Maryland baseball midweek preview: George Washington and James Madison

Following its third straight conference series win, Maryland baseball looks to take care of business against George Washington and James Madison in some midweek action.

The Terps have struggled in their past two midweek games, but will have the chance to regain some much-needed momentum this week.

Maryland will take a quick bus ride on Tuesday to take on George Washington at 3 p.m. and will host James Madison at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. Maryland defeated George Washington, 9-6, earlier in the year and will look to take the season series.

Tuesday’s matchup will stream on ESPN+ and Wednesday’s game will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.

George Washington Colonials (13-24, 4-5 Atlantic 10)

George Washington has struggled this season, posting a record nine games below .500. Despite their struggles, the Colonials are coming off a weekend series win over Fordham.

Head coach Gregg Ritchie is in his 11th season with the program. The Colonials have been a formidable squad during his tenure, but the team has stumbled the past two years after having a 26-win season in 2021 and multiple 30-win seasons in years prior.

Hitters to watch

Eddie Micheletti Jr., junior utility, No. 24 — Micheletti Jr. is the most productive hitter in George Washington’s lineup, managing 31 RBIs and an OPS of .973. He poses a tremendous threat at the plate with runners on base.

Michael Kohn, graduate utility, No. 34 — Kohn consistently puts the ball in play. He’s batting .326 to go along with a 1.013 OPS and a WRC+ of 141. The average WRC+ is 100, meaning he generates 34% more runs than an average hitter.

Pitchers to watch

Cade Davis, freshman left-handed pitcher, No. 21 — Davis got the midweek start last week and had a strong outing, going six and ¹⁄₃ innings. He allowed just one run on five hits.

Chris Knight, graduate right-handed pitcher, No. 14 — Knight is a reliable reliever for the Colonials. He’s made most of his appearances in midweeks, so expect him to relieve Davis on Tuesday.

Strength

Impact bats. Outside of Micheletti Jr. and Kohn, the George Washington lineup is thin. Still, the aforementioned players can do some serious damage. Maryland’s midweek pitching staff, which has struggled immensely, will have to step up its game to take care of the two sluggers.

Weakness

Pitching. Poor pitching has plagued George Washington all season long, and its record reflects it. The pitching staff has a cumulative ERA of 7.56, and has allowed for an opponent batting average of .311. The Maryland offense might be due for an explosion.

James Madison Dukes (20-15, 5-8 Sun Belt Conference)

James Madison has a solid record, but has struggled in conference play. The Dukes were most recently swept by Southern Mississippi. The Terps will be one of the toughest opponents that James Madison has faced so far this season.

Marlin Ikenberry is in his eighth season as the head coach of JMU. In 2022, Ikenberry led the Dukes to one of their most successful conference seasons in recent years, winning 12 games for the first time since 2016. James Madison will have to pick up its play if it wants to get there again.

Hitters to watch

Fenwick Trimble, sophomore utility, No. 13 — Trimble is the most prolific hitter in the Dukes lineup. He leads the team with nine homers and 40 RBIs.

Kyle Novak, redshirt senior infielder, No. 30 — Novak is another guy in this lineup that can create havoc for the opposition. He has a batting average of .336 and ranks second on the team in RBIs with 28.

Pitchers to watch

Kevin Scully, freshman right-handed pitcher, No. 33 — Scully is 3-0 in six appearances this season. He has a very high ERA of 10.45, but has been able to come up in clutch sports to secure wins.

Sean Culkin, redshirt junior right-handed pitcher, No. 15 — Ikenburry likes to use Culkin often in relief. He’s made 15 appearances this season with 15 ¹⁄₃ innings pitched. The Silver Spring, Maryland native allowed three runs before recording an out in his last outing, though.

Strength

Aggressive baserunning. James Madison has 56 stolen bases through 36 games, tied for the 55th-most in the country. Graduate outfielder Jack Cone leads the team with 10.

Weakness

Pitching. Just like George Washington, James Madison has given up a lot of runs its past few games. Over the past weekend, its opponents averaged 9.7 runs per game.

Three things to watch

1. Can Maryland bounce back? In their past two midweek games, the Terps are 0-2, with losses to William & Mary and Georgetown. They have a great opportunity to go 2-0 this week.

2. Who will start for the Terps? Last week, Nate Haberthier got the start for Maryland. He struggled, only faring 2 ²⁄₃ innings. Logan Ott is another familiar name in midweeks, but he didn’t touch the field last week. Expect the starter to be a game-time decision for head coach Rob Vaughn.

3. The Terps have a busy week ahead. After back-to-back midweek games, the Terps have just two days rest before hosting a series against Purdue. Vaughn will have to play around with the lineup to make sure he doesn’t burn out any of his players before a crucial Big Ten series.