Inhale. Exhale.
Before almost every pitch, Maryland baseball right-hander Mike Shawaryn takes a deep breath. It allows him to relax.
In his start Saturday against Purdue, he used each deep breath to focus on the moment, staying confident despite his struggles this season.
Shawaryn entered the contest with the worst ERA out of the three weekend starters. He was moved back in the rotation on April 8 after starting Friday games the past two seasons. So the junior had focused on improving every day, an approach that paid off Saturday.
Against the Boilermakers, Shawaryn threw eight scoreless innings to lead the Terps to a 6-0 win at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium. Maryland’s victory evens the series and positions the squads for a rubber match Sunday.
The Carneys Point, New Jersey, native struck out 10 and walked one. Shawaryn is two strikeouts away from tying the program’s strikeouts record.
“Everyday I come out with the game plan that I’m going to get a little better,” Shawaryn said. “Sometimes you get into the game and you may kind of nibble at the strike zone. Once you understand that you’re doing that, you just step off, take a deep breath, clear your mind and go back out with an attacking mindset.”
Maryland and Purdue entered Saturday in a three-way tie for the worst batting average in the Big Ten (.256). Friday, the Boilermakers (7-29, 2-12 Big Ten) recorded 11 hits as they defeated the Terps, 7-1, while Maryland went 2-for-12 at the plate with runners on base.
But Maryland (20-18, 6-5) flipped the script Saturday by stringing hits together. They racked up 11 hits while going 6-for-14 with runners on. The entire lineup reached base.
“The important thing about a team is how good you can rebound after getting beat up,” said designated hitter Madison Nickens, who went 3-for-4 from the plate. “Yesterday, we weren’t happy. We took the positives out and came back today and got the job done.”
Coach John Szefc’s squad got on the board first when left fielder Marty Costes, who leads the team with eight home runs, hit a long shot in the second frame to give Maryland a 1-0 lead.
In the third, the Terps recorded three consecutive two-out singles to bring home Nickens and extend the team’s lead to 2-0. Szefc said that was one of the most crucial moments of the contest as it gave Maryland a cushion going forward.
After the third inning, first baseman Kyle Wood was the lone Purdue player to reach base off Shawaryn. Wood recorded two of Purdue’s four hits in the game. Maryland’s offense, meanwhile, continued to support its starter.
Nickens hit an RBI single in the fifth before second baseman Nick Dunn knocked a sacrifice fly to drive in center fielder Zach Jancarski, who was starting his first game since last Saturday.
And in the eighth, right fielder Anthony Papio hit his second home run of the season, this one a two-run bomb, to extend his team’s lead to 6-0.
“It was a good answer,” Szefc said. “We probably had one of our lowest points in the season yesterday losing on Friday at home in conference play.”
Shawaryn said he struggled to attack the strike zone in previous outings, but he improved Saturday while he executed all three of his pitches. Szefc said Shawaryn looked more comfortable Saturday than he had previously. Taking time to step off the mound and regroup helped him stay poised.
By discussing how to improve his pitches and demeanor with Szefc, associate head coach Jim Belanger and his roommate, catcher Nick Cieri, Shawaryn said he was able to improve his command and confidence.
With simple deep breaths, Shawaryn forgot about his past struggles and focused on one pitch at a time.
“If we’re going to turn the corner, Shawaryn is going to have to be that,” Szefc said. “Your best players need to play their best. You can say that about any sport. That’s the way it is.”
