In the fourth inning of the Terrapins baseball team’s game with Liberty on Tuesday, catcher Dan Maynard hit a ball foul toward the Terps’ dugout. Flames third baseman Josh Barrick almost caught the ball for the frame’s final out, but as the ball was falling into his glove, he ran into the fence and lost control.
So with two runners on base, Maynard got another shot.
He took advantage this time, hitting a two-RBI double to cut the Terps’ deficit to one.
Just as he did in that at-bat, Maynard capitalized on his second start of the year against the Flames, going 2-for-3 at the plate. And when the Terps (10-10) begin Big Ten play at Iowa (7-11) this weekend, Maynard will look to continue making a difference in any role coach John Szefc places him in.
“I’m always just ready to be in the lineup, whether I know I’m going to be in the lineup, which [Tuesday] I did, or whether I don’t,” Maynard said. “Coaches are always stressing, ‘Be ready. You never know; you never know.’ It’s one of the more important things they stress to us. You just got to be ready when they call your number.”
Despite recording just 11 at-bats in five appearances, the freshman holds the best batting average on the team (.545) through the Terps’ first 20 games. But it took time for Maynard to prove himself.
Sophomore catcher Justin Morris earned the starting job, while junior Nick Cieri, a usual starter at designated hitter, has also made appearances behind the plate. The pair has experience, combining for 220 at-bats while playing behind Kevin Martir last season.
Maynard received his first at-bat as a pinch hitter Feb. 27 and came through with a hit. When he received another chance at the plate six games later against Delaware on March 8, he almost rallied a Terps comeback.
With the team down by four runs in the ninth inning, Maynard hit a two-out pinch-hit RBI double to drive in two runs. Though the Terps lost the contest, Szefc said he was impressed with Maynard’s poise.
So while Szefc was tinkering with the lineups in midweek games to see which players would step up, Maynard earned the start at catcher the following day against George Washington.
“We’re just trying to bring him along gradually,” Szefc said. “It’s hard to find catchers who can hit. He’s definitely one of those guys. He just needs to be patient and keep playing well when he gets an opportunity.”
Tuesday, he also impacted the game defensively, throwing out right fielder Will Shepherd at second to end the sixth inning. The offense took the lead in the bottom of the frame in the Terps’ eventual 10-9 win.
“There were little troubles between pitchers and just seeing things because the lights here got a little dark,” right-hander Andrew Green said. “That was really big of him to step up.”
Maynard said he was a usual in the lineup every year in high school, so he wasn’t familiar with playing behind others.
So far, though, Maynard has proven he fits into the Terps’ lineup this year, and Szefc said the 5-foot-10, 195-pound catcher will be a crucial piece for the Terps down the road.
“I am seeing the ball well even though I’m not in the lineup every day, which I’m just as surprised as you guys are,” Maynard said. “I’m just locked into the plan that we have as a group. When we execute it well, we put up a lot of runs. You always have to be ready to go.”
