It was obvious the Terrapins baseball team needed a change.

Four weeks into the ACC schedule, the Terps were 3-9 in the conference after dropping two of three at Boston College, a team they were tied with for last in the conference’s Atlantic Division.

On the bus ride home from Chestnut Hill, Mass., coach Erik Bakich conferred with his staff. Adjustments needed to be made. Last Monday, they came to a decision: Closer Jimmy Reed would move to the starting rotation against N.C. State.

It was a move Bakich hoped would jump-start the Terps as they approached the halfway mark of ACC play. It was also a move that could certainly imperil the team’s bullpen – Reed had been the staff’s shutdown closer all season, totaling seven saves and a 0.48 ERA entering the weekend.

In the end, the move paid off. Reed pitched eight shutout innings, allowing just five N.C. State batters on base while striking out eight to lead the Terps to their first win in an ACC series opener this year.

“We approached Jimmy’s start like he had nine one-inning save opportunities and that he was still our closer, and he was going to close every inning for us,” Bakich said Sunday. “He didn’t do it nine times, but he did it eight times. That was a clutch performance. That was a huge tone-setter for us to get on top on Friday night, set the tone like that. That’s what we needed.”

The strategy worked. As he cycled through the N.C. State lineup time and again, Wolfpack hitters couldn’t seem to pick up on his stuff. Reed said he didn’t change his approach at all, even as he neared the end of his 106-pitch outing.

“I don’t think I tried to pace myself,” Reed said. “I just took it pitch by pitch, inning by inning. That’s what you’ve got to do: focus on what you’re doing.”

It was yet another big outing for Reed, who has grown accustomed to the late-inning spotlight this year. He pitched the final innings of the Terps’ two wins in their season-opening series over then-No. 14 UCLA and earned five saves during the Terps’ 11-1 start.

Despite the seemingly sudden insertion of Reed into the starting rotation – Bakich never let on that something was amiss last week until the release of the weekend’s starters – the move had been in the works for a while.

Reed said he started in a scrimmage before the season began and pitched five innings. Before Friday’s start, Reed had 13 relief appearances, but had seen his appearances extend in length. In Game 2 of the Terps’ series at Boston College, he pitched 4.1 innings before surrendering the winning run in the 12th. He also pitched three innings of relief in the Terps’ 6-4 win at Miami on March 25.

“I think [the coaching staff] knew I could do it,” Reed said. “I think getting the four innings or whatever against Boston College definitely helped their confidence.”

Moving Reed to the starting rotation, however, does leave a hole in the back of the bullpen. For most of the season, right-handers Charlie Haslup and Michael Boyden have appeared in middle relief before giving way to Korey Wacker, who usually set up for Reed.

On Sunday, Wacker allowed N.C. State to score three runs in the ninth to tie the game and send it to extra innings. Afterward, Bakich said he thought Wacker’s struggles were simply due to fatigue. The left-hander closed Friday night, warmed up in between innings on Saturday and pitched more than an inning on Sunday.

“I think that was just a fluke,” Bakich said. “I have all the confidence in the world in Korey, and he’s another guy you trust when the game’s on the line. You know he’s going to give you his best effort and he’s going to compete his ass off.”

Still, Bakich said he thinks Reed’s future lies somewhere in the starting rotation, something Reed welcomes.

“Every pitcher’s dream is to be a starter on the team,” Reed said. “I tried to treat it like every other outing, whether I’m closing or coming in middle relief or starting. It’s all the same. You’ve got to treat it like it’s the same.”

dgallen@umdbk.com