April 22, 2008

College Park, MD (UWIRE) -- The middle of the week has generally provided a safety net for the University of Maryland Terrapin baseball team this season.

But despite a 13-game nonconference winning streak, that could all be in jeopardy this week when the Terps play two of their tougher out-of-conference foes.

With tonight's game against Old Dominion and tomorrow's trip to Towson, a team that beat the Terps 11-6 on Feb. 26 in College Park, the Terps face a tougher midweek slate than usual.

"Anytime you play programs like Towson and Old Dominion midweek, they're always gonna be pretty tough games," coach Terry Rupp said. "We're going to have to play solid defense, because Old Dominion is a team that swings the bats well. You can't give them any free opportunities."

The Monarchs were picked to win the CAA in the conference's preseason poll, but the team has struggled to an 18-19 overall record. The Terps beat Old Dominion 5-2 in Norfolk, Va., on March 18 behind 5.1 strong innings from senior pitcher Brett Tidball.

Still, the Monarchs are a danger to any team they face, even ACC squads. They beat No. 3 North Carolina 8-6 back in February. In the Terps' three-game series against the Tar Heels, they won once but were outscored 35-6 for the weekend.

"They're definitely tough teams," junior left fielder Gerry Spessard said of this week's opponents. "Playing them back-to-back, especially with the second game at Towson, is tough. Something always happens there, either bad weather or it seems like we aren't in it mentally."

The Terps have revenge on their minds against Towson, but the team hasn't won at the John B. Schuerholz Baseball Complex in either of the last two seasons.

"They're probably one of the biggest in-state rivals we have, and they're always out to get us," Spessard said. "We're probably one of their biggest games of the season. We definitely want to beat them."

Sophomore Ian Schwalenberg is slated to start tonight, as the Terps continue to patch together their midweek rotation.

The Terps enter tonight's game with the same mindset that worked last week, which was to take each game as it comes and worry about weekend ACC games later.

Rupp said he hasn't looked at the ACC standings or any headlines since last week, and senior shortstop Joe Palumbo echoed his view.

"We just need to keep playing the way we've been playing," Palumbo said. "With good defense and timely hitting, things should play out our way."

Hopefully for the Terps, playing the way they've been playing will be enough to keep the streak alive.

(C) 2008 The Diamondback via UWIRE