Catcher Shannon Bustillos swings at a pitch during the Terp’s 8-6 win over Penn State on April 17, 2015.
The Terrapins softball team went up against the Big Ten’s best when it faced No. 4 Michigan at the Maryland Softball Stadium last weekend. The Wolverines won the first two games by mercy rule and no-hit the Terps in their 1-0 victory Sunday.
The Terps are hoping for a more promising result this weekend when they head to East Lansing, Michigan, to face Michigan State, which sits in last place in the conference. The three-game set marks the Terps’ final regular-season games before they travel to Columbus, Ohio, for the Big Ten tournament.
“The biggest thing is we have some lapses here and there,” coach Courtney Scott Deifel said. “Whether it’s a series with Illinois or a [game] with Rutgers, or whether it’s a game at Indiana, there’s some lapses. We just want to see that more consistent fight and consistent competitiveness that we know that [we] can bring.”
While the Terps (26-24, 8-12 Big Ten) have rebounded from their 11-win season a year ago, the Spartans (17-35, 2-20) have endured a disappointing year, especially in conference play. Fifteen of the Spartans’ 17 wins came during their six early-season tournaments.
Still, Michigan State has shown glimpses of success against top-flight competition. The Spartans defeated then-No. 22 Tulsa, who beat the Terps earlier this year at the Florida Atlantic “Strike-Out Cancer” tournament. And against No. 4 Michigan on April 21, the Spartans fell by one run.
“Just because they’re bottom of the barrel does not mean that they won’t come out and try and give us a game,” pitcher Kaitlyn Schmeiser said. “You can never underestimate anybody, so we’re definitely going to go out and try and put it to ‘em.”
Though the Terps sit ahead of the Spartans in the conference standings, they’ve lost five straight games and scored just 10 runs during that span. Their troubles have extended to the field, too, as the Terps rank second in the Big Ten with 83 errors.
“We’ve slowed down a little bit, [and] one reason for that is Michigan’s pitching,” Scott Deifel said. “I see us competing a little bit more on the defensive side, so just to bring … that and finish strong would be huge for us.”
Last year, the Terps, who hosted the event, were one of three teams left out of the ACC Championship.
And while they’ll be one of 12 teams in the Big Ten tournament this season, the team isn’t looking past their final opponent before tournament play.
“We’re going to take [it] just as if we’re playing the No. 1 team in the nation,” catcher Shannon Bustillos said. “Our season is not done yet, [and] we’re still looking to do some work in the Big Ten tournament and take it to Michigan State.”
