The Terps look for positive momentum after a tough stretch.
After taking one of three games at Northwestern, Maryland baseball looks forward to a midweek game against Delaware.
This is the second matchup of the year between Maryland and Delaware, but this time the Blue Hens have home-field advantage. In the first matchup, Maryland squeezed by, 3-2.
Tuesday’s game will start at 4 p.m. and stream on FloBaseball.
Delaware Blue Hens (18-16, 6-6 CAA)
2023 record: 30-29, 17-13 CAA
This past weekend, Delaware salvaged the third game of its series with Northeastern. The Blue Hens are 12-11 since playing Maryland the first time around.
Hitters to watch
Bryce Greenly, senior designated hitter, No. 1 — Greenly leads the Blue Hens with a .322 batting average this season. He also has 25 RBIs and five home runs.
Joey Loynd, senior infielder, No. 29 — Loynd leads Delaware with 38 RBIs and nine home runs. He also has a .280 batting average and a .990 OPS.
Eric Ludman, senior infielder, No. 16 — Ludman has a .303 batting average, eight home runs and 22 RBIs on the year.
Pitchers to watch
Nate Rolka, senior right-hander, No. 27 — Rolka has appeared in plenty of midweek games this year, starting the last one against Maryland. He went four innings in that game, giving up seven hits and two earned runs.
Carter Welch, junior left-handed pitcher, No. 12 — Welch has an 0-1 record with a 6.86 ERA in 21 innings this season.
Strength
Walks. Delaware has done well to get on base this year, walking 196 times while only issuing 183 free passes.
Weakness
Strikeouts. The Blue Hens have struck out 332 times this season, an average of nearly 10 strikeouts per game.
Three things to know
1. Van Buren’s effectiveness. Ryan Van Buren has struggled to pitch more than three innings in his last two starts. The Terps would benefit greatly from him staying effective further into the game.
2. Building off Sunday’s momentum. Elijah Lambros robbed a home run to win Sunday’s game, a thrilling and emotional finish. Maryland needs to build off that win and ride it to a hot start Tuesday.
3. Road troubles. Maryland has struggled on the road this season. That was especially true last week when it lost four of five games away from home. The Terps have five consecutive road games after Tuesday and need to reverse their fortunes fast.