Right-hander Brian Shaffer was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, while left-hander Tyler Blohm was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, the conference announced Tuesday morning.
Shaffer replaced right-hander Mike Shawaryn as coach John Szefc’s Friday starter this season, pitching to a 1.67 ERA over 97 innings. He set a career mark with 98 strikeouts, tossed complete games in two of his 14 starts and has held opposing hitters to a .206 average.
Most recently, he pitched eight innings and allowed two runs in Maryland’s 2-1 loss to High Point on Thursday. The Pylesville native is expected to take the mound Wednesday night when the No. 4 seed Terps face No. 5 seed Iowa in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.
Coach John Szefc said about 15 major league scouts attended Shaffer’s last start in College Park, an indication he could be selected in June’s 2017 MLB Draft.
While Shaffer anchored Maryland’s pitching staff, Blohm emerged as a consistent Sunday starter before shifting to the Saturday spot. In 14 regular season starts, he pitched to a 3.46 ERA over 67.2 innings.
The Baltimore Orioles drafted Blohm in the 17th round of the 2016 MLB Draft. However, he chose to attend Maryland instead, going 8-6 this year while holding opposing hitters to a .228 average. He would be a primary candidate to start the Terps’ second conference tournament game.
