The Terps miss postseason play for the second straight season.
With a slight chance to make the Big Ten postseason and its ace Kyle McCoy on the mound, Maryland baseball came into Friday’s matchup against Rutgers confident it could right the ship.
But things went far from planned. Rutgers took advantage of runners in scoring positions for the second straight day — the Scarlet Knights were 8-of-16 with runners in scoring position, while the Terps went 0-of-5.
“The series has come down to two out hits,” head coach Matt Swope said. “We got the bases loaded there, it’s 8-4, a double or something there [and] we’re right back in it.”
Maryland’s inability to drive in runners and pitching struggles resulted in a 9-4 defeat, ending its hopes of making the Big Ten postseason.
“We’ve really struggled overall,” Swope said. “Last year we were great [in the clutch], but we were great at it. Cardiac Terps or whatever we were called. So it’s been an unfortunate season.”
Maryland was the first team to score for the second straight day. Paul Jones II crushed a two-run homer to right field, with the ball clocking in at 112 mph off the bat, to put the Terps up 2-0 in the second inning. However, this was the last time Maryland held a lead, as both offense and pitching struggled to stay consistent.
McCoy struggled in his final start, lasting five innings and allowing six runs (five earned) on 11 hits. Maryland struggled all season to win games in which McCoy did pitch well, so this was an even worse sign of things to come.
“I do believe it will be his last start [at Maryland],” Swope said. “I hope for his sake. I think he’s ready for professional baseball. He’s been as advertised.”
Justin Shadek made the start for Rutgers. The redshirt freshman lasted five innings, allowing three runs on four hits with three walks.
Rutgers responded to Jones’ blast with a two-out rally in the third inning. McCoy forced two groundouts to open the frame but couldn’t contain the Scarlet Knights with two outs, allowing two singles and a double that knotted the score at two.
The fourth inning almost ended with a double play, but a fielding error proved costly for the Terps. Rutgers’ JT Thompson hit the ball right into third baseman Brayden Martin’s glove, but the Terp couldn’t squeeze it. Martin likely would’ve ended the inning and spared the Terps from further damage.
But with a renewed lease on life, Rutgers rallied. Four straight batters recorded hits, and the Scarlet Kngihts scored four runs in the inning. RJ Johnson and Brennan Hyde began by delivering back-to-back singles to take the lead. Ty Doucette hit a two-RBI double to continue pouring it on the Terps, and Cohen’s third hit of the day added another run.
Alex Calarco put the Terps back on the board with a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth inning, but the next six Maryland batters were retired.
Ryan Van Buren entered the game in the sixth inning in relief of McCoy, but failed to record three outs. Van Buren walked his first batter before the Scarlet Knights added two runs. He was replaced by Joey McMannis, who needed just one pitch to end the inning.
Maryland put itself in a position to rally in the sixth inning. Hollis Porter opened the frame with a single, and Calarco followed with a double. Jones drove in Porter from third base on a groundout. Rutgers reliever Matthew Cruz’s struggles continued — he walked the next two batters to load the bases with two outs. But for the second straight day, the Terps’ offense failed to take advantage with the bases loaded, as a flyout from Martin ended the inning.
The Scarlet Knights added a run of their own in the seventh inning as McMannis struggled with his command. The sophomore allowed a single and walked two batters, and a passed ball brought the run in.
The Terps had a chance to turn a two-out rally in the seventh inning, as Porter and Orr stood at first and second base with the 2-of-2 Calarco coming up. The senior crushed a pitch foul, then struck out looking to strand two more runners.
Rutgers held the Terps in check the rest of the way, cruising to a victory to clinch its spot in the Big Ten postseason and prevent the Terps from getting in for the second straight year.
“It’s unacceptable,” Swope said. “Nobody’s gonna be any harder on myself. There’s no other word for it. I feel like I let people down, and that’s on me, and the standard I’ve held for myself.”
Three things to know
1. Tumultuous season is officially over. Maryland baseball’s Big Ten postseason hopes finally ended with Friday’s loss. The roller coaster of a 2025 season will end with one last game against Rutgers on Saturday, with the Terps looking to finish on a more positive note.
2. Fitting end to the game. Maryland’s loss was clinched after grounding into a double play. That sequence comes after Maryland stranded runners on base 17 times over the last two games.
3. History made. Rutgers junior Trevor Cohen set the record for most hits in Big Ten conference play for a single season with his third-inning double. Cohen has 86 hits so far this season with one more regular season game to play.