The Terps face their first set of back-to-back midweek games this season.
After taking two of its three games at the Kleberg Bank College Classic, Maryland baseball is back for two midweek games. On Tuesday, the Terps will host Georgetown in a 2 p.m. matinee, moved up from its original start time of 4 p.m. due to inclement weather. On Wednesday, the Terps will travel to Richmond, Virginia, to face VCU at 3 p.m.
Tuesday’s game will stream on Big Ten Plus and Wednesday’s will be on ESPN+.
Georgetown Hoyas (3-4)
Georgetown comes into Tuesday with a 3-4 record. In their first series of the 2024 campaign, the Hoyas competed in the MLB Desert Invitational, going winless against Grand Canyon, California and Kansas State. Things have gone better for Georgetown since then, though — last week it won a midweek game against Navy then took the final two games of a weekend series against VMI.
Georgetown has received key offensive contributions from three players: Owen Carapellotti, Jake Hyde and Joe Hollerbach. Carapellotti has started the season hot with a .296 batting average, .923 OPS, two home runs and four RBIs. Hyde has been a machine for the Hoyas thus far, posting a .281 batting average, .906 OPS, two home runs and 10 RBIs. On Saturday, he went 3-for-5 with a double, triple and home run — a single shy of the cycle.
Hollerbach has a .292 batting average and .810 OPS. In seven games, he has a home run but only two RBIs.
Ryan Van Buren will be on the mound for Maryland against Georgetown. Van Buren pitched last Tuesday against Mount St. Mary’s and had a phenomenal outing. In 5 ⅔ innings, he gave up just one earned run on four hits, two walks and four strikeouts.
VCU Rams (4-3)
Before they play the Terps, the Rams will have to travel to Chapel Hill to face the No. 17 North Carolina Tar Heels on Tuesday. The Rams will then have to scurry back home to face the Terps. In VCU’s first series of the season, it faced No. 13 NC State and stole a game in Raleigh. The Rams have also beat Longwood by mercy rule before winning two games against Merrimack.
Brandon Eike and Ethan Iannuzzi have fueled VCU’s offense. Eike has been on a tear, holding a .375 batting average with four home runs and 12 RBIs. Iannuzzi has also had quite the start to the season despite a .261 batting average, hitting two home runs and totaling seven RBIs.
On Wednesday, Omar Melendez is slated to make his first start in a Maryland uniform. In his only appearance of the season against Mount St. Mary’s, he pitched three innings, giving up one earned run and three hits. The only run Melendez surrendered in his lengthy save was a Ty Fredo solo shot. Last season at Alabama State, Melendez started 15 games and held a 2.52 earned run average.
Three things to know
1. Maryland’s pitching staff. Maryland’s pitching staff will have to avoid draining itself during this stretch of rapid-fire matchups. After playing thrice over the weekend, the Terps have two midweek games before another three-game set over the weekend. Matt Swope will have to handle his pitching staff with care given the compact schedule.
2. Staying hot. Maryland’s Sam Hojnar, Chris Hacopian, Eddie Hacopian and Jacob Orr are all off to strong starts, but someone seems bound to cool off. Can they keep up their current form?
3. Tough week for VCU. On paper, North Carolina presents a tougher challenge than Maryland, but VCU will have its hands full this week nonetheless. Being at home may offer some relief after a trip to Chapel Hill, but the Terps are plenty dangerous in their own right.