The Terps will play host in a regional for the first time in program history.
After a disappointing Big Ten Tournament performance, No. 10 Maryland baseball gathered in the Glazer Auditorium on Monday to watch the NCAA Baseball Selection Show to see which teams they would host in the College Park Regional.
The Terps discovered their fate as a top-16 seed and a regional host on Sunday night, but they didn’t find out they were the No. 15 overall seed until Monday.
As the 15 seed, Maryland will host the College Park Regional. The Terps will face Long Island University in the first round. The other game in the first round of the regional has the University of Connecticut taking on Wake Forest University.
Only one team from each region advances to the super regional, so the Terps will have to win the double-elimination regional to keep its season alive and advance to the super regional. The Terps will only advance to the College World Series in Omaha if they win the super regional.
Maryland will look to put together a better showing in its regional than they did in the Big Ten tournament.
After winning its first game 6-5 in extras against Indiana on Thursday in the first round, Maryland went on to get crushed by the Michigan Wolverines in the next round of the tournament, 15-8, on Friday.
Still having a hope of getting out of the losers bracket, the Terps would play Indiana again on Saturday with a final chance to advance in the bracket. Unfortunately for the Terps, they couldn’t pull off a second win against the Hoosiers, losing again in extra innings 6-4 to end their conference tournament play.
Coming into the Big Ten Tourney on a seven-game winning streak, this drop off in form left Maryland’s NCAA Tournament seeding up in the air. However, they found out on Sunday night that they would in fact be hosting an NCAA Regional Series for the first time in school history.
It’s been quite an amazing season in College Park as the Terps went 45-12, winning the most games in school history. Their squad had not only the Big Ten Player of the Year and a Golden Spikes award semifinalist in fifth-year center fielder Chris Alleyne, but head coach Rob Vaughn was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year after the team’s stellar performance.
The team also had six players make the All-Big Ten First Team, and it’s easy to see why. Leading the conference in home runs with 123, the closest team to them is Rutgers with 96. In fact, Tennessee is the only school in the country with more home runs than Maryland, and the Volunteers are the No. 1 ranked team in the nation. The Terps are also eighth in the country in on-base percentage.
On the mound, Maryland had a few stellar starters that helped them limit other teams. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Jason Savacool had a great season, leading the Big Ten with 117 strikeouts and ranking third in the conference with a 2.89 ERA. Junior left-handed pitcher Ryan Ramsey threw the 20th nine-inning perfect game in NCAA history in late April, and he also led the conference in wins with 10.