Maryland baseball, men's lacrosse and women's lacrosse win B1G weekly awards

Maryland's string of seven consecutive Big Ten men's lacrosse Defensive Player of the Week awards ended Monday with Penn State's Mike Sutton earning that plaudit. However, that didn't prevent a Terrapin from winning one of the four honors the conference bestows as, in surprise number one, Jay Carlson became the second Maryland player to win Offensive Player of the Week.

In the 'what else is new' category on the women's side, Megan Whittle won her second straight Freshman of the Week award and sixth of the season. Taylor Cummings also won a player of the week award but, in surprise number two, Cummings was named Co-Defensive Player of the Week with Penn State goalkeeper Emi Smith.

Meanwhile, on the baseball diamond, Mike Shawaryn won the Pitcher of the Week award for the second consecutive time and fourth overall for the season.

Here's what they did:

Mike Shawaryn

When the sophomore from Carney's Point, NJ took the mound for the series opener against Cal State Fullerton, he had a record of 8-0, an ERA of 1.89 and had struck out 69 batters in 62 innings while walking 11. When Shawaryn left the hill after pitching eight innings of shutout ball in a game Maryland eventually won 2-1, his record stood at 9-0, his ERA had dropped to 1.67 and he had 82 strikeouts in 70 innings while still only walking 11. The 13 strikeouts in one game set a new career high.

Jay Carlson

The senior from St. Paul's school in Cockeysville, who his coach often refers to as not only one of the smartest players on the team but as someone who can be counted on for at least one highlight reel play a game, lifted the Terps to their 10-9 overtime win over Ohio State in the Showdown in the Shoe. The win allowed the Terps to claim at least a share of the first Big Ten men's lacrosse championship.

Carlson scored Maryland's first two and final goals in the game while also picking up an assist on Bryan Cole's score late in the second period. The game winner with 49 seconds to play on overtime, was the 80th goal of his career and his B1G leading fourth game winning goal of the season.

Megan Whittle

The women's lacrosse team played two games last week picking up wins on the road over Johns Hopkins and at home over Michigan. This season Maryland has played and won all 16 games to date. Whittle has registered a hat trick in nine of those contests. She did so against both Hopkins and Michigan scoring three times in the second half against the Blue Jays and finding the net three times in the first half against Michigan. Whittle leads Maryland with 55 goals and is tied for first in the conference averaging 3.50 goals per game.

Taylor Cummings

To paraphrase Erich Segal, What can you say about a 21 year old lacrosse player who has already won the Tewaaraton Award? That she leads Maryland in points (77), draw controls (111), ground balls (33) and caused turnovers (26)? That she has won four Big Ten women's lacrosse Offensive Player of the Week Awards?

Apparently, it bothered the hell out of her that she hadn't won a Defensive Player of the Week Award. So she used her play for the week ended April 19, 2015 to remedy that situation sharing the plaudit with Penn State goalie Emi Smith. Playing very little of the second half in the game against Michigan, her week's work in two games included 15 draw controls, three ground balls and two caused turnovers. And she managed to add five goals and three assists as well.

Not a bad week for Cummings. Come to think of it, not a bad week for the Terps.