The Terps head west to Minnesota this weekend for their final conference road series of the season against the Gophers.

The Terps are coming off their first Big Ten series win of the season against Penn State just a few days ago. Maryland (23-27, 8-16 Big Ten) added to that momentum during the midweek with an extra-inning victory over James Madison, the Terps’ second win over the Dukes this season.

Maryland and Minnesota last met in May of 2023 when the Terps grabbed a series win by taking two of three at home.

MBN’s Jack Susanin will be on the call for MBN for all three games this weekend.

Minnesota Gophers (22-24, 8-16 in Big Ten)

Last Season

The Gophers’ 2025 campaign looks very similar to their previous season. They finished last campaign year around .500 (25-23), but missed the Big Ten Tournament.

Redshirt junior Josh Fitzgerald and junior Brady Counsell led the way for the Gophers in 2024. 

Fitzgerald finished the season with an impressive slash line of .360/.467/.632, while Counsell posted an impressive .287/.386/.520 line. Counsell’s stats may seem far behind his teammate’s, but he supplemented those figures with 11 homers and a team-leading 16 stolen bases. 

Lefty Connor Wietgrefe was dominant on the mound, finishing the year with an 8-4 record and a starter-leading 2.77 ERA. The latter of those two numbers put him second in the Big Ten among qualified starters.

Wietgrefe was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the seventh round in the 2024 MLB draft.

This Season

The Gophers have dropped seven of their last ten in conference play. 

Coming off a series against Nebraska where it lost two of three, Minnesota needs to go on a heater to make this season’s Big Ten Tournament. Like UMD, Minnesota has a 8-16 record in conference, making this series a key one down the stretch.

Hitters to Watch

Drew Berkland has been one of the most consistent pieces of the Gophers’ offense this season. The junior is tied for the team lead in home runs, with 12, while slashing .283/.533/.915.

Weber Neels has also been an offensive monster in Big Ten play, with 10 of his 12 home runs on the season coming against conference opponents. Neels also leads the team in slugging with a mark of .559.

Fitzgerald returned for his senior year, but has yet to provide the same production that he did in the previous campaigns. Still, his line of .270/.541/.961 makes him a notable threat regardless of where he features in the lineup. 

Pitchers to Watch

Pitching has been problematic for the Gophers this season. 

Of the six guys who’ve started three or more games, not a single one has a sub-3.40 ERA. Though eight Minnesota pitchers have 30 or more strikeouts on the season.

A key bullpen option to look out for is redshirt junior Noah Rooney. The southpaw reliever leads qualified Gophers pitchers with a 2.95 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. Look for Rooney to feature in a long relief situation at some point this weekend.

Probable Starting Pitchers

Friday (5/9): Kyle McCoy vs. Joe Sperry

Saturday (5/10): TBD vs. Kyle Remington 

Sunday (5/11): TBD vs. TBD