The Terps look to win their second consecutive series.
Maryland baseball head coach Matt Swope made it clear after Tuesday’s game against Towson: it’s rivalry weekend in Piscataway, New Jersey.
“We’ve always had a rivalry with them. There’s no secret we have a rivalry with Rutgers,” he said. “As much as I respect [Rutgers head coach] Steve Owens, you know, it’s one of our rivals.”
Maryland hits the road on a three-game winning streak and the brink of Big Ten Tournament contention. Another series win is imperative for the Terps.
Friday’s game will begin at 6 p.m. and stream on Big Ten Plus, Saturday’s game will start at noon and air on Big Ten Network and Sunday’s game will begin at 1 p.m. and stream on Big Ten Plus.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (25-19, 3-12 Big Ten)
2023 record: 33-23, 14-10 Big Ten
Like Maryland, Rutgers has taken a step back from last year. It has the second-worst Big Ten record, only better than Northwestern, whose only two conference wins came against Maryland.
Last weekend, the Scarlet Knights were swept by Indiana and lost the final game of the series in seven innings, 18-6. However, Rutgers now returns home where it is 11-5 this season.
Hitters to watch
Josh Kuroda-Grauer, junior shortstop, No. 44 — Kuroda-Grauer is a monster at shortstop. He has a .432 batting average in 44 games this season. He also has 42 RBIs, five home runs and a 1.125 OPS.
Tony Santa Maria, redshirt sophomore third baseman, No. 7 — Santa Maria leads Rutgers with 11 home runs and 45 RBIs. He’s fourth on the team with a .326 batting average and third with a 1.019 OPS.
Cameron Love, senior second baseman, No. 2 — Love is from Staten Island and has been Rutgers’ second baseman all year. He has a .313 batting average, 24 RBIs, three home runs and a .859 OPS.
Pitchers to watch
Justin Sinibaldi, senior left-handed pitcher, No. 27 — Sinibaldi is a southpaw from Bridgewater, New Jersey, and has been the regular Friday night starter for Rutgers. He has a 4-2 record with a 3.19 ERA in 73 ⅓ innings throughout 11 starts. He threw a complete-game shutout this season against UConn and has gone eight innings on multiple occasions.
Christian Coppola, sophomore right-handed pitcher, No. 23 — Coppola has made 12 starts for the Scarlet Knights and has a 4-5 record with a 7.63 ERA in 43 ⅔ innings. He gave up five earned runs in 1 ⅓ innings last Sunday at Indiana.
Sonny Fauci, graduate student right-handed pitcher, No. 13 — Fauci has made 19 appearances this season and has been a high-usage reliever for Rutgers. He has 5-0 record with a 5.18 ERA in 24 ⅓ innings this year.
Strength
Hits. Rutgers has over 100 more hits than its opponents this season. In addition, its team batting average is .310, while opponents only have a .260 batting average.
Weakness
Interconference pitching. Rutgers’ has a 7.62 ERA against Big Ten opponents — which ranks third worst in the conference — a significant difference from its 4.87 ERA against nonconference opponents.
Three things to know
1. Crunch time. Maryland baseball only has six conference games remaining, and wins in each would tremendously help its quest to the Big Ten Tournament. The Terps will have to win at least two games against Rutgers to put themselves in a favorable position.
2. Rivalry weekend. As previously mentioned, Swope believes that Maryland and Rutgers is a Big Ten rivalry. The Terps defeated Rutgers, 2-1, in their season series last year.
3. Historical success in Piscataway. The Terps have only made two trips to Piscataway, but are 5-1.