Maryland baseball right-hander Ryan Hill had multiple roles during his two seasons at Grayson College, so when coach John Szefc used a bullpen-by-committee approach in the Terps’ two contests against UNC Wilmington, Hill was prepared.
Though right-hander Mike Rescigno and left-hander Tayler Stiles started, Hill made an appearance in both. After Stiles struggled, Szefc called upon Hill, who tossed 3.1 scoreless innings and earned the second win of his career.
After transferring to Maryland in the offseason, Hill has emerged as a consistent long relief option, joining left-hander Andrew Miller and right-handers Ryan Selmer and Jared Price as Terps relievers who hold ERAs below four. Szefc expects Hill to continue bolstering the team’s bullpen in Maryland’s second Big Ten series against Rutgers this weekend.
“You have to pay attention to what’s going on, knowing what batters are coming up and what they’ve done throughout the game,” Hill said, “so by the time I get in, I already feel like I’ve been pitching throughout the game. I feel like I’ve faced them two or three times.”
If the way Szefc used Hill early in the season was any indication, the coach expected Hill to be among Maryland’s setup options late in games. He was called upon in the sixth inning of the Terps’ season-opening loss to Ball State, allowing two runs.
But he followed a 0.1 inning outing against LSU in the series opener the following weekend with a scoreless sixth in the finale of the three-game set with the Tigers. He earned his first career win after not allowing a hit or run over 1.1 innings against Notre Dame during the USA Baseball-Irish Classic.
In 11 relief appearances, Hill has notched a 3.57 ERA and is holding opposing hitters to a .188 average, the second-lowest among Maryland relievers who have pitched at least 10 innings out of the bullpen.
“The hitters are more picky,” Hill said of the difference between the hitters he’s faced this season and those he faced with Grayson. “They’re smarter knowing the strike zone. You have to be more precise with your pitches … No matter the time of the game, you have to give your best.”
While Hill’s success has impressed Szefc, Miller and Selmer have also developed into back-end bullpen options for the Terps. Miller’s success — he’s pitched a 1.46 ERA over 12.1 innings — is notable given his 11.57 ERA last season. Like Miller, Selmer has three saves and holds a 1.98 ERA over 13.2 innings this season.
Though the trio has been effective, Szefc has yet to assign bullpen roles.
“Always coming to the ballpark with the mindset you’re going to go in,” Miller said. “You never know when your number is going to be called. Be prepared to come into the game and throw strikes.”
As the Terps (15-8, 2-1 Big Ten) prepare to face the Scarlet Knights (10-14), who have lost five of their last nine games, Szefc said he will continue to use the relievers he feels will perform best based on the opponents’ hitters. But now, he has four consistent relievers to turn to, including Hill after his impressive performances last week.
“It’s not like we see one guy dominant over the other,” Szefc said. “Always looking ahead at the guys two and three down the road.”
