Coach John Szefc.

Jake Stinnett has had a tough time finding his role on the Terrapins baseball team.

Last season under former coach Erik Bakich, the junior saw time all over the diamond, making 12 appearances as either a fielder or a pinch hitter and eight appearances as a relief pitcher. Despite his physical prowess — a 6-foot-4, 202-pound frame capable of throwing a 94 mph fastball — Stinnett was pedestrian, finishing with a .250 batting average and 12 hits allowed in 13.1 innings on the mound.

But Stinnett made an impact yesterday against Rider. In arguably the best performance of his young pitching career, Stinnett allowed only two earned runs on four hits and struck out eight over seven innings. The display powered the Terps to a 6-3 victory over the Broncs.

“That’s the Jake Stinnett that we have expected all year,” coach John Szefc said. “All fall, that’s what he was. That’s what he’s capable of doing. It really is. I’m hoping he can build off that and get his confidence where it needs to be.”

After Stinnett enjoyed an impressive summer pitching in the North Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League, Szefc converted the Vista, Calif., native into a full-time pitcher and made him the team’s regular closer.

But Stinnett lost the closer job after a crucial blown save in his season-opening series against Virginia. Hoping to help the end of the rotation, Szefc converted Stinnett to a starter.

The struggles continued, though. In his first two collegiate starts on the mound, Stinnett allowed nine earned runs on eight hits in only 4.2 innings of work. He had a tough time finding the strike zone consistently, averaging more than a walk per inning. Stinnet said he felt himself getting tense, often overthrowing to try and showcase his arm.

Yesterday, he just relaxed.

“I just went out and pitched like I know how,” Stinnett said. “I tried to slow the game down.”

It also helped that Stinnett got key hits from a lineup that has struggled with runners in scoring position over the past month. With two outs and runners on second and third in the bottom of the fourth inning, center fielder Charlie White’s two-run single extended the Terps’ lead to 5-2.

“When you come up with runners in scoring position, you just have to calm yourself and try to have a quality at-bat,” White said. “That’s what I did. I got a hanging breaking ball and just drove it out to center field.”

The victory helped the Terps avoid suffering their sixth loss in seven games. It also provided a much-needed confidence boost for a group that slogged through a rough opening to conference play.

But perhaps most importantly, Stinnett may have proved he deserves a spot in the weekend rotation.

“Once we get that third starter established,” Szefc said, “we’re going to have a chance to win every day.”

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