It’s been over a week since the Terrapins softball team last took the field.
Thanks to a washed-out series and a three-game losing streak, the Terps are chomping at the bit to play again.
“We got reorganized and ready to go out and compete,” coach Laura Watten said. “We’re ready.”
The Terps (18-11) are at a crossroads of sorts heading into this weekend’s three-game series with Virginia Tech (24-12). They are well above .500, but are in seventh place in the highly competitive ACC.
And the Hokies are certainly no pushover for a Terps team looking to rediscover its winning ways.
“They’ve been playing well, and they’ve learned how to win,” Watten said. “It’s going to be an interesting matchup.”
The Terps were 16-6 just two weeks ago when they headed south for the USF Invite. But their trip to Florida didn’t go according to plan as they finished the tournament 2-5, plating just six runs in the five losses.
“We kind of got away from who we really were,” Watten said.
It’s been an up-and-down season for the Terps, who beat two ranked teams early in the year before falling flat against No. 2 Alabama. They then bounced back with a five-game sweep at the Maryland Round Robin before their lackluster Florida roadtrip.
“We haven’t peaked yet, and that’s a good thing,” Watten said. “I think there’s a lot of teams out there that have peaked, and they’re going to have a hard time staying with it.”
This weekend’s series would be a good place to begin the ascent. The Terps are the only ACC team yet to begin conference play, thanks to last weekend’s washout in Chapel Hill, N.C. To make good on their ACC title aspirations, they could use a strong showing against a tough Hokies squad.
“We can compete at the top of the ACC for the season,” Watten said. “So that’s what our goal is, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
benscher@umdbk.com
