As the Terrapin baseball team reels from its deflating sweep against No. 1 Virginia last weekend and another difficult weekend matchup with No. 16 Miami looms, two midweek games against nonconference opponents could be just what the Terps need to refocus for the final stretch of the season.
Unfortunately for the Terps, they will have to wait one more week before getting a scheduling break. The two teams the Terps (15-28) will welcome to Shipley Field this week — George Mason today and James Madison tomorrow — not only sit atop the Colonial Athletic Association, but also already have wins against the Terps this season.
“Our schedule doesn’t offer any breaks,” coach Erik Bakich said. “Obviously our conference is one of the best in the country, so those will be big games. But I think our schedule is pretty difficult as whole. We are trying to build a winning program, and you don’t do that by scheduling teams that will hurt your RPI.”
Once again, the common denominator in both Terps’ losses was a lack of offensive production.
Earlier this month, George Mason (26-12) was the benefactor of some of the Terps’ worst baseball all season, squeaking out a 3-1 win in which the Terps’ offense managed just two hits against middling pitchers.
On March 23, the Terps clung to a 2-1 lead against James Madison (20-19) heading into the seventh inning. But just when it seemed as if the Terps might escape Harrisonburg, Va., with a quality win, their pitching staff imploded. Starter Eric Potter and reliever Ian Schwalenberg allowed a combined five runs as the Dukes rallied for a 6-2 win.
In recent weeks, though, the offense has shown signs of life. Center fielder Matt Marquis is working on an 11-game hitting streak, including his team-leading fifth home run in Saturday’s loss to Virginia. And catcher Jack Cleary has emerged as one of the team’s best offensive weapons, hitting at a .328 clip in the month of April.
“It’s always about the offense,” Bakich said Sunday. “I have said before that our offense is about doing the little things like stealing bases and moving runners along. We just haven’t performed up to our capabilities on a regular basis yet this season. But there is still plenty of season left to turn it around.”
lemaire@umdbk.com
