jake Gigliotti leads the way, sporting a 3.02 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, and a .216 batting averaged allowed while going a perfect 8-0. In 65.2 innings, he allowed 52 hits and 22 earned runs, while collecting 64 strikeouts to 16 walks. 

Freshman Aiven Cabral leads the team with a 2.26 ERA. He has accumulated a 1.08 WHIP and a .243 batting average while going 9-3. In 79.2 innings pitched, he allowed 74 hits and 20 earned runs, while collecting 68 strikeouts to 12 walks. 

Probable Starting Pitchers

Starting pitchers have not yet been announced, but it will more than likely be Kyle McCoy or Nick Dean taking the rubber for Maryland. For Northeastern, it’s unclear as of now.