As the Maryland baseball team held one of its final preseason practices, first baseman Brandon Gum increased his lead off first base with left-hander Andrew Miller on the mound.
Gum took off for second on Miller’s second pitch, and when he later arrived at third base, associate head coach Rob Vaughn asked the transfer from George Mason about his read.
Gum noticed once Miller “sinks down into his hips deeper, he can’t throw over to first base from that position,” coach John Szefc said, so the redshirt senior didn’t hesitate.
The sequence revealed Gum’s innate instincts and awareness, Szefc said, and earned him a spot as the team’s cleanup hitter in the final two of three opening-weekend games.
“When a guy says something like that, you’re saying this guy is maybe seeing some things that aren’t right at the tip of your tongue coaching points,” Szefc said. “Seasoned first base coaches pick stuff up like that, usually not college baseball players. And that’s not a knock on college baseball players, it’s a compliment to him.”
Gum, who hit over .300 in his sophomore and junior seasons with George Mason, is still recovering from a torn rotator cuff. That kept him from the starting lineup in Friday’s opener against Ball State. Then, the pinch hit for first baseman Kevin Biondic in the loss but struck out in his lone plate appearance.
However, Gum’s preseason performance led Szefc to slot him fourth for the weekend’s other two contests against No. 12 Louisville and Alabama State. He was surprised when he saw his name at cleanup, the first time he’s hit from the spot since high school.
“It’s important to have a guy with such experience in our lineup,” catcher Danny Maynard said. “He can obviously hit. To just have another guy who has been around college baseball for as long as he has helps any program.”
[Read more: Freshman pitcher Tyler Blohm’s debut gave Maryland baseball its first win of the year]
Despite not being completely healthy, Gum embraced his two starts at first base after playing shortstop throughout his George Mason career. He also adjusted to the competition, which he described as a “step up” from the teams he faced with the Patriots.
Gum went 2-for-3 with an RBI against Louisville. He also walked with two outs to extend the fourth inning, when the Terps scored twice to cut their deficit to 5-4.
And Gum’s success continued in Maryland’s 9-7 win over Alabama State on Sunday. A fourth inning double — one of his two hits against the Hornets — added to Maryland’s six-run outburst.
“To be able to contribute is big,” Gum said. “I’d like to be fully healthy, but I’ll take it however I can do it … I was taking what was given to me. I was a little surprised to see my name [in the cleanup spot], but I’m going to have the same approach no matter where I am.”
Though Gum’s playing time at third base might be limited with current starter AJ Lee’s offensive potential, he could compete with Biondic for additional at-bats as he regains his health.
Szefc anticipates Gum will “be in the middle of a lot of games” because of the attention to detail he displayed throughout the preseason and this weekend.
“He can do and say things to you that other players can’t based on how he reads arms and how he reads pitches coming out of guys’ hands,” Szefc said. “He sees things sometimes coaches see. We’re really fortunate to have him. Good offensive player, probably one of our best baserunners.”
