In the fourth inning of the Maryland baseball team’s 4-0 win over Bryant on Sunday, Bulldogs left-hander Vito Morgese almost caught Terps third baseman AJ Lee stealing. As Morgese lifted his leg, Lee took off for second.
But Morgese threw to first baseman Chris Wright, whose subsequent throw to second base arrived shortly after Lee did. It was Maryland’s third stolen base of the afternoon and sixth of the day in the Terps’ doubleheader.
Lee’s steal was Maryland’s 30th of the season, one more than its total from 2016. Coach John Szefc’s team ended Sunday with 10 steals, putting its total at 33 entering Tuesday night’s matchup against No. 11 North Carolina.
“It’s something we work on every day as far as our starts from first and stealing third,” center fielder Zach Jancarski, who leads the Terps with six steals, said. “As far as stealing third base, you don’t really need to be a burner to do that so we really emphasize that … I think you’ll look at guys at the end of the year who have more stolen bases than you think they’ll have because they have a feel over there.”
[Read more: Maryland baseball sweeps Bryant series behind doubleheader wins Sunday]
The Terps surpassed one stolen base milestone before this weekend, stealing eight bases during their first series of the season. It took Maryland 20 games to reach that mark last year.
Szefc credits assistant coach Anthony Papio, a former Terps outfielder, with increasing the team’s productivity on the basepaths in his first season on the coaching staff. Papio has a distinct ability to read pitchers, studying pickoff moves and strategies opponents use to prevent runners from taking large secondary leads, Szefc said.
The Terps stole a base in all but one inning in which they scored Sunday, and Jancarski’s aggression helped Maryland score first in both games of the doubleheader. In Maryland’s 9-2 Game 1 win, he walked and stole second base before scoring in the bottom of the first. He did the same in game two, stealing third base and scoring to give Maryland an early advantage.
“[The early scoring that stems from aggressive baserunning] gives you a great sense of confidence as a pitcher knowing your team has your back behind you,” said left-hander Tyler Blohm, who tossed six scoreless innings in Game 2.
A handful of non-traditional basestealing threats also contributed to Maryland’s weekend production. First baseman Brandon Gum, slotted in the cleanup spot Sunday, stole three bases between the two games. Designated hitter Nick Cieri also stole a base in the frame, and catcher Dan Maynard is 2-for-3 on stolen base attempts this season.
Szefc said the Terps’ success was notable because all three of Bryant’s starters were left-handed. Nonetheless, instead of getting runners in scoring position by bunting, the Terps have a new method that doesn’t require them to sacrifice an out.
“It’s something we constantly work on,” Szefc, who won his 150th game at Maryland on Sunday, said. “It’s as blatant as anyone could imagine as far as the difference.”
As the Terps prepare to face their fourth ranked road opponent, their aggression will likely remain the same. It’s helped the lineup score at least four times in each of Maryland’s nine wins this season.
“We’re going to have guys that [opponents] probably won’t think are going to steal, and they’re going to take bags too,” Jancarski said. “It’s a nightmare for opposing teams. We play with our hair on fire. That’s the way it is, and it’s awesome.”
