The Terps look to win their final midweek game of the season.
On April 15, Maryland baseball announced a late addition to the schedule for one final 2024 midweek. The South Carolina Upstate (USC Upstate) Spartans now head to College Park to face the Terps in what will be the first ever matchup between the two programs.
After splitting the doubleheader at Rutgers on Saturday, Maryland comes into Wednesday’s contest having won five of its last six. The Terps currently sit at No. 35 in RPI according to D1 Baseball. USC Upstate is ranked No. 91.
First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium. The game will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
USC Upstate Spartans (30-18, 14-7 Big South)
2023 record: 38-22, 21-6 Big South
This past weekend, USC Upstate dropped two of three games against High Point at home. However, it’s had an overall solid season thus far, currently slotting in at third in the Big South standings.
The Spartans have faced some difficult opponents this season, including No. 2 Clemson three times. They defeated the Tigers, 9-5, on the road in the two programs’ most recent matchup.
USC Upstate is 9-8 on the road, but 21-9 at home.
Hitters to watch
Koby Kropf, redshirt junior catcher/outfielder, No. 34 — Kropf leads the Spartans with a .372 batting average, a 1.217 OPS and 18 home runs. He has the second most RBIs on the team (62) and has been dependable as USC Upstate’s clean-up hitter.
Grant Sherrod, redshirt senior infielder/outfielder, No. 14 — Sherrod leads USC Upstate with 63 RBIs in 2024. He has a .327 batting average, a .973 OPS and 13 home runs in 48 games this season.
Noah Sullivan, redshirt sophomore right-handed pitcher/infielder, No. 18 — Sullivan is second on the team with a .342 batting average, a 1.116 OPS and 16 home runs. He’s also third on the team with 52 RBIs in 45 games played this season.
Pitchers to watch
Darin Kuskie, freshman right-handed pitcher, No. 33 — Kuskie has been a valuable freshman arm for USC Upstate. In 13 appearances and five starts, he’s 1-3 with a 7.99 ERA through 23 ⅔ innings.
Cooper Ellingworth, freshman right-handed pitcher, No. 31 — Ellingworth has made 15 mound appearances for USC Upstate. He is 2-2 with a 8.18 ERA in 22 innings.
Julian Parson, junior right-handed pitcher, No. 19 — In his third season with USC Upstate, Parson has posted a 5.09 ERA in 17 ⅔ innings through 12 appearances. He also has two saves.
Strength
Getting on base. USC Upstate has a .405 on base percentage in 2024, while its opponents have a .365 on base percentage. The Spartans also have the edge in walks, 221-201, and hit pitches, 87-46.
Weakness
Errors. USC Upstate has made 49 errors in 48 games this season, recording as many as four errors in multiple games.
Three things to know
1. Pit stop at home. Between last weekend’s series in Piscataway, New Jersey and this upcoming weekend’s slate in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, the midweek serves as a quick pit stop for the Terps at home.
2. Helping RPI. Maryland is currently ranked No. 35 in RPI and remains in good position to make an NCAA regional. A home win on Wednesday would be crucial for the Terps, especially this late in the season.
3. Who will start the final midweek? Maryland only used six pitchers over the weekend against Rutgers, so it will have some rested arms headed into Wednesday. It is likely Ryan Van Buren — who has started the majority of midweeks — will get the ball.