The Terps host the Nittany Lions in their final regular season series.
After winning each of its last three series, Maryland baseball is set to host Penn State in the final weekend series of the regular season.
Both teams are in contention for the Big Ten Tournament, but each could have its season ended this weekend.
Games one and two will take place on Thursday and Friday at 6 p.m., while game three will start at 2 p.m. on Saturday. All three games will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
Penn State Nittany Lions (23-23, 9-12 Big Ten)
2023 record: 25-25, 7-16 Big Ten
Penn State heads into this weekend in an interesting spot. The Nittany Lions are still in contention to make the conference tournament, but would likely need a series sweep to do so.
Last weekend, the Nittany Lions took two of three games from Rutgers at home, but lost to Pittsburgh, 10-0, on Tuesday. Maryland beat Pittsburgh, 10-4, earlier this season.
“I just think there has always been kind of a rivalry,” Maryland head coach Matt Swope said of the upcoming series. “If you’ve grown up in Maryland with Penn State, even if they weren’t a big fan. You know, we’ve got to embrace that.”
Hitters to watch
J.T. Marr, graduate student catcher, No. 40 — Marr leads Penn State with a .418 batting average and 46 RBIs this season. He also has a 1.065 OPS and six home runs.
Grant Norris, graduate student infielder, No. 0 — Norris leads the team with 14 home runs in his second season with the Nittany Lions after transferring from Duke. He also has a .286 batting average, .924 OPS and 42 RBIs.
Adam Cecere, graduate student outfielder, No. 12 — Cecere ranks first on the team with a 1.094 OPS and second with 13 home runs this season. He also has a .310 batting average and 41 RBIs in 46 games.
Pitchers to watch
Travis Luensmann, senior right-handed pitcher, No. 33 — Luensmann started in 12 of his 13 appearances this season and will most likely be Penn State’s starter on Thursday. He has a 5-2 record with a 4.78 ERA in 64 innings. He also has a 1.56 WHIP with 53 walks and 57 strikeouts this season.
Jaden Henline, senior right-handed pitcher, No. 24 — Henline started all 12 of his appearances this season, posting a 3-3 record with a 6.50 ERA. He also has a 1.56 WHIP in 54 innings pitched.
Mason Horwat, freshman left-handed pitcher, No. 27 —Horwat is a prominent reliever for Penn State, throwing 44 ⅔ innings this season. He has a 3-1 record, 5.04 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP in 17 appearances.
“They have some guys in the rotation that we have faced for years that have stuff,” Swope said. “Luensmann, you know, always had power power stuff and then Henline has pitched versus us the last couple of years as well. So I think we’re very familiar with what they do.”
Strength
Home runs. The Nittany Lions have hit 60 long balls in 46 games this season, while their opponents have hit only 49. Penn State’s most lethal power-bats are Norris, Cecere and Bryce Molinaro.
Weakness
Pitching. Penn State has recorded a 7.00 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP this season. While it is better than its opponents’ 7.11 ERA and 1.77 WHIP, its pitching has still been a major flaw. It will be interesting to see how the Nittany Lions’ pitching fares against a desperate Maryland offense.
Three things to know
1. Senior Day. Maryland baseball will honor Logan Berrier, Kevin Keister, Ben Nardi, Sam Hojnar, Trystan Sarcone, Nate Haberthier, Kenny Lippman, Alex Walsh, Charlie Glennon and Logan Ott on Senior Day this weekend. All are in their last season with the Terps.
2. McMannis is unavailable. For the second straight week, Maryland’s usual Sunday starter, Joey McMannis, is unable to pitch this weekend due to an illness.
Instead, Swope confirmed Omar Melendez will start on Thursday and Logan Koester will start on Friday. Game three’s starter is to be determined.
3. Season on the line. Keister put it simply during media availability on Wednesday: “We can control our destiny, so we just need to win. Game one would help, just winning tomorrow.”
He then added, “I think it’s always exciting when you get a chance to play for something, you know, we have a chance to make the Big Ten Tournament … it means that we still have the opportunity to play for something.”