To Maryland baseball outfielder Madison Nickens’ amusement, catcher Dan Maynard stole a pair of bases during the Clearwater Tournament last weekend.
Maynard, who started one of the three games but received consistent playing time, “isn’t even that fast,” Nickens said. Yet with his two weekend steals, Maynard doubled his stolen bases total from last season.
Though Maynard might not be a traditional stolen-base threat, his success is the result of Maryland’s new aggressive outlook. The Terps stole eight bases over three games in Clearwater, Florida. It took Maryland 20 games to reach that mark in 2016.
“We’ve learned to be aggressive and take advantage of other people’s mistakes,” Nickens said. “It’s going to pay off. It’s going to be a big factor in games.”
Last season, Nickens would speak with Anthony Papio, then a starting outfielder for the Terps, about the possibility of stealing bases more often. Despite the conversations, it never ended up happening, Nickens said.
But when Papio joined Maryland’s coaching staff as a student assistant coach in August after a five-year stint on the roster, that changed. Papio told associate head coach Rob Vaughn the Terps needed to be more active when runners get on base, and Vaughn agreed. For a team that stole 28 bases but allowed 59 to its opponents, it became a focal point throughout fall practices.
“We gave our pitchers hell the whole fall running on them and what not,” Nickens said. “The more aggressive you get, it makes the game spin on the other team.”
Despite the team’s new mentality, coach John Szefc said Maryland’s success stealing bases in future series will depend on the team’s preparation. The Terps plan to scout opponents’ strategies when runners take sizable leads.
As the Terps prepare to face LSU in a three-game series this weekend, though, their strategy is unlikely to change. The Tigers allowed about 68 percent of runners to steal successfully in 2016.
“Different programs put a different stress on it and these guys this weekend really allowed us to run a bit and be aggressive and so we did,” Szefc said. “It’s pretty much bringing preparation into the game.”
The Terps’ emphasis on stealing throughout the fall also benefited the starting pitching staff’s attention to runners on base, Nickens said. Ball State, Louisville and Alabama State together attempted to steal only three bases — two were successful — against the Terps. Maryland, meanwhile, ended the weekend 8-for-11.
“They’ve had to learn the tough way that you have to hold runners on,” Nickens said. “During the fall, we kind of did make it spin on them a few times. They held their own. There were times in the fall where us running really kind of got to them. They’re putting a large focus on not letting other teams do the same.”
In Maryland’s first win of the season over the Hornets on Sunday, first baseman Brandon Gum, who is still recovering from a torn rotator cuff, stole two bases. It proved to be the latest example of the approach Papio wants Maryland’s hitters to take.
“It’s obviously unfortunate we went 1-2 [over the weekend],” Maynard said Sunday, “but there are a lot of good things we can take away.”
