Maryland baseball at Charlotte series preview

The Terps look to extend a four-game winning streak.

Winners of four straight, Maryland baseball kicks off a seven-game road trip this weekend with a series against Charlotte.

The Terps (10-3) recorded their first sweep of the season last weekend against Bryant before downing Delaware in a midweek matchup, 3-2.

Maryland and Charlotte last met in 2021 for a two-game series, during which both teams earned a victory.

After scheduling updates, this Friday’s game was moved up to 3 p.m. and there will be a doubleheader on Sunday. The first game Sunday will be played at noon and the latter, a seven-inning contest, will start immediately after.

All three games will stream on ESPN+.

Kenny Lippman is expected to take the mound for Maryland Friday and Logan Koester is set to start in Sunday’s first game.

Charlotte 49ers (7-6, 0-0 AAC)

2023 record: 36-28 17-12 CUSA

Charlotte has experienced great success under fifth-year head coach Robert Woodard, last year winning the Conference USA championship.

Charlotte has yet to win a series in its first year in the American Athletic Conference, albeit against tough nonconference competition. The 49ers fell to Virginia Tech, split a four-game series with West Virginia, and lost two of three to Old Dominion

Hitters to watch

Thad Ector, junior outfielder, No. 2 — After spending his first two collegiate seasons at South Carolina and the College of Central Florida, respectively, without much playing time, Ector has found a home in Charlotte. This season, he’s posted a .378 batting average, .986 OPS, seven RBIs and one home run. He most recently led off for the 49ers against Western Carolina.

Noah Furcht, junior third baseman, No. 8 —In his first season with Charlotte after two outstanding years at Kirkwood Community College, Furcht has been a revelation at third base. With a .341 batting average, 1.041 OPS, nine RBIs and two home runs, Furcht has also recorded 15 hits, nine walks and two stolen bases.

Pitchers to watch

Cole Reynolds, senior left-handed pitcher, No. 37 — Reynolds is also in his first season with Charlotte after transferring from Elon. Expected to start Friday, Reynolds has made three starts and is 1-1 with a 6.35 ERA in 11 ⅓ inning pitched. In his last outing, Reynolds gave up just one run in five innings.

Cameron Hansen, senior right-handed pitcher, No. 44 – Hansen will most likely be on the mound for the first game Sunday. So far this season, Hansen is 1-2 with a 4.73 ERA in 13 ⅓ innings pitched. Last season for Charlotte, he pitched 73 ⅓ innings, recording a 3-1 record and 4.66 ERA.

Hansen is on a much better strikeout pace this season, averaging 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings. Last year, he only averaged 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings.

Strength

Strikeouts for. Charlotte’s pitchers have amassed 154 strikeouts through 13 games this season, good enough for an average of 11.9 per game. The 49ers will look to continue this prowess against a Maryland team which has only struck out 98 times this year.

Weakness

Strikeouts against. On the contrary, Charlotte batters have been the victim of a lot of punch-outs this year. The 49ers have struck out 123 times, or nearly 9.5 times per game.

Maryland has struck out 98 batters this year, averaging 7.53 strikeouts per game. Yes, that is true. The Terps have struck out the same amount of batters as their offense has accounted for this season.

Three things to know

1. Charlotte is a tough matchup. This weekend’s series will be a good test for the Terps with Big Ten play starting in a couple of weeks. The 49ers are a very solid team with heavy experience against top teams.

After Maryland’s last game, shortstop Kevin Keister said the series would be a good challenge for his team.

2. Can Lippman and Koester keep it up? Last weekend, Maryland got big-time outings from its aces. Lippman went six innings and struck out nine batters while Koester pitched seven scoreless innings.

Against a Charlotte team with impressive power in its lineup, Maryland’s starters will need to be sharp.

3. Pitching depth in question. After Joey McMannis went 2 ⅓ innings last Sunday, Maryland head coach Matt Swope admitted that he is still “trying to find roles” within his pitching staff and the starting rotation isn’t set.

Despite the fact that Swope will likely go with McMannis in the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader, Logan Berrier could see time after a solid outing last Sunday or maybe Ryan Van Buren could see action on short rest.

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