Pitcher Sami Main started just three games for Maryland softball in her entire junior season.

Now, only two weekends into her final year in College Park, Main has already matched that number. And on Saturday, she nearly pitched a no-hitter against Louisiana-Monroe at the Houston Classic.

The senior from Frederick saw limited action as part of the Terps’ pitching staff before this season. As a freshman, she appeared in eight games as a pitcher and tallied five strikeouts; as a sophomore, she only pitched five innings.

But in the Terps’ season opener against Murray State, Main was given the starting nod, and she figures to be a go-to option in the circle during Maryland’s 2019 campaign.

“It’s time for my work to pay off and [to] take advantage of the opportunity that’s been given,” Main said. “Honestly, it hasn’t been too hard of an adjustment, but it’s great to be able to get out on the field and know that the girls have my back behind me and just do whatever it takes to get us a win.”

[Read more: Maryland softball shuts out Louisiana-Monroe, falls to Houston in Houston Classic]

While she allowed three runs in three innings against the Racers — an eventual 6-3 win for the Terps — Main bounced back in a big way Saturday.

Everything was working for Maryland against UL-Monroe, especially Main on the mound. She shut out the Warhawks, allowing only one hit in five innings en route to a dominating 8-0 run-rule win over UL-Monroe.

“She’s been attacking the zone way better, and she’s doing a good job at using all of her pitches and setting hitters up,” coach Julie Wright said. “I’ve been really impressed with her attention to detail and how she’s been playing the game.”

[Read more: Maryland softball closes Houston Classic tournament with 6-3 win over Nevada]

Main also pitched in the Terps’ final game of the weekend, a 6-3 win over Nevada, and gave up one run in two innings.

Main attributes much of her improvement this season to the squad’s new pitching coach, Tori Finucane, a Maryland native who played softball at Missouri and Minnesota. She also worked as the assistant softball director at Starters Sports Training in Shakopee, Minnesota.

“She’s been helping me get back into the swing of things, into my groove and get my confidence back up,” Main said. “Her just giving me the opportunity to come back in and putting trust in me was great.”

Aside from pitching, Main has also embraced her role as one of the three seniors on the team and hopes to guide the new transfers and freshmen while doing everything she can to get a win.

Infielder Taylor Okada, one of the team’s seven freshmen, said Main was one of the hardest-working and nicest people she knows.

“For her to get the opportunity and have the result that she got [against UL-Monroe] is so amazing,” Okada said. “She definitely deserves it.”

Main was named to the Academic All-Big Ten list her sophomore and junior seasons — one of the many reasons Wright believes Main serves as a role model for her young Maryland team.

“Sami Main is the kind of kid that does everything really well,” Wright said. “She’s an awesome example to our newcomers and our freshman on how you need to be to have success at this level on the field and at the university in general.”