Maryland at Virginia, Noon Saturday, Noon Sunday, 4 p.m. Monday (if necessary)
All games on ESPN2
Note: Vote in my poll on the right side of the page. How far do you think the Virginia baseball team is going to go in the NCAA tournament?
It's the rivalry that won't die: Virginia vs. Maryland. First, the basketball team split its regular-season series with the Terrapins. I didn't necessarily think there would never be another Virginia-Maryland basketball game after that, but thought it would be a few years at least before the two rivals clashed again. Not so. It was recently announced that the 'Hoos and Terps would match up on the basketball court again next year in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge as Maryland transitions to its new conference.
The baseball teams didn't play in the regular season and I found that interesting since it would probably be the last time in awhile the two teams would play each other. Of course, this was just because of the way the ACC schedule rotated. But the Cavs ended up getting into the same pool with Maryland at the ACC tournament and playing the Terrapins anyway. Maryland launched four home runs and beat Virginia, 7-6. Then the NCAA tournament regionals were announced and sure enough, the Terps were placed in the Columbia Regional. The winner of that regional was set to face the winner of the Charlottesville Regional in the super regionals. Surely, Maryland would not make it through the regional. A solid South Carolina team that was dominant at home would make it through. But it wasn't to be so.
Maryland doesn't even have 40 wins yet but is an extremely hot baseball team. It has won 14 of 16 games, with its two losses coming to UNC in the ACC tournament and to Georgia Tech in the championship game. The Terrapins are in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1971, and it has never been in a super regional. Maryland blitzed through the Columbia Regional last weekend. It took a miracle ninth inning to down Old Dominion, 4-3, in Maryland's first game but then the Terrapins did something that hadn't been done in a long time. It beat South Carolina, 4-3, in the playoffs at the Gamecocks' home field. South
Carolina had won 28 straight home playoff games, an amazing streak when you think about it, given the fact that teams don't play that many games in regionals and super regionals when they host. South Carolina had not lost in the NCAA tournament at home since 2002. That was before any Wahoo fan had even heard of Brian O'Connor (Virginia's skipper came aboard in 2004). After South Carolina won an elimination game, Maryland faced the Gamecocks again and this time, showed no mercy, winning 10-1. So this is a very dangerous ballclub the Wahoos are facing.
Let's take a closer look at the Terrapins:
Seed: No. 2 in the Columbia, S.C., Regional
Record: 39-21, 15-14 in ACC; went 2-2 in ACC tournament
Last 10 games: 8-2
Team batting average: .271
Batting average leaders: Brandon Lowe (.339), Blake Schmit (.313), and Charlie White (.284)
RBI leaders: Jose Cuas (42), Lowe (39), and Schmit and White (28)
HR leaders: Cuas (5), Kevin Martir (4), and Anthony Papio, LaMonte Wade, and White (2)
SB leaders: White (24), Schmit (16), and Lowe (8)
Team ERA: 3.36
Opponents' batting average: .232
Expected starting rotation: Jake Stinnett (7-6, 2.65), Mike Shawaryn (11-3, 2.81), and Jake Drossner (4-1, 2.45)
Notes: Wade has two just two home runs on the year and they were both hit against Virginia in the ACC tournament. The other home runs hit against UVa came from White and Martir. Artie Lewicki was pitching in that game for the Cavaliers. It'll be Nathan Kirby on the mound for the Wahoos this time around. He pitched a one-hitter over eight innings against Arkansas last weekend. Virginia did face Stinnett in the ACC tournament game. He went eight innings and gave up 10 hits, but just three earned runs (four overall) while striking out 10. Fisher hit a home run off him and Nick Howard was 4 for 4 on the day. It will be interesting, then, to see if O'Connor uses Howard in a hitting role at all. Howard is UVa's stud closer and did not hit any in the regional. Maryland hit nearly .300 last week at South Carolina and Martir is its hottest batter, hitting .400 over his last 16 games.
All games on ESPN2
Note: Vote in my poll on the right side of the page. How far do you think the Virginia baseball team is going to go in the NCAA tournament?
It's the rivalry that won't die: Virginia vs. Maryland. First, the basketball team split its regular-season series with the Terrapins. I didn't necessarily think there would never be another Virginia-Maryland basketball game after that, but thought it would be a few years at least before the two rivals clashed again. Not so. It was recently announced that the 'Hoos and Terps would match up on the basketball court again next year in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge as Maryland transitions to its new conference.
The baseball teams didn't play in the regular season and I found that interesting since it would probably be the last time in awhile the two teams would play each other. Of course, this was just because of the way the ACC schedule rotated. But the Cavs ended up getting into the same pool with Maryland at the ACC tournament and playing the Terrapins anyway. Maryland launched four home runs and beat Virginia, 7-6. Then the NCAA tournament regionals were announced and sure enough, the Terps were placed in the Columbia Regional. The winner of that regional was set to face the winner of the Charlottesville Regional in the super regionals. Surely, Maryland would not make it through the regional. A solid South Carolina team that was dominant at home would make it through. But it wasn't to be so.
Maryland doesn't even have 40 wins yet but is an extremely hot baseball team. It has won 14 of 16 games, with its two losses coming to UNC in the ACC tournament and to Georgia Tech in the championship game. The Terrapins are in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1971, and it has never been in a super regional. Maryland blitzed through the Columbia Regional last weekend. It took a miracle ninth inning to down Old Dominion, 4-3, in Maryland's first game but then the Terrapins did something that hadn't been done in a long time. It beat South Carolina, 4-3, in the playoffs at the Gamecocks' home field. South
Let's take a closer look at the Terrapins:
Seed: No. 2 in the Columbia, S.C., Regional
Record: 39-21, 15-14 in ACC; went 2-2 in ACC tournament
Last 10 games: 8-2
Team batting average: .271
Batting average leaders: Brandon Lowe (.339), Blake Schmit (.313), and Charlie White (.284)
RBI leaders: Jose Cuas (42), Lowe (39), and Schmit and White (28)
HR leaders: Cuas (5), Kevin Martir (4), and Anthony Papio, LaMonte Wade, and White (2)
SB leaders: White (24), Schmit (16), and Lowe (8)
Team ERA: 3.36
Opponents' batting average: .232
Expected starting rotation: Jake Stinnett (7-6, 2.65), Mike Shawaryn (11-3, 2.81), and Jake Drossner (4-1, 2.45)
Notes: Wade has two just two home runs on the year and they were both hit against Virginia in the ACC tournament. The other home runs hit against UVa came from White and Martir. Artie Lewicki was pitching in that game for the Cavaliers. It'll be Nathan Kirby on the mound for the Wahoos this time around. He pitched a one-hitter over eight innings against Arkansas last weekend. Virginia did face Stinnett in the ACC tournament game. He went eight innings and gave up 10 hits, but just three earned runs (four overall) while striking out 10. Fisher hit a home run off him and Nick Howard was 4 for 4 on the day. It will be interesting, then, to see if O'Connor uses Howard in a hitting role at all. Howard is UVa's stud closer and did not hit any in the regional. Maryland hit nearly .300 last week at South Carolina and Martir is its hottest batter, hitting .400 over his last 16 games.
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