For sophomore Sarah Lang, last Saturday was meaningful. It was not only her birthday, but it was also her first collegiate start. She cracked the lineup as the team’s designated hitter in the Terrapins softball team’s win against UNLV.

Lang would go on to play against Long Beach State in the latter part of the Terps doubleheader. She finished the day 4-for-7, drawing two walks and notching an RBI.

“The kid works so hard,” Kaitlyn Schmeiser said. “The biggest thing about her is that any chance she gets, any at-bat that she gets, she puts it all out there and she always produces for us.”

This weekend, Lang and the Terps will travel to her home city of Orlando, Florida, for the ESPN Citrus Classic.

The Terps will battle four teams that made the NCAA tournament last season: Fordham, Mississippi State, James Madison and Missouri. They’ll also face Lehigh, which is playing its first games of the season this weekend.

Head coach Courtney Scott Deifel believes this weekend will be a significant test for the team.

“Going into last weekend, I said, ‘OK, this will be our biggest challenge, and I really liked what we did in this past weekend, but next weekend will be an even bigger challenge,’” Scott Deifel said.

Last weekend, the team managed to win four out of five games, improving to 10-5 on the season. The team’s next win will match its win total from last season.

This season’s improvements have boosted the team’s confidence.

“I know for a fact next weekend we’re going to put up some great numbers not only pitching but also offensively,” infielder Mandy Gardner said after the Mary Nutter Classic in California.

The Terps have outscored their opponents 76-53 this season.

The team has also been successful when games have gone to extra innings, posting a 3-0 record in such games.

“The good thing is in our losses, no one’s flat out beating us,” Scott Deifel said.

The Terps’ weekend in Lang’s hometown will start when they face off with the Rams in the early part of a doubleheader at 11 a.m. on Friday.

“Our girls are competing and they’re fighting,” Scott Deifel said. “Ultimately, we just got to keep that going.”