The Dirty Terps hit the road for a crucial conference series in the midst of some of their best offense of the season.

Maryland (20-21, 5-13 B1G) dropped 16 runs on the Hawkeyes in its series finale at Iowa and then put up another 19 in a midweek win over Mount St. Mary’s on Tuesday. The Terps also struggled on defense against the Mountaineers, committing five errors and allowing eight unearned runs.

Now, hitting the road for East Lansing, Maryland travels to McLane Stadium for the first time since 2018.

Michigan State Spartans (14-24, 8-13 B1G)

Last Season

The Spartans went 28-27 in 2025 with a 13-17 mark in conference play. Michigan State and Maryland avoided each other in last year’s first season of the expanded Big Ten.

Michigan State’s 13 conference wins were just enough to squeak into the 12th and final slot in the 2025 Big Ten tournament. The Spartans lost back-to-back games against eight-seed Nebraska and one-seed Oregon, failing to advance out of pool play.

This Season

Michigan State has had a strange 2026 campaign.

The Spartans have more wins in Big Ten play than non-conference, which includes losses to mid-major schools like James Madison, Winthrop and Oakland. Maryland and Michigan State share a few common opponents from this season. Both already played conference series against Iowa and Purdue. Both teams lost two out of three to the Boilermakers, but the Spartans fared better against the Hawkeyes than the Terps. Michigan State won its weekend set against Iowa.

The Spartans currently hold the 12th and final seed in the Big Ten tournament entering this matchup.

Hitters to Watch

Michigan State’s offense is powered by a pair of sophomores: Khamaree Thomas and Isaac Sturgess.

Thomas leads the team with a .333 average in 33 games to go along with his .879 OPS and 20 walks. Sturgess is second on the team with a .323 average in 37 games. His 23 RBIs are tied for second best on the roster.

Behind those two high-average, contact-first hitters is senior Randy Seymour. The four-year Spartan leads his team with 14 home runs and 41 RBIs this season. Those 14 long balls are tied for third in the Big Ten with probable number one overall pick Roch Cholowsky and Maryland slugger Ryan Costello. Costello has played the fewest games of that group.

Pitchers to Watch

Another sophomore, Aidan Donovan, is the ace of the Spartans’ rotation.

The right-hander has a 3.53 ERA and 1.23 WHIP over 10 starts this season. He’s been a workhorse, pitching a team-high 58.2 innings. He also leads all Michigan State starters with 38 strikeouts. 

Virginia Tech transfer Tommy Szczepanski is the fireballer in the Spartans’ bullpen. The senior righty is tied for the team lead with 42 K’s, but he’s a bit of a strikeout-or-bust pitcher. Szczepanski has surrendered 15 runs in 26.1 relief innings this season.

Probable Pitchers

Logan Hastings vs. JD Greeley

Brayden Ryan vs. Aidan Donovan

TBD vs. Carter Monke

Other Notable Points

The Terps are three games behind Michigan State for the 12th and final spot in the Big Ten tournament field.

Should Maryland win the series, it can gain some serious ground as the Terps try to break into the Big Ten tournament for the first time since 2023.