Maryland baseball vs. Georgetown preview (game two)

Trying to bounce back after a midweek loss last week, Maryland baseball faces Georgetown Tuesday afternoon in the second of a three-game season series.

The Terps went 2-2 last week, dropping their midweek game against William & Mary before taking two of three from Rutgers over the weekend.

Unfortunately for the Terps, they lost key pieces in freshman left-handed pitcher Kyle McCoy and fifth-year outfielder Matt Woods, who both suffered injuries during those games.

Tuesday’s outing will start at 6:30 p.m. and be streamed on Big Ten Plus.

Georgetown Hoyas (17-15, 3-3 Big East)

Maryland beat Georgetown 10-7 on March 28 in a back-and-forth game that saw a go-ahead homer from Terps senior third baseman Nick Lorusso. Since then, Georgetown has lost five of its last eight games, most recently dropping two of three in a series against Seton Hall. Head coach Edwin Thomson is in his third year with the Hoyas and is looking to generate continued success after a near-.500 campaign year last season.

Hitters to watch

Ubaldo Lopez, graduate outfielder, No. 45 — Lopez hit a home run against Maryland the last time they faced each other and has hit well all season long. He’s currently slugging over .700 and has an OPS of nearly 1.200. Lopez also has a walk rate of over 15%, making him a tough out.

Jake Hyde, junior infielder, No. 6 — Hyde has been the second-best hitter on the team behind Lopez. He has a .955 OPS and is slugging nearly .600. He’s hit nine home runs on the year, and while he was quiet against Maryland in the last matchup, he has the potential to cause problems in Tuesday’s game.

Pitchers to watch

Kai Leckszas, freshman right-hander, No. 25 — Leckszas got the start in these team’s first matchup, and Maryland scored three runs and had three hits in two innings. He’s struggled to get consistent strikeouts this year, with a 12.2% strikeout percentage and a 4.02 ERA. Georgetown will continue to utilize its young pitching staff in its midweek games, and Leckszas may get more innings due to the Hoyas playing UMBC less than 24 hours after the Terps.

Cody Bowker, freshman right-hander, No. 24 — Bowker has been a good closer for the Hoyas this year, recording almost 10 strikeouts per nine innings with a 3.30 ERA. Bowker has .538 OPS against, which makes him a tough matchup for Maryland hitters. Six of his 11 total walks on the season were surrendered in his two-inning appearance against the Terps, but he’s been much better since.

Strength

Difficult to put away. Maryland has struggled to put away most opponents this year, but the Hoyas were particularly hard to close out in the March 28 game. The teams exchanged the lead six times in the Terps’ 10-7 victory and Georgetown went yard twice against the Terps' pitching staff.

Weakness

On a cold streak. Georgetown has struggled as of late, dropping two of three against Seton Hall last weekend. The Hoyas have not won a midweek game in nearly a month.

The Hoyas have been hit or miss with their midweek staff, as they were able to limit a top-10 team in Virginia to six runs but have mostly struggled to contain offenses in midweek competitions.

Three things to watch

1. How will Ott and Haberthier perform this time around? Junior right-handed pitchers Logan Ott and Nate Haberthier will most likely be deployed against the Hoyas on Tuesday. After an embarrassing loss to William & Mary last week, it’ll be interesting to see how both of them are utilized and if either of them can perform well in a midweek affair.

2. How will Vaughn shake up the lineup? Vaughn has used midweek games to shake up his lineup and give players needed rest. Junior catcher Luke Shliger has been slotted at designated hitter for the past several weeks, allowing either redshirt junior James Heffley or freshman Devin Russell to get some at-bats.

3. Can Maryland get a streak going? Maryland has faced two tough opponents in the past seven games — then-ranked Iowa and a Rutgers team that was top-40 in RPI before its series against the Terps, who need a winning streak to begin a postseason push.