James Madison (26-23, 11-9) at No. 14 Maryland (41-10, 16-5 Big Ten)
May 17
Bob 'Turtle' Smith Stadium
5:00 p.m. EST
COLLEGE PARK, MD -- The Maryland baseball team takes on James Madison in its regular season home finale at 5 p.m. at Bob 'Turtle' Smith stadium. Maryland is having its best regular season in school history, having accumulated a 41-10 record to begin the year, the program's best mark through 51 games in school history. Maryland is currently in first place in the Big Ten with just three conference games remaining this weekend at Purdue. The Terps are currently ranked at No. 14 in the USA Today's Coaches poll.
The Rotation
- Ryan Ramsey, Jason Savacool, and Nick Dean have combined to be one of the most formidable weekend rotations in the entire country.
- Ramsey threw one of the greatest games in college baseball history as he pitched the 20th nine-inning perfect game in college baseball history last weekend leads the team and the entire country in wins with 10, defeating Baylor, Campbell, Indiana State, Cornell, Siena, Dallas Baptist, Minnesota, Illinois, Northwestern, Rutgers, and Michigan so far this season. Ramsey's 13 strikeout performance against the Big Red was a career-high and helped earn him Big Ten pitcher of the week honors.
- Savacool, with seven wins, leads the Big Ten in innings pitched with 86 and also leads the Big Ten in strikeouts with 102 punchouts so far this year. In his last start against Michigan, Savacool struck out seven Wolverines over six innings in Maryland's 8-7.
- Dean has had a very strong season, accumulating a 0.93 ERA in his first three starts against Baylor, Campbell, and Michigan. Dean's start against Campbell was his best of the season as he outdueled the nation's leader in wins, Thomas Harrington. Dean starred against Rutgers in his second to last time out, going six innings while surrendering just three hits and two runs while striking out a season-high nine strikeouts.
Impact Starters
- The Terps received a boost when starting center fielder Chris "Bubba" Alleyne spurned signing with an MLB team and announcing his return to College Park for his fifth year of eligibility. This season, Alleyne is batting .338 with a career-high 18 home runs and team-best 64 RBIs.
- After a stellar freshman year where he batted .332 with seven home runs and 30 RBIs, Matt Shaw is back for the Terps. Shaw dominated the Michigan Wolverines, belting six home runs and a double to go along with 12 RBIs in the three-game set.
- Troy Schreffler Jr. is enjoying a breakout season in his junior year out in right field, batting a .337 to go along with eight home runs and 43 RBIs. Schreffler Jr. has also been incredible on the defensive end, with his diving catch against Georgetown and home run robbery against Rutgers earning him a spot on SportsCenter's Top Plays. His home run on April 23rd in Game One against Illinois traveled an official distance of 490 feet.
- Third baseman Nick Lorusso has been stellar to start the year, batting third in the lineup and hitting .325 with 12 home runs and 56 RBIs.
- Catcher Luke Shliger has batted leadoff in every game this season, batting .338 to go along with nine home runs and 49 RBIs. Shliger also has 13 stolen bases, a .490 on-base percentage, and a Big Ten-best 44 walks.
- Maryland has had four players win Big Ten Player of The Week honors with Matt Shaw, Troy Schreffler Jr., Nick Lorusso, and Bobby Zmarzlak all taking home the award this season.
Costes Crushing It
- Senior leader and All-Big Ten performer Maxwell Costes is batting .274 this season and is currently third in the Big Ten in home runs with 14. Costes now has 38 career home runs, good for second-most all-time in program history. Costes now trails only Paul Schager's 43 which was hit between 1984-87.
- Costes has also been hit by 63 pitches in his career, good for second all-time in Maryland baseball history.
- He trails Kyle Convissar's 67 hit by pitch mark, set between 2011-14.
Meet The Coaches
- Fifth-year Head Coach Rob Vaughn signed a contract extension this past summer after the program reached its first regional since 2017. Vaughn is a career 134-92 as the coach of the Terps.
- Matt Swope and Anthony Papio return to the bench this year for Maryland, with Papio being named assistant coach this past summer.
- Mike Morrison joins the staff from Coastal Carolina, where won a national championship as a player in 2016 and where he spent the last two years as Director of Player Development and Scouting of the Chanticleers, as well as interim pitching coach.
- Former Maryland baseball player Tommy Gardiner joins the staff as Director of Player Development after spending the last four seasons playing under Vaughn, Swope, and Papio.
Scouting The Opponent
- Catcher Travis Refsnider has been a reliable piece both offensively and defensively for the Dukes, batting .299 with 12 home runs and 32 RBIs.
- Utility man Trevon Dabney has also been a quality bat, going .289 on the year with seven homers, 34 RBIs and nine stolen bases.
Series History
- Maryland is 32-35 all-time vs James Madison, but took a midweek matchup earlier this season in Harrisonburg thanks to a 10th inning home run from Alleyne.
