The Terrapins suffered a heartbreaking loss Friday, as their two best pitchers combined to give up five runs in the eighth. They’ll head to Davenport Field Saturday to try and extend their season. They’ll have to win two consecutive games against their former ACC rival in order to reach the College World Series.

John Vittas, Matt Present and Jon Lewis will be live from Charlottesville Saturday, with the Pre-Game Show getting underway at 2:50pm.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE

The Terps are 1-0 this year when facing elimination. They defeated UCLA in a winner-take-all scenario on Monday. That also came on the opponent’s home field.

Last year, Virginia lost the first Super Regional game at home, and came back to win the series. The Terrapins hope to reverse that scenario this year.

Saturday’s Pitching Matchup

R-Fr. RHP Ryan Selmer (3-1, 1.86) vs. Jr. LHP Brandon Waddell (3-5, 4.12)

  vs.  

Selmer is making his fourth start of 2015 and his second of the postseason. He took the loss in Maryland’s 4-2 defeat at UCLA last Sunday, the first loss of his career. The 6-foot-8 righty did not make it out of the third inning, surrendering eight hits. The UCLA loss was a rare blip on Selmer’s resume, as the Riverdale Baptist product had only allowed 8 earned runs in his previous 29 outings. He’ll tie Maryland’s single-season appearance record today, a mark set by Bobby Ruse last year.

Waddell did not allow an earned run over 7.1 innings to defeat San Diego State in Game 2 of the Lake Elsinore Regional last weekend. The lefty from Texas has had a trying season, however. He’s registered just three wins in 15 starts and has allowed the opponents to bat .281 against him. Waddell had his way with Maryland last year, defeating Mike Shawaryn and the Terps in Game 2 of the 2014 Super Regionals. He allowed just one run over five and two thirds.

Waddell is the seventh lefty the Terps will see in this year’s postseason. They’ve gone 4-2 against southpaws over that span. Maryland knocked around Ole Miss’ Christian Trent and UCLA’s Grant Watson last weekend for a combined 17 hits over 13 innings. Trent, Watson and Waddell have all had excellent postseason success and possess Omaha experience.

Friday Notes

Friday was just the second time all year Maryland has blown a lead after leading through seven innings. Ironically, the other time it happened, Maryland also allowed five runs in the eighth. That came at UNC Wilmington in the second game of a doubleheader on March 7.

Before yesterday, Maryland had been 23-2 when scoring first this season.

Yesterday’s game was just the fourth time the Terps lost a Mike Shawaryn start in 2015. They had been 13-3.

After the three regular season losses in Shawaryn starts, Maryland failed to bounce back each time. They lost Game 2 to UNC Wilmington, Indiana and Northwestern.

Kevin Martir has now reached base in 7 of his last 10 plate appearances. He is 5 for his last 7 and is now Maryland’s leading hitter.

Gameday Audio:

Jim Belanger Saturday before Game 2:

Friday’s Press Conference:

John Vittas and Matt Present will be live from a sold-out Davenport Field in Charlottesville, VA for the rematch between former ACC rivals Virginia and Maryland.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE AT 3:40 PM

The Terps and Wahoos met four times in 2014, with each team taking two games. Maryland won the round-robin contest in the ACC Tournament, while Virginia took two of three in the NCAA Super Regionals.

Maryland took the Super Regional opener last year, with Jake Stinnett defeating Cavalier ace Nathan Kirby. The Terrapins roughed up Kirby for five runs in 4.2 innings. Charlie White and Jose Cuas had multi-hit games and Brandon Lowe drove in two in the 5-4 Maryland win.

This year, Kirby is attempting to return from a lat injury and is rumored to be available in relief or to potentially start on Sunday. If not, Virginia will have to decide whether to use Josh Sborz in his typical closer’s role, or start him in a potential Game 3 – which is what UVA did last year when they beat Maryland in the final game.

Maryland has lost a key starter as well. Freshman Brian Shaffer has been shut down after experiencing arm pain during Maryland’s 4-1 win over UCLA last Saturday. With Ryan Selmer and Taylor Bloom the other two Maryland starters, it is unclear who will start Game 2 and who will start Game 3.

Reserve outfielder Zach Jancarski has returned to the team and Kengo Kawahara is healthier than he was last weekend, meaning Maryland’s bench is in better shape than it was in UCLA, when they were operating with two and a half healthy bench players.

Friday’s Pitching Matchup

So. RHP Mike Shawaryn (13-2, 1.66) vs. So. RHP Connor Jones (6-2, 2.90)

  vs.  

Shawaryn is going for personal redemption Friday. He’s started his career 24-6, with one of those six losses coming against Virginia last year in Game 2 of the Super Regionals. He’ll return to Davenport Field for the first time since that loss, an outing in which he allowed five runs on 12 hits. The righty is coming off a gutsy outing against Ole Miss in the Regionals. He allowed one run over five and one third, walking a season-high five while striking out nine. He’ll extend his school record for single-season strikeouts today, setting a mark that might never be broken.

Jones is a hard-throwing righty from Chesapeake, Virginia who has had an excellent sophomore season. He was a reliever last year for UVA, but has emerged as the ace this year after Kirby’s injury. The former Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year, Jones was a High School All-American who was drafted by the San Diego Padres before attending Virginia.

NCAA Tournament Leaders

Maryland

Kevin Martir: 7-for-15, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB

LaMonte Wade: 6-for-15, 2 HR, 2 RBI, BB, 2 R

Kevin Biondic: 5-for-13, R, 2B

Mike Shawaryn: W, 5.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 9 K, 5 BB, vs. Ole Miss

Taylor Bloom: W, 6 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 K, BB, vs. UCLA

Kevin Mooney: 3 G, 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 10 K, BB, 3 SV

Rob Galligan: W, 2 G, 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 K, 2 BB

Virginia

Joe McCarthy: 4-for-12, HR, 2 RBI, 2B, BB

Adam Haseley: 4-for-12, 2B, 3B, RBI, 3 BB

Matt Thaiss: 4-for-11, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 4 R

Pavin Smith: 3-for-9, 3 RBI, 3 BB

Connor Jones: W, 7.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, vs. USC

Brandon Waddell: 7.1 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, vs. San Diego St.

Josh Sborz: 3 G, 4 IP, W, 2 SV, 1 H, 0 ER, 4 K

Gameday Audio:

John Vittas will be live from Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles, California for the winner-take-all Regional Championship Game with No. 1 UCLA. The broadcast gets underway at 10:45pm ET and will feature interviews and analysis from MBN’s own Matt Present and Jon Lewis prior to first pitch:

LISTEN LIVE AT 10:45

The top-seeded Bruins defeated Maryland 4-2 last night, forcing a decisive seventh game in the LA Regional. Both teams won the last Regional title game they played in. The Terps beat South Carolina on this date last year, and UCLA won the 2013 Regional final over San Diego, en route to a National Championship.

Probable Pitching Matchup:

Fr. RHP Taylor Bloom (1-3, 4.55) vs. So. RHP Grant Dyer (4-1, 1.80)

  vs.  

Bloom makes his fifth start of 2015, and will be on the mound for the first time since taking the loss in the Big Ten Championship game. He shut down Michigan for the first three innings before falling victim to his own throwing error in the fourth. The freshman from Crofton will need to make good use of his changeup tonight against UCLA’s left-handed heavy order. Maryland is only trying to get Bloom one trip through the Bruins’ order, before lining up their deep bullpen against the UCLA bats.

UCLA has used all four of their starting pitchers in the Regional, and their fifth starter has been injured for a month, so they will have to use their bullpen for all nine innings Monday. They’ll start set-up man Grant Dyer, who has the best opponents batting average on the best pitching staff in the nation. The opposition is batting just .174 against Dyer, and has scored only 11 earned runs in 55 innings (1.80 ERA). Dyer has made two relief appearances in the Regional, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings against Cal State Bakersfield. He will be the first right-handed starter Maryland has seen since Illinois’ Drasen Johnson faced the Terrapins in the second game of the Big Ten Tournament. Dyer will end a string of five straight games that the Terps have seen a lefty starter.

Key to the Game: score early

In Maryland’s three NCAA Tournament contests so far, 14 of the 15 runs scored in their games have come in the first six innings. The Terps haven’t scored against the oppositions’ bullpens, and have only managed three hits in three games. And given the Regional numbers for these two bullpens, this could be decided early:

Maryland Bullpen: 3 G, 16 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 17 K, 3 BB (ERA: 0.00)

UCLA Bullpen: 4 G, 12 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 15 K, 2 BB (ERA: 0.75)

Tonight’s game features two of the best closers in college baseball, David Berg and Kevin Mooney. They’ll both be available for multiple innings, and so whoever has the lead after six will likely win the game.

Regional Leaders:

Maryland:

CF LaMonte Wade: 5-for-11, 2 HR, BB, 2 R, 2 RBI, two run-saving defensive plays

C Kevin Martir: 4-for-12, 2 doubles, R, 2 RBI, BB

SS Kevin Smith: 3-for-11, 2 doubles, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB

1B Kevin Biondic: 3-for-10, double, R

SP Mike Shawaryn: 5.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 9 K

RP Rob Galligan: 2 G, 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 K

RP Bobby Ruse: 3 G, 4.2 IP, 2 H, 4 K

UCLA:

LF Ty Moore: 8-for-15, HR, 4 RBI, 4 R, 4 BB

SS Kevin Kramer: 8-for-20, 2B, HR, 7 R, 4 RBI, 2 BB

1B Luke Persico: 7-for-20, 6 RBI

C Darrell Miller: 7-for-16, 5 R, double, 2 BB

SP James Kaprelian: 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 K

RP David Berg: 2 G, 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 6 K

RP Tucker Forbes: 3 G, 0 H, 0 R, 5 K

MBN’s John Vittas will be live from Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles to call Maryland’s winner’s bracket game with the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, UCLA.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN LIVE AT 10:30 and follow @mdbaseballnet for live updates.

Today’s pre-game show will feature full highlights from yesterday’s 3-1 win over Ole Miss and interviews from several Terps. LHP Willie Rios will join the show live.

The loser of tonight’s Maryland-UCLA game will play CSU Bakersfield Sunday at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Road Runners defeated Ole Miss 2-1 in this afternoon’s elimination game. The winner of that game will play the winner of tonight’s game Sunday at 11:05 p.m. ET. VIEW THE FULL BRACKET

UCLA is the tournament favorite, having gone 43-14 in the regular season. They are the Pac 12 champions. They defeated Cal State Bakersfield last night, 7-2. Their winning ways are predicated on pitching, small ball and doing the little things.

The Bruins lead the nation in pitching, having posted a 2.16 ERA on the year. Their K/BB ratio and H/9 rate also rank top four in college baseball. Their bullpen is lights out. The trio of David Berg, Tucker Forbes and Grant Dyer have held opponents to a 1.59 ERA over 129 innings of work. The good news for Maryland is that they used their ace James Kaprelian against Cal State Bakerstfield.

Pitching Matchup:

Fr. RHP Brian Shaffer (5-1, 4.73) vs. Sr. LHP Grant Watson (8-4, 2.08)

  vs.  

Shaffer is coming off the best outing of young Terps career. He allowed only one run while striking out seven over seven innings to beat No. 4 Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament, likely securing Maryland’s spot in the NCAA Tournament. The freshman has pitched much better in the second half of the season. He’s gone at least five innings in his last four starts and has struck out 21 batters over that span.

Watson has been a four-year staple on the UCLA , having amassed 30 wins over 369.2 career innings. In 2015, Watson has gone six innings or more in 12 of his 15 starts. He mixes four pitches and locates well, having pitched to a 2.08 ERA this year. He’s been even better at home, having allowed a total of seven earned runs in nine home starts this season. Watson pitched two relief outings against the Terps in 2012 and did not allow a run.

UCLA head coach John Savage has built a dynasty in his 12 years in Westwood, CA. The Bruins have hosted a Regional in five of their last six years, and have reached three College World Series’ over that span. They won the 2013 National Championship, but did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament last year.

Gameday Audio:

Highlights from the Terps 3-1 win over Ole Miss:

by John Vittas

The Terps will play in their second consecutive NCAA Tournament when they take on the Ole Miss Rebels Friday at 7pm. ET in Los Angeles, California. It’s only the second time in school history that they’ve qualified for the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons, and the first since 1970-71. 

Maryland is the three seed in UCLA’s Regional and will play the second-seeded Rebels live on the Maryland Baseball Network. The pre-game show begins at 6:30pm ET and will include interviews with several Terrapins. [LISTEN HERE]

The Terps swept top-seeded South Carolina as a 2-seed last year and will look to take down the Tournament’s No. 1 overall seed this season. Ole Miss was a College World Series team in 2014 and finished as the third place team in Omaha.

Game one will be a showdown between aces, both of whom had remarkable postseason success last year:

So. RHP Mike Shawaryn (12-2, 1.65) vs. Jr. LHP Christian Trent (7-6, 3.70)

   vs.  

Shawaryn pitched another gem in the Big Ten Tournament, taking down Michigan State in the opening game. The freshly-minted First Team All-American has been excellent in four career postseason starts. Against some of the best competition, he’s gone 3-1 with a 3.08 ERA. Excluding the lone loss against Virginia, he’s allowed just four runs in three starts, amounting to a 1.77 ERA.

Trent has an impressive postseason track record in his own right. Ole Miss won in all three of his starts in the 2014 postseason. He dominated the No. 1 overall seed UL Lafayette in the Super Regionals, allowing just one unearned run over seven innings. He followed it up with eight shutout innings against Texas Tech in College World Series. Trent has pitched eight innings in three of his last four starts and has gotten through five innings in every start this season.

About the Rebels:

Ole Miss has now made the tournament in 13 of head coach Mike Bianco’s 15 seasons. He’s led the Rebels to five Super Regionals and produced 84 pro draft picks. Over the past decade, Bianco has churned out 26 All Americans as he’s built a college baseball powerhouse in Oxford. Ole Miss has one of the most devout fan bases in college baseball, as they’ve finished top five in the country in attendance for the last nine years.

They’ve produced a host of Big Leaguers over the years, as Rebels baseball dates all the way back to 1893. Current Ole Miss Major Leaguers include Lance Lynn, Zack Cozart, Aaron Barrett, Seth Smith, Drew Pomeranz and Chris Coghlan.

2015 has been a down season for Bianco’s club, despite the fact that they finished above .500 in the SEC and earned a two-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

They’re led by the power hitting Sikes Orvis, who has slugged 16 home runs already this year. Colby Bortles and JB Woodman also provide pop in the middle of the Rebels lineup, while shortstop Errol Robinson serves as a table setter and slick defender. Robinson graduated from St. John’s College High School in Maryland and grew up playing with many of the current Terps.

The Rebels will be playing on nine days of rest Friday. They lost their single-elimination game against Alabama in the SEC Tournament last Tuesday.

Don’t be surprised if all the games this weekend are low-scoring. UCLA has arguably the best pitching staff in the country, and both Trent and Shawaryn have been stingy in the postseason. My take: It’ll come down to defense. Whoever makes the least mistakes will win.

Gameday Audio:

Coming off Maryland’s first ever Big Ten Tournament victory, the Terps had less than 24 hours to prepare for their toughest test of the season—Illinois. The Fighting Illini lead the conference in both batting average and earned run average, a deadly combination, and perhaps most impressively, they come into the game with a 27-game winning streak. Illinois last fell on March 29^th at the hands of Michigan State.

In his post-game press conference last night, John Szefc stressed that the key to these tournaments are starting pitching and defense. However, outside of Mike Shawaryn, the Terps have yet to find a reliable strike thrower to begin a ballgame. The Terps have tried ten different arms in the starting rotation, but Shawaryn is the only one who has remained a constant, and the only one with double-digit starts. The sophomore right-hander did his job last night, allowing just one run in seven innings, striking out nine, and picking up his twelfth win of the season. But in order to propel themselves through postseason play, the Terps need at least one more starter to come into his own.

Last night Szefc said that Brian Shaffer would be the probable starter tonight, but that it was not a definite. Shaffer would be the logical choice. After Shawaryn, he has made more starts than any other pitcher, with nine. However, in his last two weeks in the weekend rotation, he’s been decent, at best. Two weeks ago at Ohio State, he gave up five runs, four earned, in five innings. Last week at Northwestern he gave up three earned in five and a third, but did strike out six. These aren’t terrible numbers by any means, but at the same time, the Terps will need him to be better, facing the top team in the conference. On the season the 6-5 freshman is 4-1, with a 5.19 ERA.

With the victory last night, the Terps guaranteed themselves a third game Friday, in this double elimination format. Assuming Shaffer gets the nod today, the Terps may have more questions than answers as to who their third starter will be. If you continue down the list of starts this season, Drossner would follow Shaffer. While Drossner’s ERA isn’t bad, at 4.50, he has struggled with his command throughout the season, issuing a team high 26 walks, in 32 innings of work. (As a point of reference, Shawaryn has allowed 23 free passes in 103.1 innings pitched).

Ryan Selmer started the final game of the regular season, and got the victory over Northwestern, allowing just one earned run through six innings pitched. But that was his only start of the season. The 6-8 redshirt freshman has been dominant out of the bullpen throughout the season posting a 3-0 record and 1.60 ERA on the year. So for Szefc and pitching coach Jim Belanger, the decision will likely come down to throwing a guy with one career start into the fire, or hoping that Drossner can find his stuff from last year’s ACC tournament, in which he earned the start in the tournament final against Georgia Tech.

But the task at hand is Illinois, and redshirt senior Drasen Johnson, who is 9-2 on the year with a 2.34 ERA. The Illini also boast a lineup with six players hitting over .300, led by David Kerian who leads the Big Ten in average (.383), home runs (13), on base percentage (.459), and slugging percentage (.647). Between the dominance on the hill and the batters box, it’s easy to see why Illinois is ranked as high as second in the nation by Collegiate Baseball.

First pitch tonight is at 10 p.m. EST, and Jake Eisenberg will be on the call from Target Field. You can listen to his call right here, and follow @mdbaseballnet on Twitter. Be sure to check back with us after the game for a full recap and a preview of the Terps Friday opponent.

Maryland earned the four seed in the 2015 Big Ten Baseball Tournament and will take on ffifth-seeded Michigan State in the opening round Wednesday night at 10pm ET. The Terrapins and Spartans have not played in 2015. Maryland will then play the winner or loser of Illinois and Nebraska on Thursday.

The Terps finished the regular season 36-20, and 14-10 in Big Ten play. The 14-10 conference record puts them in a three-way tie with Michigan and Michigan State. Due to head-to-head tiebreakers, Michigan earned the three seed, Maryland the four, and Michigan State the five.

Maryland will play the winner or loser of top-seeded Illinois and eighth-seeded Nebraska in the second round on Thursday. If the Terps beat Michigan State, they will play at 10 pm ET again on Thursday. If they lose, they will play an elimination game at 2pm ET.

The Big Ten Tournament is a double-elimination event. Teams will play anywhere from two to six games in a five-day span.

MBN will be live all tournament long from Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Continue to check back for all the latest.

Full Big Ten Tournament Schedule:

Wednesday, May 20

10am ET – No. 3 Michigan (14-10) vs. No. 6 Indiana (12-10)

2pm ET – No. 2 Iowa (19-5) vs. No. 7 Ohio State (13-11)

6pm ET – No. 1 Illinois (21-1) vs. No. 8 Nebraska (9-14)

10pm ET – No. 5 Maryland (14-10) vs. No. 5 Michigan State (14-10)

Thursday, May 21

10am ET – Loser of MICH/IND vs. Loser of IOWA/OSU

2pm ET – Loser of ILL/NEB vs. Loser of MD/MSU

6pm ET – Winner of MICH/IND vs. Winner of IOWA/OSU

10pm ET – Winner of ILL/NEB vs. Winner of MD/MSU

Friday, May 22

4:30pm ET – Elimination Game

8:30pm ET – Elimination Game (if 1-1, Maryland will play in this one)

Saturday, May 23

10am and 2pm ET – Semifinal games

6pm and 10pm ET – If necessary games

Sunday, May 23

2pm ET – Championship Game

Memorial Day – Monday, May 24

NCAA Tournament Selection Show – Noon, ESPNU

At 35-18 (13-8), the Terrapins have already set a new regular season record for wins, with three games remaining, are tied for third in conference as they prepare to take on the Northwestern Wildcats in Evanston, Ill.

Despite dropping a mid-week game to Liberty, the Terps find themselves in a good position to make the postseason, and have all but locked up a top-4 seed in the Big Ten tournament after taking two of three from Ohio State last weekend.

While the offense struggled for much of the game Tuesday, the Terps bats exploded over the weekend, tallying 39 runs in three games. Of the 39 runs, 20 were driven in with two outs. Each member of the starting lineup had at least one RBI.

LaMonte Wade, sitting atop the lineup, is swinging the hottest bat. In his past five games, Wade is batting .524 with two home runs and 10 RBIs.

The Wildcats are almost polar opposite of the Terps. With a 16-35 (6-15) record, Northwestern lays claim to the basement of the Big Ten Conference. In their last 10 games, they are 2-8 and have been outscored by opponents 62-26.

The pitching has been the biggest weakness, as all three starters have ERAs over 4.00, with the team average at 5.72. Opponents are hitting .312 against the Wildcats.

Additionally, the team has been without their best hitter, fifth-year senior center fielder Kyle Ruchim, for a few weeks due to injury. Ruchim was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals last season but elected to return and was suspended for the first six games due to an NCAA violation.

This season, he leads the team in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs scored and home runs, but has yet to play this month due to an oblique injury.

Some of the Wildcats struggles can also be attributed to playing in unfamiliar places. The team unveiled a new stadium—Rocky Miller Park—this season on April 21, when they beat Milwaukee 9-5. Prior to that game, their “home opener,” the Wildcats had played 37 straight road games. They play 14 of their last 17 at home—including their series with the Terps, going 4-7 so far in their new ballpark.

The first ever meeting between these two teams will also be the last for Northwestern Head Coach Paul Stevens, as he is set to retire after leading the program for 27 years.

THURSDAY AT 4:00 ET

So. RHP Mike Shawaryn (11-1, 1.71) vs. Sr. RHP Brandon Magallones (3-5, 6.21)

  vs. 

In his final regular season start of 2015, the Terps ace will attempt to break his own single-season record for wins, as he goes for number 12. Shawaryn tied his record last week in a 13-4 win over Ohio State. The sophomore pitched seven innings of one-run ball and struck out eight.

Despite having the most strikeouts on the pitching staff (60), Magallones hasn’t fared well this season. Opposing batters are hitting a whopping .335 against the senior—a big reason why his 6.21 ERA is his highest in four years of collegiate baseball. In his last outing, Magallones gave up five runs in five innings en route to a loss to Michigan.

FRIDAY AT 4:00 ET

TBD vs. Jr. LHP Matt Portland (2-6, 4.28)

  vs.  

Last week, it was Rob Galligan who took the mound for the Terps in the second game of the series. But, the Syosset, NY, native gave up five runs in three innings, and then gave up one run in 1.1 innings Tuesday. It looks like coaches John Szefc and Jim Belanger will give someone else a chance come Friday.

Matt Portland has been the most reliable starter for the Wildcats, despite a personal record below .500. The lefty has the most innings on the staff with 82.0, and threw a complete-game shutout against Nebraska back on May 2, striking out eight in the effort. In his last start, Portland gave up six runs in four innings to the Wolverines, recording a no-decision in the 9-8 win.

SUNDAY AT 2:00 ET

Fr. RHP Brian Shaffer (4-0, 4.97) vs. Jr. LHP Reed Mason (2-9, 5.72)

  vs.  

Brian Shaffer will make his eighth start for the Terps in the regular season finale. He struggled last week against Ohio State, giving up four runs in five innings. However, in his two previous appearances, Shaffer turned in quality starts, throwing a combined 10 innings against Delaware and Towson, striking out 12 and giving up just two runs.

Mason has the most losses of any Wildcats pitcher, including last week against Michigan, when the lefty gave up five runs (three earned) in five innings. After Mason left the game, the Wolverines poured it on and went on win 19-1. Mason has given up 89 hits in 67.2 innings, good for a .316 opponent’s batting average. All three Wildcat starters have opponent’s batting averages over .300.

You can catch all three games this weekend on BTN2Go.

This is by far the most important series of the year.

Maryland’s postseason fate relies heavily on what happens this weekend in Columbus. 33 at-large bids are available for the NCAA Tournament, and the Terps are sitting at No. 51 in RPI and No. 28 in the rankings. Excluding the Big Ten Championships, the Buckeyes are the best team left on the Terps’ schedule and are considered a likely postseason team.

Both teams were swept on their home fields last weekend, so you have to think motivation will be at an all-time high for both clubs. The Buckeyes lost all three games to No. 7 Illinois, while the Terps were swept by Indiana.

Ohio State has a rock solid weekend rotation and one of the best closers in the Big Ten. Like Kevin Mooney, Trace Dempsey leads his school in all-time saves, having racked up 36 in his career. This year he ranks fourth in the Big Ten in saves (7), second in wins (9) and tied for first in games finished (21). All the wins are a byproduct of Ohio State’s seven walk-off victories this season. They are 17-7 at home.

The Buckeyes rank in the top half in just about every offensive category, and lead the league in stolen bases (71). This is in large part due to Troy Montgomery, who leads the Big Ten with 29 thefts. Montgomery is having a breakout season. He’s batting .310 while slugging .497 and ranks fourth the conference with 46 runs scored.

Pat Porter and Ronnie Dawson lead the power charge for Ohio State. Both have seven home runs and over 30 RBIs this season. Porter ranks top 10 in five offensive categories.

FRIDAY AT 6:35

So. RHP Mike Shawaryn (10-1, 1.74) vs. So. LHP Tanner Tully (4-3, 3.58)

  vs.  

The Terps’ ace is making his second attempt to tie his own single-season wins record from last season. He suffered his first loss of the year last Friday against Indiana, surrendering five runs for just the second time all season.

Like Shawaryn, Tanner Tully is a reigning Freshman All-American. The southpaw finished second in the nation with a 0.68 BB/9 mark, going 6-3 with a 2.22 ERA. He is coming off his worst outing of the year, an eight run shellacking at the hands of No. 7 Illinois.

SATURDAY AT 3:05

R-Jr. LHP Rob Galligan (2-3, 2.27) vs. So. RHP Travis Lakins (3-3, 3.55)

  vs.  

Galligan is making his third start of his career Saturday in Columbus. The lefty has had one excellent outing and one difficult one. He gutted his way into the fifth against Indiana, but took the loss in what became a 13-2 Terrapin defeat, their largest loss of the year.

Lakins is sophomore who posted a 2.45 ERA out of the bullpen last year and is having a fine sophomore season as a full-time starter. Lakins was an outstanding two-way player in high school in Ohio, and has a good chance to lead the Buckeyes in strikeouts for the second straight year.

SUNDAY AT 1:05

Fr. RHP Brian Shaffer (4-0, 4.97) vs. Sr. LHP Ryan Riga (5-3, 2.30)

  vs.  

Brian Shaffer will be pitching on three days rest on Sunday after beating Towson over five innings of work on Wednesday. Shaffer has been terrific as the midweek starter, having only allowed three runs over his last 22 innings in that role. Sunday will be his third weekend start of the season, and his first since March 1.

Riga is also looking to bounce back from a tough start against Illinois, when he allowed six runs to allow the Buckeyes to get swept. The senior has the best ERA of all the Ohio State starters, and has tossed over 260 innings in his college career.