After a tough loss on the road in a stagnant defensive effort against VCU last Wednesday, the Dirty Terps were looking for a strong weekend to make up for the poor midweek performance. 

They went out and delivered. In the Terps’ first series at home in 2024, the squad swept the Bryant Bulldogs, moving their record to 9-3. It was the Terps’ first sweep of the young season.

Now, the squad turns its attention to a border battle with the Delaware Blue Hens in their last home game for the next two weeks. It will be the first of two matchups with Delaware this season. 

The Terps hold a 26-15-1 record in the all-time series against the Blue Hens, winning the last three, which all took place last season. They will attempt to extend that winning streak on Tuesday. Here’s what to know about the Blue Hens. 

Delaware Blue Hens (6-4)

Last Season

Delaware finished the 2023 season with a record just above the .500 mark at 30-29, with a 17-13 conference record in the Coastal Athletic Association. Those marks earned them the 5th seed in the CAA. They finished the season by defeating Charleston 7-4 in the first round of the conference tournament, but then getting blanked by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 3-0, in the second round. In the consolation game, Charleston got revenge. The Blue Hens’ season would end there, as they lost 5-2 to the Cougars in the rematch.

The Blue Hens were impressive at home, securing a 21-8 record, but struggled on the road, finishing 9-19 when visiting their opponents. The team also had troubles facing ranked teams, getting swept by at the time No. 4 Ole Miss to start the season and losing to the Terps when they were ranked No. 18 and later in the season No. 23. 

This Season

The Blue Hens enter Tuesday’s action with a 6-4 record, which includes a clean split of a 3-2 record both at home and away. 

Their most recent action was a 2-1 series victory over Lafayette. In dramatic fashion, the Blue Hens captured the series in Game 3 on a walkoff, winning 6-5. The team is currently 2-0 in series played so far. The final game in their season-opening series against North Florida was not played due to inclement weather.

Hitters to Watch

Delaware is led by redshirt senior Jake Dunion. The veteran is the one responsible for the Blue Hens’ walk off victory over Lafayette, who crushed the first pitch he saw over the wall in right center despite his squad having two outs. The Wilmington native boasts a .351 batting average, 1.050 OPS, a .595 slugging percentage. He’s scored nine runs on 13 hits, two of which were home runs, while also driving in seven runs. 

Junior Andrew Amato is another force to be reckoned with. The outfielder will come into ‘The Bob’ with a .333 batting average and unbelievable 1.378 OPS and .833 slugging percentage. He was scored 11 runs on 10 hits, with four home runs and 13 RBIs. The former leads the team while the latter is tied for first. Another primary reason for his high OPS is because he has drawn 12 walks, three more than the next closest player. 

Pitchers to Watch

Redshirt junior reliever Eli Atiya is having the best start to a season any pitcher could ask for. Through 10 and two-thirds innings pitched, Atiya maintains a 0.00 ERA, with a 0.56 WHIP and a .091 batting average allowed. He has given up only three hits, striking out 14 batters and only walking three. 

Despite struggling in the ERA department (5.11), junior Doug Marose has been solid otherwise in over 12 innings of work. He holds a 1.38 WHIP and a .275 batting average allowed. In 51 at-bats, nine more than any other pitcher, Marose has also recorded 14 strikeouts to three walks. 

Probable Starting Pitchers

For the Terps, you can expect to see junior Ryan Van Buren once again, who has established himself as the midweek starter the Terps have been searching for. 

For the Blue Hens, it seems likely that redshirt senior Nate Rolka will take the rubber. He started in Delaware’s game against Lehigh last Tuesday.