Maryland is headed up to the Pacific Northwest for a weekend set in Portland.

The Terps (13-4) will square off with West Coast Conference foe, the Portland Pilots (9-5), from Joe Etzel Field in Oregon beginning this Friday.

Maryland enters the set with seven wins in its last eight games, only dropping one road matchup with Charlotte over the last two weeks. The offense has been clicking, as the Terps are averaging seven runs per game in that span.

Most recently they secured a midweek win over Mount St. Mary’s. The wild 6-4 comeback victory came after a defensive implosion from the Mountaineers in the top of the ninth, giving the Terps three unearned runs in the top half of the inning.

There are three Terps in the usual starting lineup who are batting over .300, (plus a .299 for Chris Hacopian), and the team as a whole is hitting .282 on the 2024 campaign.

Here’s what to expect on the other side in Portland.

Portland Pilots (9-5)

Last Season

Portland finished off 2023 with an impressive 31-23 record, including a solid 17-10 record in the competitive WCC. The Pilots even went on a late run, making it to the finals of the WCC tournament. Even though the Pilots were shut out in the championship game against Santa Clara, they brought back many starters who now have a deep postseason run under their belt.

This Season

The Pilots have been a bit of a streaky team so far in 2024. They will lose back-to-back, go on to win four straight, then proceed to lose back-to-back again. Portland enters this weekend series on the heels of their most impressive win of the season, a 15-5 midweek thrashing of Pac-12 in-state rival Oregon.

However, their pitching has been a little suspect. While the Pilots’ offense has hit .269 and scored 92 runs, their pitchers have allowed 83. The struggles are especially high among the starters. Portland has used five different starting pitchers in 2024 and the lowest ERA of the bunch belongs to Nick Brink, who has an ERA of 4.50 in four starts.

Hitters to Watch

Designated hitter Brady Bean is the star of the Portland offense. The sophomore has started 11 of Portland’s 14 games this season and leads the team with a .357 average and 10 walks. Bean is coming off his best game of the season too, where he went 3-4 with a home run to drive in three runs over the Ducks.

Look out for left fielder Christian Cooney as well. The hometown senior is hitting a tad over .300 and is tied for third on the team with eight extra-base hits. The speedster’s specialty is on the basepaths, leading the Pilots in steals.

Pitchers to Watch

Although the starting rotation has some well-documented struggles in 2024, the bullpen has had its bright spots for the Pilots.

The star of the show is hard-throwing reliever Carter Gaston. Despite the Pilots not having an official closer on the depth chart for 2024, Gaston is pretty close. In five appearances for Portland, the right-handed sophomore has 14 strikeouts in 11.2 innings and a very low 0.77 WHIP.

Another sophomore sensation out of the Pilots’ bullpen has been Tanner Douglas. The lefty has also made five appearances, and pitched to a 1.03 WHIP with one save in his 9.2 innings.

Probable Starters

Friday, March 15: Kenny Lipmann vs. Nick Brink

Saturday, March 16: Logan Koester vs. Sam Stuhr

Sunday, March 17: Meade Johnson vs. Joey Gartrell