The Terps make the West Coast road trip.
While many might be paying attention to Maryland men’s basketball’s visit to Seattle for the NCAA Tournament, Maryland baseball makes the same trip out west to take on Washington.
After another disappointing weekend series loss to USF, the Terps bounced back Tuesday with a 14-7 win over Georgetown.
Friday and Saturday’s contests start late at 10:05 p.m., while Sunday’s matchup comes at 4:05 p.m. All three games will stream on Big Ten Plus.
Washington (9-13, 2-1 Big Ten)
2024 record: 19-34-1, 10-20 Pac-12
Head coach Eddie Smith is in his first season with the Huskies after three successful years at Utah Valley. Smith took over a program that went 10-47 in 2021 before improving it to 34-24 and a program record of 18 wins in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in 2023. He also earned five wins against power conference teams in those three seasons.
Smith leads Washington after a disappointing 2024 season — the Huskies now play their first season in the Big Ten. Washington won its first conference series on the road against Nebraska and now have the chance to win another at home against a Maryland team that has yet to win a series this season.
Hitters to watch
AJ Guerrero, senior outfielder, No. 1 — Guerrero has played his entire college career at Washington and is the Huskies’ best returning hitter after earning an All-Pac-12 honorable mention honors last season. His .311 batting average is second on the team among players with more than 10 games played, and he boasts a .527 slugging percentage.
Braeden Terry, senior outfielder, No. 10 — Terry is in his second season at Washington after two seasons at Everett Community College. In his increased role, Terry has proven his worth, upping his batting average to .309, the third-best mark on the team.
Trevor Kole, graduate infielder, No. 16 — The Florida Gulf Coast transfer has smoothly transitioned to his new team. Kole is fourth on the team with a .287 batting average and first with 15 RBIs.
Pitchers to watch
Reilly McAdams, redshirt senior right-hander, No. 25 — McAdams is likely the Friday starter for the Huskies. He has a 5.48 ERA in 21.1 innings pitched this season and is coming off his best start against Gonzaga, pitching six innings and allowing no earned runs.
Jackson Thomas, senior right-hander, No. 39 — The Utah Valley transfer followed Smith to Washington. Thomas leads the team in innings pitched (22.1) with a 2.42 ERA, allowing just one home run in 82 batters faced.
Will Woodward, redshirt sophomore left-hander, No. 15 — Woodward made his first collegiate appearance this month for the Huskies and has been lights-out in limited action. Woodward has a 0.00 ERA in six innings pitched, allowing only two hits. He earned his first victory against Pacific Lutheran on Wednesday.
Strengths
Outfield. Washington’s top two healthy hitters — Guerrero and Terry — play in the outfield. The duo produces defensively and has not committed an error this season.
Weakness
Offensive production. The Huskies only have three players batting over .300. The team leader in batting average, Casen Taggart, hits .354 but has been out.
Three things to know
1. New conference foe. Maryland and Washington met for the first time ever last season — in a 6-5 Huskies win — and now are both are members of the Big Ten.
2. First series victory? Maryland has failed to win a series this season, going 1-2 in all three weekend series it has played.
3. Yeager’s new role. After making his first four starts in midweek games, freshman Jake Yeager will make his first weekend start Sunday.