After Maryland avoided a Purdue sweep Sunday, it can’t look ahead just yet to their clash with the #1 team in the country next weekend. First, the Terps head down I-95 for their third straight road midweek contest to take on the Richmond Spiders for the first time since 2018.

The weekend issues for the Terps boiled down to a few problem innings. Heading into the 8th tied 4-4, Purdue put up 12 runs over the final two innings on Friday night to turn the series opener into a blowout.

While the eighth and ninth were the big innings Friday, the runs for Purdue came much earlier Saturday afternoon. Maryland surrendered seven to the Boilermakers in the second, dropping Game 2 8-6 to clinch the series for the Boilermakers.

Game 3 was a different story, an exciting back and forth affair that saw the Terps overcome an early 5-0 deficit to take the finale 10-9 and give Maryland its first conference win of 2026.

Jordan Crosland led the Terps over the weekend. He went 5-for-12 with two homers in the set, and right-hander Brayden Ryan, who worked five scoreless innings in relief on Saturday, was a steady presence coming out of the bullpen. The Terps will try to build on the momentum from yesterday when they travel to Richmond Tuesday, with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. against the Spiders.

Richmond Spiders (10-10, 0-3 A10)

Last Season

The Spiders put together a solid season in 2025, finishing 33-19 overall, but struggled in Atlantic 10 play. Richmond finished seventh in the A10 last season with a mark of 14-16 in conference. However, it dominated the non-conference, going 19-3 in its 22 non-A10 games. This included big wins over power-conference teams, winning at NC State 5-1 and at #23 Virginia 6-2.

Finishing A10 play in seventh meant the Spiders barely missed the top-6 cutoff for the conference tournament. Rhode Island won the tournament and earned the automatic qualifier for the conference.

The Spiders have had to fill several holes from last year’s roster. They lost their top six hitters by batting average from last year’s team, either to graduation or the portal. They’re without all four of their all-conference selections from a year ago, including first-teamers like reliever Ryan Bilka (transfer, Miami), catcher Jack Arcamone (transfer, Georgia) and first baseman Jordan Jaffe (transfer, Liberty).

This Season

Richmond sits at an even .500, winning half of its first 20 games. The Spiders won an early series against Penn State, a Big Ten team, winning two out of three in low-scoring battles. Ranked opponents have not been the Spiders’ friends, dropping midweek games to #10 North Carolina and #14 NC State by a combined margin of 37-0.

The Spiders come in on a three-game losing streak after they were swept last weekend in their first conference series by Saint Joseph’s. Despite the sweep, all three games were close, with Richmond outscored by just seven combined runs over the set.

Even though they currently sit 0-3 in the A10, Richmond ranks towards the top of the conference in a couple of stats. Their 23 team home runs ranks second, .429 slugging percentage is third and 96 walks also slots in at number three for the conference. However, its 182 strikeouts are second-worst in the conference.

On the rubber, Richmond leads the A10 with 175 strikeouts and its 5.68 ERA is third-lowest in the conference. The Spiders struggled with the long ball, though, surrendering a second-worst 22 home runs.

Hitters to Watch

Catcher Dylan Winebrenner is Richmond’s most potent offensive threat, leading the team in OPS at 1.048 and home runs with six. The DMV native is at his fourth school, having transferred in from Division III Salisbury and, like a handful of Terps, is a graduate of St. John’s College HS in DC.

Infielder Michael Elko, the team’s best returning hitter, is batting .333 with six doubles this year. Over his last four games, he’s 8-12 with three doubles, three walks and three HBPs. He’s also a perfect 7-for-7 on stolen bases over that stretch.

Other key contributors include sophomore outfielder Grant Kennedy, who’s batting .433 in his 10 starts and graduate first baseman Ryan Recio, who sports a .919 OPS with five home runs.

Pitchers to Watch

Richmond’s bullpen has several quality arms, with one of the best being Division III transfer Bijan Anvar.

Anvar comes in with a team-leading 1.59 ERA over seven appearances and hasn’t allowed a run over his last 8.1 innings. He only threw 21 pitches over the weekend in his appearance Saturday, so he could factor into Tuesday’s game plan.

Righty Justin Gay has also featured in the Spiders’ bullpen, working 13 innings with 11 strikeouts against just two walks. The 6-foot-7 grad student threw 31 pitches on Saturday, giving up two earned runs in 2.1 innings. 

Probable Starters

Nic Morlang vs. Mauricio Rodriguez

That said, the Spiders have used a different starter in almost every midweek so far in 2026 and the Morlang pick is because Maryland’s normal midweek man, Landon Edwards, might be stashed for #1 UCLA this weekend.