Welcome to The Diamondback Sports Digest. Every week, we send you a rundown of the latest Maryland athletics news.
Maryland hired former Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams on Tuesday, two days after Kevin Willard left College Park to take the helm at Villanova. A mass exodus of the Terps’ roster ensued, with Derik Queen declaring for the NBA draft and a majority of other players entering the transfer portal.
In this week’s newsletter, we’ll break down the latest on men’s and women’s basketball and everything else from one of Maryland’s busiest weeks of the year.
Portal season
Williams has brought in three transfers within five days of his official hiring. Former Aggies Pharrel Payne and Solomon Washington followed their coach to Maryland.
The Terps’ other commit, former Indiana guard Myles Rice, is likely to start at point guard. He had a somewhat disappointing season for the Hoosiers after transferring from Washington State, where he earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and first team honors.
Coach Brenda Frese’s team has had far less movement, but the lone addition was a big one. 6-foot-6 Penn State transfer Gracie Merkle committed to Maryland after leading the Nittany Lions (10-19, 1-17 Big Ten) in points and rebounds per game.
Last year, guard Kaylene Smikle similarly transferred to the Terps from a last-place Rutgers squad and led the Terps in scoring in the recent season. They’ll hope Merkle is another major difference-maker and the solution to their occasional struggles against opposing bigs.
For all the details and future updates, check out our men’s and women’s basketball transfer portal trackers.
Six weeks saved Bri Godfrey
Godfrey had a dismal end to last season in the circle for Maryland softball, and things didn’t get any better in the fall season. By the winter, coach Lauren Karn and the pitcher knew major changes were needed.
Godfrey said she was a mess and didn’t feel like herself. She was in tears during her first pitching training back in Florida. She fully rebuilt her pitching motion over the next six weeks, and rewards have been reaped.
The sophomore’s ERA is more than a full run lower than last year as she’s turned into Maryland’s go-to arm.
Men’s lacrosse’s unranked loss
Just a few weeks ago coach John Tillman’s squad was undefeated with three top-five wins and the No. 1 team in the country. But No. 2 Maryland lost to unranked Rutgers on Saturday, 8-6, its second defeat in three games.
The Terps endured their worst offensive outing of the season, suffering three scoring droughts of more than 15 minutes. They trailed for the final 47 minutes and 49 seconds. Graduate student goalkeeper Logan McNaney tallied more goals allowed than saves in both of their two recent losses, something he hasn’t done in any wins.
Maryland travels to No. 3 Ohio State next weekend.
Best Bits
- After Maryland baseball lost to UMBC on Tuesday, coach Matt Swope said they “hit rock bottom.” Since then, the Terps have lost three games by a combined 26 runs.
- Despite a season-high score, Maryland gymnastics’ year ended at the NCAA regional semifinals.
- Maryland women’s lacrosse freshman Shelby Sullivan wasn’t highly recruited, but has made an immediate impact on the Terps’ scoring and draw controls.
- Recruiting versatile short-stick defensive midfielders has let Tillman find sustained success.
- Maryland softball imploded in game one of its series with Indiana, allowing 15 runs in the fourth inning en route to a 20-10 loss.
Stat of the week
Williams has won at least 100 games at Marquette, Virginia Tech and Texas A&M. If he reaches that mark at Maryland, he’d be just the third head coach to win triple-digit games at four schools, joining Steve Alford and former Maryland coach Lefty Driesell.
Quote of the week
“That doesn’t bother us at all,” University of Maryland president Darryll Pines said about Williams not staying at any school for more than six years. “Wherever he’s been, he’s won. Wherever he’s been, he has demonstrated high, high character, high integrity.”
