Maryland baseball starts Greenville Regional today against Charlotte
Jun. 4—GREENVILLE, N.C. — Maryland begins its NCAA tournament run today against second-seeded Charlotte out of Conference USA.
The game will be broadcast at 6 p.m. on ESPN3.
The Terps, competing in postseason play for the first time since 2017, are the region's No. 3 seed after compiling a 28-16 record playing an entirely Big Ten slate. East Carolina (41-15) is the host and opens against Norfolk State (25-26).
Maryland, winner of 18 of 22 games to end the campaign, is the hottest team in college baseball, but the squad will have its hands full with the talented 49ers (39-19).
Terrapins freshman right-hander Jason Savacool will be on the bump for Game 1, starting in place of the injured Nick Dean, who had taken the reigns as the Friday starter during Maryland's hot streak.
Savacool, of Baldwinsville, New Jersey, has been up-and-down in his opening year in College Park. He enters with a 5.25 ERA in 13 starts, striking out 50 and allowing 76 hits in 72 innings pitched.
However, he's kept the Terps in most ballgames, evident by his 7-2 record.
Maryland's offense is the reason for that with a 6.4 runs-per-game average. A mark that's good for fourth in the Big Ten.
Shortstop Ben Cowles led the conference with 17 home runs, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors last week, on a .302 average. Freshman Matt Shaw topped the team at a .335 clip, and Bubba Alleyne slugged eight homers and drove in 31 runs batting .306.
Second-seeded Charlotte arguably boasts the best player in the regional, infielder Austin Knight. A sophomore transfer from Tennessee, Knight hit 10 big flies and collected an eye-popping 61 RBIs on a .351 average in 2021.
Freshman LuJames Groover III, a candidate for best name in the Greenville Region, batted .350 for the 49ers.
Savacool's opposition on the rubber will likely be the right-handed Bryce McGowan, who sports a mid-90s fastball; however, like Savacool he was erratic during the regular season.
McGowan enters with a 4.62 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in 78 innings pitched, striking out 99 and walking 52.
In a double-elimination format, if the Terps win they'll face the winner of East Carolina and Norfolk State tomorrow; or, if they lose, they'll take on the loser in an elimination game.
Maryland's best pitcher Sean Burke — a top-50 Major League Baseball prospect and expected second-round draft pick — is the favorite to toe the rubber tomorrow.
Alex Rychwalski is a sportswriter at the Cumberland Times-News. Follow him on Twitter @arychwal.
