Maryland baseball coach John Szefc said his team’s 7-1 loss to Purdue on Friday was one of their “lowest points” of the season.
Right-hander Brian Shaffer allowed five runs in 3.1 innings, his second shortest outing of the year, and the offense went 2-for-12 at the plate with runners on base as the Terps let the Boilermakers earn just their second Big Ten win of the season.
So in the next two games, the Terps wanted to make a statement.
That’s exactly what they did against the last-place team in the conference, outscoring Purdue, 17-3, Saturday and Sunday to clinch the series victory.
“You’re supposed to win a home conference series,” Szefc said. “Even though Friday wasn’t a real pretty day, we were able to come back. That’s the hardest way to even a series after losing Friday at home, especially a game you probably should’ve win. You have to have some guys with toughness and character to be able to do that.”
After Friday’s loss, the Terps (21-18, 7-5 Big Ten) felt “a little beat up,” said designated hitter Madison Nickens. Right fielder Anthony Papio said the coaches talked about how the Terps can’t come out flat and need to have a better mindset.
Still, the Terps remained positive, and they responded the following day with a 6-0 win over the Boilermakers (7-30, 2-13).
Right-hander Mike Shawaryn, a former All-American who entered with the worst ERA of the Terps’ weekend rotation, put together one of his best starts of the season. He tallied 10 strikeouts over eight innings, and the offense racked up 11 hits in the victory.
Szefc said Shawaryn’s outing led Maryland’s resurrection, stating teams build off their starting pitching. On offense, Papio said the team made adjustments between Friday and Saturday to help push them to the series win.
“Friday, we were getting a little impatient and trying to get the ball way out in front of the plate,” Papio said. “The biggest thing is our attitude and mindset coming into the game. We came in ready to attack from all sides of the ball these past two games. That’s what the difference was.”
Sunday, the Terps continued their momentum at the plate in an 11-3 win. The offense went 7-for-14 with runners on base.
Freshman right-hander Hunter Parsons made his first-career weekend start as coach John Szefc sat right-hander Taylor Bloom, a usual weekend starter, because of a hamstring injury. Szefc said Bloom’s hamstring was at 70 percent, but he wouldn’t start a pitcher unless he’s at least 90 percent.
The Terps had success without Bloom, as Parsons, who won Big Ten Freshman of the Week after his previous start April 6, allowed only two runs in six innings.
And when the Terps put up five runs in the third inning, Parsons said he felt more relaxed the rest of the contest.
“[Saturday] night I was a little nervous just laying down in bed thinking about it,” Parsons said. “But when I got to the field, I realized it’s just another start. It’s basically me against myself. Do what I can do and everything else happens for a reason.”
Earlier this season, the Terps struggled at times to drive in baserunners. Papio said some players got nervous in those situations and didn’t want to be put in those pressure spots.
Papio said his teammates have since changed their mindset, though. Now. they yearn for the opportunity to drive in runners when they’re in scoring position.
That shift helped the Terps rebound after a result Friday that Szefc called one of their worst losses on the year.
“I don’t think our postseason will depend on what happened on Friday,” Szefc said. “We’re only halfway through the Big Ten season. If we do what we’re supposed to do down the stretch, we’ll be fine.”
