Charlie White
It has become an all-too-familiar scene for the Terrapins baseball team this season.
Center fielder Charlie White takes a lead off first, the opposing pitcher strides toward home and, before anyone knows it, the redshirt sophomore is sliding headfirst into second base long before the catcher’s throw arrives.
It’s an integral part of the game plan. In coach John Szefc’s aggressive and up-tempo offense, the Terps are looking to run whenever and wherever possible. Their 47 steals, 56 attempts and 3.13 steals per game average all rank No. 1 in the ACC, and they’ll look to improve those numbers even more when they host Marist in a doubleheader this afternoon.
When the Terps dropped two of three games at Virgina this past weekend, the speed on the base paths they’ve displayed all year was missing.
The Terps mustered only three stolen bases — all of them from White, who now leads the ACC with 18 steals — thanks to a Cavaliers pitching staff known for its discipline with runners on base. They have only allowed six stolen bases on eight attempts this season, and they rank second in the ACC with five runners picked off this season.
“We weren’t able to run as much as we wanted because Virginia holds runners on very well,” Szefc said. “Our better runners found a way, but our slower guys were running into stupid outs. And that is going to happen now that we’re going to be facing good teams every weekend. We have to be smarter, see what opportunities are available and take what the game gives us.”
The Terps’ struggles on the base paths stemmed from the consistent strike-throwing from Virginia’s pitching staff, whose 34 walks allowed is the best mark in the conference. The Terps only drew five walks in their three-game series this past weekend, a staggeringly small number for a team that averages 4.73 walks per game.
“Obviously we are a work in progress,” Szefc said. “But we played effectively on offense and we were executing and staying consistent. If we keep playing simple and do a good job with our approach, we’re going to give ourselves a chance to win.”
The Terps should be able to get back to their season averages against the Red Foxes (4-6) today, though. While the Cavaliers allow opponents to reach base at just a .288 clip, Marist is giving up a .361 on-base percentage, which should give the Terps (10-5) more opportunities to run.
It’s good news for the Terps, as they have no intentions of altering their game plan after one bad weekend of steals.
“Regardless who we are playing, we always keep the same aggressive mindset we’ve had all season on the base paths,” White said. “That’s just how we play.”
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