After Maryland baseball third baseman AJ Lee struck out in his first at-bat Sunday and made an error that contributed to a prolonged third inning, coach John Szefc had seen enough.
Lee started at third in Maryland’s three games against the No. 4 LSU, but he failed to field a fly ball to open the third and then made an error that allowed Tigers’ designated hitter Rankin Woley to reach base with two outs. The sophomore had also committed three errors in the Terps’ season-opening tournament.
That’s why Szefc decided to play junior Kevin Biondic at third base for the remainder of the 9-5 defeat.
“Honestly, I love AJ to death, but he’s struggling defensively and it was time to make a change and so we did,” Szefc said. “You don’t give up on a guy six games into a season. The bottom line is our guys know they have to take care of their business and perform if they’re going to play.”
Transfer Brandon Gum opened the season as a backup option at third base, but the redshirt senior is still recovering from a torn rotator cuff and isn’t yet ready to throw across the field, Szefc said. As a result, Biondic, who made his only start of the season at first base against Ball State on Feb. 17, replaced Lee.
Biondic responded by drawing a pair of walks and opening the seventh with a single. He scored Maryland’s fourth run and didn’t commit a fielding error.
“It takes a lot being the guy coming off the bench because you have to have that focus and with that focus comes a lot of pressure not having a lot of at-bats in the game,” right fielder Marty Costes said. “I really respect him for that … He has a really tough persona.”
Entering mid-game is a new concept for Biondic, who started 56 of Maryland’s 57 games last season. His .278 average was second among the Terps’ regular starters.
Center fielder Zach Jancarski said Maryland’s coaching staff has emphasized production off the bench. When catcher Justin Morris struggled during the Clearwater Tournament, catcher Dan Maynard capitalized on the increase in playing time. Biondic did the same against LSU.
“What our coaches have been preaching is that sometimes it’s hard when you’re not in the lineup every single day,” Jancarski said. “I’ve been that guy before. It definitely is tough. I thought he did a tremendous job in playing defense, and then he had three really good at-bats for us in pretty crucial times in that game.”
Though Szefc said he’s still committed to Lee at third base, he admitted Biondic might receive more opportunities until Gum is healthy enough to play third as Maryland prepares for its home opener against James Madison on Wednesday.
“Kevin played it in high school and we needed another guy to play third until Gum is ready,” Szefc said. “It just wasn’t happening over there, so we made a change.”
