With the bases loaded in the second inning of game two of the Maryland baseball team’s doubleheader against Michigan State on Sunday, center fielder Zach Jancarski roped a two-out single over the shortstop’s head. The hit scored a pair of runs and put the Terps up, 3-0.
With right-hander Taylor Bloom cruising on the mound, the knock provided the winning runs, helping the Terps complete a sweep of the Spartans. Jancarski recorded multiple hits in both doubleheader games and went 6-for-13 with three RBIs over the three-game series.
Jancarski has hit safely in 14 straight contests and has been an important part of the Terps’ current seven-game win streak. Still, he claims he hasn’t altered his plate approach to spark his recent success.
“Fourteen straight games, that’s great, and I’m glad it’s happening because we’re winning. But as far as my approach goes, I don’t have a different approach just because of that,” Jancarski said. “It’s just been the same approach and it’s just been working well pretty often right now.”
Jancarski added that he tries to pick out good pitches, hit the ball hard and serve as a “sparkplug” for the offense.
Coach John Szefc, meanwhile, said Jancarski’s strengths are working the count and keeping a tight strike zone. Plus, the coach credited the outfielder for delivering strong at-bats in crucial moments.
“It’s really nothing out of the ordinary from what he normally does,” Szefc said. “He’s just one of our valuable guys. He gives you tough at-bats each time out and that’s kind of what Zach is. He just gets better and better as the season goes on.”
As the team’s leadoff hitter, Jancarski opened games one and two with singles. But while he views himself as an energizer for the rest of the lineup, he attributed his recent success to the work of his teammates behind him because other players consistently drive him in once he reaches the base. The Terps have outscored their opponents 51-11 during their winning streak, exemplifying the jolt that Jancarski has given the team from the top of the lineup.
“I know that when I get on base, good things are going to happen as far as leading off a game because I know I’ve got such good players behind me,” Jancarski said. “As far as the … RBIs go with the energy and stuff like that, the guys feed off that a lot.”
Moving forward, Jancarski isn’t worried about keeping his hitting streak alive. Instead, he’s concerned with maintaining his style at the plate and winning games.
“I don’t try and think about that too often because that’s when the baseball gods kind of get you back,” Jancarski said. “As far as that goes I’ve just been kind of keeping the same approach and good stuff has happened.”
