Throughout the season, Terrapin baseball coach Erik Bakich has experimented with different methods to ignite the team’s anemic offense.
There’s been extra workouts in the batting cage, tinkering with players’ mechanics and even the insertion of David and Goliath pictures at the bottom of the team’s lineup card.
But after yesterday’s sixth straight loss, an 8-3 defeat at the hands of James Madison (21-19) in which the offense once again struggled to produce baserunners, Bakich said there was only one source of the struggles.
“When it boils down to it, it’s all about competing,” Bakich said. “You can take the mechanics and the hitting approach and throw it out the window in the end because no matter what, true competitors find a way. We just aren’t doing that right now.”
Facing the second-ranked team in the Colonial Athletic Association, the Terps started well thanks to three strong innings from starter Matt Fullerton, who allowed just one earned run.
After Fullerton departed with the score tied 1-1, Bakich turned to weekend starter Eric Potter to keep James Madison from doing any more damage. But the Dukes jumped on the left-hander, taking the lead for good with four hits and three runs.
While a three-run lead is far from insurmountable, it was enough to win against a Terps’ (15-30) offense that has averaged just over four runs per game on the season.
Although James Madison starter Evan Scott had only one inning of experience entering the game, and none of the three pitchers that followed him entered the game with an ERA under 8.00, the Terps’ offense couldn’t muster much of anything. The team managed just five hits, three of which came in the final two innings when James Madison was already enjoying a comfortable lead.
With just 11 games remaining in the season, including nine conference games, the Terps’ goal of reaching the ACC Tournament is all but impossible. And while Bakich admits a miracle finish to the season is unlikely, he insisted it isn’t impossible.
“It’s not unthinkable that a team can sweep three weekend series in a row,” Bakich said. “There is always a chance as long as we have believers and I am just not sure if that belief system exists with all 35 players. We as a coaching staff believe it, but we aren’t the ones out there swinging the bat and throwing the ball. It’s on them.”
lemaire@umdbk.com
