Maxwell Costes highlights Maryland baseball’s Big Ten season honorees

Maryland baseball’s Maxwell Costes took home Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a First Team All-Big Ten selection Tuesday, as six total Terps earned season honors from the conference.

Costes led all freshmen in the conference in slugging percentage (.500), RBIs (44), doubles (14), home runs (12) and total bases (102). He also led the Terps in home runs, was second in RBI, total bases, slugging and on-base percentage (.390). Additionally, he ranked third on the team in doubles and OPS and fourth in hits.

He’s the second Terp to win Big Ten Freshman of the Year, joining Tyler Blohm, who received the honor in 2017.

Five other Terps made all-conference teams. Left fielder Randy Bednar was named to the All-Big Ten second team after a season where he led the Terps with 52 RBIs, and 69 hits. He also led the team in OPS, total bases and slugging.

Four Terps were named Third Team All-Big Ten: shortstop AJ Lee, third baseman Taylor Wright, designated hitter Michael Pineiro and starting pitcher Hunter Parsons. Three of Maryland’s four seniors received postseason accolades, while Pineiro was also named to the All-Big Ten freshman team.

Parsons was Maryland’s reliable Friday starter, pitching to the tune of a 9-3 record with a 3.62 ERA, giving up 39 earned runs in 97 innings. Lee finished up the season with the highest average on the team at .301 and was instrumental in Maryland’s sweep of Iowa in its final regular-season series. Pineiro played as a platoon outfielder, hitting .250 with three home runs, 23 RBI, 32 hits and 20 runs scored. Wright led the team with 20 doubles, was tied for the team lead with 12 stolen bases, second with 64 hits and third with a .294 average and 32 runs scored.

Costes follows after his brother, Marty, who was named to the All-Big Ten freshman team in 2016, and he and Pineiro become the fifth and sixth Terps to earn such honors in their new conference. Costes is also the fifth Terp named to the All-Big Ten first team, following in the footsteps of current MLB player Brandon Lowe and minor leaguers Brian Shaffer and Mike Shawaryn, along with Marty Costes.

The Terps will start their Big Ten tournament run Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET on the Big Ten Network as they take on Illinois.