Maryland baseball vs. George Washington preview

The Terps hope to keep their winning ways rolling on Tuesday.

Maryland baseball is coming off its second consecutive weekend series win after taking two of three games against Albany. An offensive explosion of 18 runs and a stellar game pitched by the combination of Kyle McCoy and Nate Haberthier earned Maryland its two victories this past weekend.

The Terps will have the chance to pick up a momentum-building win before they head into a tough weekend series against UCF, which will be a true identity test for them. After a rocky start, Maryland has begun to show more consistency, winning seven out of its last eight games.

Maryland will host the Colonials on Tuesday with a 4 p.m. first pitch. The midweek game will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.

George Washington Colonials (5-16, 0-0 Atlantic 10)

2022 record: 22-30, 10-14 A-10

With only five wins, George Washington has not seen much success through its first 21 games of the season. The box scores show that the offense and defense have not been able to click at the same time.

Head coach Gregg Ritchie is currently in his 11th season with the program. The Colonials have been a solid squad during his tenure, but the team has seen struggles in 2022 and 2023 after having a 26-win season in 2021 and multiple 30-plus-win seasons in years prior.

Hitters to watch

Eddie Micheletti Jr., junior utility, No. 24 — Micheletti Jr. is the most productive hitter in George Washington’s lineup, with an OPS of 1.022 and a team-high 19 RBIs. Micheletti Jr. poses as a real threat if he is up with runners on base.

Michael Kohn, graduate utility, No. 34 — Kohn is another hitter in this lineup that can put pressure on the defense by putting the ball in play. He is batting .312 with a .976 OPS and has a WRC+ of 134 — 100 is average, meaning he creates 34% more runs than the average player.

Pitchers to watch

Benny Wilson, junior right-handed pitcher, No. 27 — Wilson has been a name on the lineup card for the Colonials’ midweek games throughout the season. He has made nine appearances this season, totaling 12.2 innings with an 11.37 ERA.

Chris Knight, graduate right-handed pitcher, No. 14 — Knight is another familiar midweek face, where he has gotten about half of his 13.1 innings this season. Knight’s longest outing this season was three innings, so expect him to be a set-up man if he makes an appearance against the Terps.

Strength

Few impact bats. Micheletti Jr. and Kohn are two players in the Colonials’ lineup who could cause Maryland some trouble if given the opportunit and should be circled on the Terps scouting report. But, outside of those two, George Washington has struggled to find success at the plate.

Weakness

Pitching. The pitching staff has been the main concern for George Washington this season, and their record reflects it. The pitching staff has a cumulative ERA of 8.75 and opponent batting average of .331. The potent Maryland offense could have another explosion in store on Tuesday.

Three things to watch

1. Logan Ott has been solid as a midweek go-to. Logan Ott has been a solid option for Terps head coach Rob Vaughn to turn to during the team’s midweek games. Ott had a strong outing against Delaware last Wednesday and will try to keep it going on Tuesday.

2. Lineup changes. After the offensive explosion in game one of the Albany series, Vaughn made a minor tweak to the batting order, bumping Matt Woods up to the cleanup spot and sliding Ian Petrutz down to the six-hole. Petrutz has struggled as of late, and Vaughn hopes the swap will earn him more fastballs to help get back into a rhythm. Meanwhile, Woods has had back-to-back 1-for-4 showings in the cleanup spot.

3. Can Maryland grab a win before an identity check? Maryland has been beating down on its recent nonconference opponents, winning seven of its last eight games. It struggled against ranked opponents, and is now beating down on its weaker competition. The Terps have an upcoming weekend series against UCF, which presents a challenge that could show what kind of team Maryland really is.

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