Maryland baseball heads to Charleston, SC, for the Swig & Swine College Classic this weekend, where the Dirty Terps will play three different teams on Detyens Field at Shipyard Park.

The Terps kick off their 2025 season with a Friday-night matchup against UAB. Maryland then faces Ball State on Saturday, before  finishing off the weekend against Mercyhurst on Sunday.

Head coach Matt Swope took over as Maryland head coach last season, but the Terps ultimately finished 34-22 and missed out on the Big Ten Tournament in what ended up being a transition year. With those struggles in the past, Maryland now looks forward to what it hopes will be an exciting 2025 season.

The Terps have many familiar faces returning from the 2024 campaign, but the addition of multiple impact transfers is expected to provide a new look.

Maryland added two new bats to its lineup in the form of first baseman Hollis Porter (Pearl River Community College) and outfielder Aden Hill (VCU). Porter finished his strong 2024 season with a .399 average, 20 home runs, and 73 RBIs. Hill posted a .276 average with six home runs and 44 RBIs,  helping VCU reach the NCAA tournament. 

The Terps also added to their pitching staff through the transfer portal, bringing in Andrew Koshy (Wake Forest), Jack Wren (Marist), Brayden Ryan (Merrimack), and Devin Milberg (Dartmouth).

With Maryland’s additions established, here’s what to expect from the Dirty Terps’ opponents in Charleston:

UAB Blazers (0-0)

Last Season 

The Blazers finished fifth in the AAC with a 26-29 record while going 13-14 in conference play. UAB was quickly eliminated from the AAC tournament after underwhelming performances in their first two games of the tournament led to an 8-2 loss to Wichita State and a 9-0 defeat against Rice.

This Season

UAB enters this season picked to finish eighth in the AAC according to the 2025 AAC Baseball Preseason Poll. The Blazers added 25 players coming into the 2025 season; that tally includes 12 players from the junior college ranks and four from Division-1 schools.

Ball State Cardinals (0-0)

Last Season

In 2024, the Cardinals reached their third straight MAC Tournament behind an 18-12 conference record. Ball State finished  35-21-1 overall, but its season came to a frustrating end after falling to Western Michigan in the MAC Championship Game.

This Season

Ball State was picked to finish first in the Mid-American Conference, according to the MAC preseason poll. The Cardinals are hoping to make their fourth-straight MAC Tournament appearance; Blake Bevis — a 2024 Second Team All-MAC performer — and Keegan Johnson — last season’s MAC Freshman of the Year — both return to lead that charge. 

Mercyhurst Lakers (0-0)

Last Season 

Mercyhurst finished with a 21-20 record in its final year as a Division II team. The Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the 2024 PSAC Baseball Championship after an 8-7 loss to West Chester in 15 innings.

This Season

The Lakers were picked to finish seventh as a new member of the NEC, which comes after Jimmy Latona was named Mercyhurst head this past summer. 

Hitters to Watch

UAB: Senior outfielder Logan Braunschweig has been a .300 hitter through his first three seasons at UAB. As for counting stats,  he’s tallied three home runs and 60 RBIs through 143 games played. Braunschweig is also known to be a threat on the base paths with 45 career stolen bases. 

Ball State: Bevis, who primarily plays first base, posted a .310 average last season with 12 home runs and 55 RBIs. His bat could certainly play big when the Cardinals and Terps meet on Saturday.

Mercyhurst: Mitchell Grosch, a senior infielder, was one of the Lakers’ top bats in 2024, as he led his squad in batting average at .396.With this being the Lakers’ first season as a Division I team, it’s yet to be seen whether or not Grosch’s hit tool will continue shining against a new wave of pitching talent.

Pitchers to Watch

UAB: Cole Cheatham, a senior left-hander, transferred to UAB after a poor 2024 season with Mississippi State. Cheatham appeared in only 7.2 innings over nine games where he posted career-lows in ERA and six strikeouts. While Cheatham has spent the majority of his collegiate career in the bullpen, his first start for UAB will likely be against the Terps on Friday.

Ball State: Sophomore left-hander Keegan Johnson is coming off a decorated season where he was awarded First Team All-MAC and MAC Freshman of the Year honors. Johnson went 8-3 on the year while recording 83 strikeouts in over 65.1 innings. The Maryland-native now hopes to carry that immense success into his second year as a starter.

Mercyhurst: Senior right-hander Jacob Bazala has spent the majority of his three years at Mercyhurst in the bullpen. Through his first three years with Mercyhurst, Bazala carried a 3.37 ERA with 153 strikeouts in 136.1 innings of work. Bazala also received PSAC West Second Team honors last season.

Probable Starters

Friday, February 14 vs. UAB: LHP Kyle McCoy vs. LHP Cole Cheatham

Saturday, February 15 vs. Ball State: RHP Joey McMannis vs. LHP Keegan Johnson

Sunday, February 16 vs. Mercyhurst: LHP Evan Smith vs. TBD