For the second time in as many nights, Maryland’s baseball squad notched a 2-1 win in their first Big Ten Tournament this one over the Illinois Fighting Illini. While Wednesday night’s win over Michigan State was important, Thursday’s win that ended Illinois’ 27 game winning streak may be even more crucial in several ways that we’ll get to below.
How the Terps pulled out the win
First, let’s take a brief look at how the Terps managed to squeak out another one run win. Head coach John Czefc opted to send freshman Brian Shaffer to the hill and, after a bit of a rocky start, the right hander from Pylesville, MD responded with seven very strong innings.
The Illini got on the board in the bottom of the first poking three consecutive one out singles to push across what proved to be their only run of the night. After giving up that first run, Shaffer settled in and retired the next two batters and Illinois stranded two.
Maryland’s answer came in the second by doing what good teams do – capitalize on an opponent’s miscues. All B1G third team catcher Kevin Martir led off Maryland’s second with a single to center. Jose Cuas topped a ball that Illinois pitcher Drasen Johnson charged and fielded but then made a wild throw to first putting runners on the corners with none out.
Anthony Papio got the Terps on board when he poked a single between third and short scoring Martir. With runners on first and second, Nick Cieri smashed a ball to Johnson. Johnson forced Cuas at third but third baseman Ryne Roper’s attempt to double up Cieri ended up in right field and Papio came all the way around to score and put the Terps up 2-1.
As it turned out, that would be all Shaffer and relievers Robert Galligan and Kevin Mooney would need. Shaffer would give up only three more singles and a walk while striking out seven over seven innings of work. Galligan put a runner on with two out in the eighth when he hit Jason Goldstein with a pitch. Mooney worked a perfect ninth to earn his second save in as many nights and seventh on the season.
The Terps now have a day off before taking on the winner of Friday’s game between Indiana and Iowa.
What it means
The first impact for Maryland is that by winning their first two games, the Terps are one of two squads to have Friday off. The potential of that day to save wear and tear on the pitching staff cannot be understated. It also means that a win on Saturday will propel them into the championship game in the double elimination tournament.
As for the NCAA Tournament, some observers think Maryland’s two wins will be sufficient to earn them a spot in the field of 64. Certainly, a win over then number 10 RPI Illinois bolsters the Terrapins’ resume. Their 14-11 record against top 50 RPI squads will also carry some weight.
However, Maryland improved to only number 46 or 47 in RPI which is a spot that I believe keeps them very much on the bubble. Both of the Terps’ next potential opponents have higher RPI than Maryland. Iowa is at number 26 and Indiana sits at 32. The game between those two is close enough that I don’t think either will haved moved much when they face Maryland.
A Terrapins win would move the Terps up a spot or two but a loss would probably drop them back to fifty or so which would make their position all the more precarious. Further, we don’t know what upsets may occur in other conference tournaments that might result in the loss of a potential at-large slot for a team in Maryland’s position.
The last complication is historical. The Big Ten has never sent more than three teams to the NCAA Tournament. The conference currently has seven teams in the RPI top 50 making it a very real possibility that they will break through that barrier this season. The Terps are currently sixth of those seven.
I, for one, will feel more comfortable if the Terps win on Saturday and guarantee themselves at least a spot in the championship game. Of course, the safest way is to win the tournament and claim the conference’s automatic qualifying spot.
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