Maryland baseball at Louisiana weekend preview

Written By Apo February 19, 2026 Add Comment

The Terps have begun the season strong, coming off a 3-1 stretch against UNC Wilmington and Georgetown. For a second straight week, they will play a weekend series on the road, this time in Lafayette, Louisiana.

This is the first meeting between the two programs since 2019, with the all-time record 2-1 in favor of the Cajuns. Louisiana beat Maryland, 4-3, seven years ago.

Expect right-hander Lance Williams, Christofer Cespedes, Nic Morlang, Logan Hastings and Jake Yeager to be top options in head coach Matt Swope’s pitching plans this weekend. All are on a week’s rest and did not play Tuesday.

Game one is set for 7 p.m. Friday. Then, game two will be Saturday at 7 p.m., and the series finale is Sunday at 2 p.m. Games one and three will stream on ESPN+, and all games are available for listening on Maryland Baseball Network.

Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (2-2, 0-0 Sun Belt Conference)

2025 season: (27-31, 16-14 SBC)

Head coach Matt Deggs is in his sixth season leading the Cajuns. Prior to 2026, his record at the helm was 189-132 overall. Deggs led his program to a 2022 Sun Belt title, 2024 conference regular season title and three NCAA regional appearances. Louisiana has had two 40-win seasons under Deggs’ leadership.

Last season, Louisiana finished fourth in the SBC, behind then-ranked Southern Miss and Troy, who Maryland will see in March. The Cajuns lost, 17-13, in the conference elimination game to Marshall.

So far this season, Louisiana responded to a 2-1 opening series loss to Missouri State with a 3-0 victory against Rice Tuesday.

Hitters to watch

Blaze Rodriguez, freshman infielder, No. 29 — Rodriguez is tied for the team lead in RBIs at four. The first-year player is currently batting .308 to begin the season.

Rigoberto Hernandez, senior infielder, No. 10 — Hernandez has a batting average of .267 through four games. Against Missouri State, he hit a home run and had two RBIs.

Colt Brown, freshman catcher, No. 45 — Brown is up to five hits and two RBIs on the season. After a 2-for-3 night against Rice on Tuesday, he is currently hitting .313.

Other hitters to watch include junior catcher Steven Spalitta, a Mississippi State transfer, and outfielder Noah Lewis, who was 2-for-4 hitting leadoff against Rice.

Pitchers to watch

Ty Roman, junior left-hander, No. 11— Roman was the Region XIV Pitcher of the Year at San Jacinto College after recording a 9-1 record with a 2.81 ERA. He was named a first-team all-region and NJCAA honorable mention All-American.

Making his first career NCAA start after transferring to the Cajuns, he went five innings on three hits and four strikeouts and held an ERA of 3.60.

Andrew Herrmann, graduate left-hander, No. 39 — Herrmann also holds an ERA of 3.60, but he allowed only two hits and struck out six batters against Missouri State last weekend.

Strength

Run support. The Cajuns’ offense scored 26 runs in their first four games. Louisiana knows how to hit — that can be credited to the front five of the lineup — with 14 hits and 13 RBIs against Missouri State.

Weakness

Inconsistent pitching. The Cajuns’ front two starters of Roman and Herrmann delivered quality starts in their opening series against Missouri State. However, across last weekend, the bullpen gave up 19 earned runs.

In their series finale last Sunday, their pitching production was the opposite. The day three starter, junior right-hander JR Tollett, gave up five runs. Behind him, the bullpen found its footing, with just two scores across four relief arms.

On Tuesday, the staff finally put a game together. Between its non-weekend starter and bullpen, it combined for a shutout against Rice.

Three things to watch

1. Bullpen depth. Christofer Cespedes and Logan Hastings were key for Maryland’s bullpen against UNC Wilmington. Brayden Ryan stepped up against Georgetown on Tuesday. Maryland’s relief staff will hope to continue to build depth entering its second series.

2. Strong veteran bats. Catcher Rylen Stockton is batting .500. Infielder Ryan Costello leads the team with two home runs. Outfielder Brayden Martin is 7 for 16 with two RBIs. It will be interesting to see if the offense can continue to hit at this rate.

3. Ty Kaunas’ hot start. Freshman prospect infielder Ty Kaunas is off to a hot start, hitting .333 with six hits and four RBIs. He has played in every game so far. Can the freshman keep the momentum going?

from Testudo Times https://ift.tt/jihpBvy