With the remainder of Maryland’s postseason hopes being extinguished following its series loss against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, the Terps will look to do whatever they can to salvage their remaining games.

The Dirty Terps looked up to the task in their final midweek matchup against the Georgetown Hoyas, winning 21-6 with Paul Jones II setting a program record for runs batted in in a single game with 11. He also launched three home runs in the contest, giving him five home runs and 16 RBIs over his last two games. 

After their rout against Georgetown helped put them on the right track, the Maryland Terrapins (25-28, 7-20 Big Ten) will host the Penn State Nittany Lions in their final series of the season. Here’s what you need to know about the Terps’ border-state rival when they come to town this weekend. 

Penn State Nittany Lions (15-33, 8-19 Big Ten)

Last Season

In 2025, the Nittany Lions managed to pull out a 31-22 regular season record, which they would parlay into an appearance in that year’s Big Ten tournament as the 9 seed. Despite being drawn into Pool D with USC and Washington, both seeded higher, Penn State managed to beat both teams and make the semifinals. 

Eventually, the Nittany Lions’ run came to an end after losing 6-3 to the eventual champion Nebraska in the semifinals. Despite their overall successful year, the Dirty Terps were able to steal their regular-season series against the Nittany Lions on the road.

A pair of first-inning home runs from the Hacopian brothers would give Maryland an early 3-0 lead in its first contest, which the Terps held onto for an eventual 7-4 victory. The Terps would secure the series the following day, winning an 11-inning battle when Brayden Martin smacked a lead-taking homer to right field to secure a 12-11 win.

This Season

The Nittany Lions have been unable to follow up their recent success this season, currently in contention to finish with the worst overall record of any Big Ten team this year. Penn State failed to win a conference series this season until winning its rubber match against Washington on May 9.

Penn State’s regression can largely be chalked up to a breakdown in the pitching staff. The Nittany Lions are one of three Big Ten teams maintaining a collective ERA of seven or higher. Their pitching staff has pitched a combined 345 strikeouts this season compared to 234 walks, putting them third-worst in the conference in each category.

Penn State is also one of four teams in the Big Ten to have allowed more than 300 earned runs this season. Combined with their 235 runs on offense this year, the lowest of any Big Ten team, the offense’s inability to make up for deficits in pitching becomes clear.

Penn State comes into this matchup off of an 11-7 loss against the Pittsburgh Panthers in its final midweek of the season. Despite Pitt holding an 8-1 lead after two innings, four different Nittany Lions combined to hit five home runs to decrease the deficit to 10-7 by the sixth inning. Despite the offensive burst,  Penn State was unable to finish off the comeback and took a loss in its final midweek.

Hitters to Watch

Senior infielder Michael Anderson is the Nittany Lions’ best offensive power threat by a wide margin. He’s hit 19 home runs, tying for second most among any player in the Big Ten this season, also tying the Nittany Lions’ single-season record.

Anderson’s .749 slugging percentage and 1.218 OPS are among the best in the conference as well, and his .360 batting average leads the team. After spending his 2025 season as a reserve on an Arkansas team that made it all the way to Omaha, Anderson’s been able to prove his worth in Happy Valley this season.

Pitchers to Watch

Despite a down year in the pitching department, Colin Fitzgerald has been the most dependable pitcher for the Nittany Lions. Across 53 total innings pitched, he’s accrued a 2-6 record and 6.45 ERA. His 62 strikeouts lead the team by a wide margin.

Fitzgerald has been the Nittany Lions’ opening starter for their last few series, so this trend should continue in their finale.

Probable Starting Pitchers

Logan Hastings vs Colin Fitzgerald

Cristofer Cespedes vs Ben Hudson

Brayden Ryan vs Isaiah Shayter