The Maryland Terrapins (20-8) will make the trip up I-95 to Baltimore Wednesday afternoon for a midweek contest with the UMBC Golden Retrievers (10-14).

After a thrilling Friday night comeback victory vs Michigan saw Eddie Hacopian ground a 2-run, go-ahead single up the middle in the 9th, the Terps dropped Saturday and Sunday’s contest. With the losses, Maryland’s streak of 23 consecutive Big Ten series wins came to an end.

First pitch between the Terps and Golden Retrievers is set for 4:00 p.m.

UMBC Golden Retrievers (10-14, 3-3 America East)

Last Season

UMBC went 30-27 in 2023 finishing with a 16-8 record in the America East conference. Although the Golden Retrievers finished with a winning record for the first time since 2016, they fell short in the America East tournament, losing in the semifinals to Binghamton.

The offense was paced by two seniors, Tony Krueger and Justin Taylor, who hit .367/.438/.500 and .342/.440/.422 respectively (AVG/OBP/SLG). Krueger went on to sign a contract with Neptunus, a professional baseball team in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The pitching staff was led by sophomore Luke Johnson, who boasted a 2.96 ERA in 14 starts.

This Season

After a disappointing 2-10 start to the 2024 season, the Golden Retrievers have finally gotten back on track, winning eight of their last 11, including impressive wins against Yale and Towson. This will be the first of two matchups within the span of eight days between the Terps and Golden Retrievers, with the next contest coming in just one week on April 10 in College Park.

*Due to weather conditions, Tuesday’s matchup (4/2) was moved to Wednesday and relocated to College Park. Next week’s matchup (4/10) will now be played in Baltimore.*

Hitters to Watch

Third basemen Matt Ryan has gotten off to a hot start, slashing .333/.495/.524. He currently leads the Golden Retrievers in average, hits (28), doubles (10), on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The DMV native has been on fire especially as of late, recording six hits in his last five games, three of which have gone for extra bases.

Also be sure to keep a look out for Taylor once again. After hitting over .340 in 2023, the graduate student is right back where he left off, currently batting .310 with an .832 OPS.

Pitchers to Watch

Sam Downs has been the star in the rotation for the Golden Retrievers this season. The graduate student has struck out 23 batters with just 14 walks to the tune of a team-leading 3.06 ERA and 1.33 WHIP.

With no true go-to guy in the bullpen, the Golden Retrievers have gone with the closer-by-committee approach. Three different pitchers have recorded a save this season and nine have made at least five appearances.

Probable Starters

Ryan van Buren vs. Logan Wiley