COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Maryland baseball head coach Rob Vaughn announced the program’s 2020 schedule Monday, which features a challenging lineup of opponents. The Terps will play 4 series against NCAA Tournament teams, 14 games against top-60 RPI finishers, and 23 games against top-100 RPI finishers from the 2019 season.
“Each and every year, we set out to put together a schedule that will challenge our boys and push them to be their best,” head coach Rob Vaughn said. “This year is no different. From game one down at College of Charleston to the final series in Minnesota, we will be challenged to play elite level baseball – and that is how it should be. Our boys are working hard every day to prepare themselves to tackle the challenge come February.”
Maryland, which has made NCAA Regionals in three of the last six seasons and brings in the No. 21 recruiting in the country according to Baseball America, begins its 127th season of baseball in 2020. The Terrapins will play a total of 28 games at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium, featuring three-game series with 2019 NCAA Tournament qualifier Nebraska and 2018 Big Ten champion Minnesota.
The Terps will also play road matchups highlighted by a midweek at 2019 NCAA Regional Host West Virginia and three-game sets against 2019 Big Ten Tournament Champions Ohio State, and TCU, which advanced to the Fayetteville Regional Final in last year’s NCAA tournament.
“Despite losing a core group of seniors last year, we are excited for what we have returning.” Vaughn said. “Many guys had great summers and stand ready to have a fantastic seasons. We’re excited to bring back three All-Big Ten honorees in Randy Bednar, Maxwell Costes and Michael Pineiro along with a nucleus of talented freshmen. We return a lot of power on the offensive side of the ball and are looking forward to the depth that has been added on the pitching side. The pieces are in place — it’s our job to prepare them and make them ready for February 14 and beyond.”
Maryland will open its spring season in Charleston, S.C. with a three-game set against the College of Charleston (Feb. 14-16), before opening its home slate with a three-game series against Rhode Island (Feb. 21-23) and a midweek matchup against George Mason (Feb. 25).
The Terps get back on the road to face last year’s Sun Belt winner and 2016 National Champion Coastal Carolina in Conway S.C. (Feb. 28 – March 1), before the Terps’ longest home stand of the season facing Villanova (March 3), Delaware (March 4), Bryant (March 6-8), and James Madison (March 11) at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium.
Maryland will take a spring break trip to the Lone Star State for a three-game set with Big 12 power TCU (March 13-15) before playing Sam Houston State in Huntsville (March 18).
A College World Series team from 2014-2017, the Horned Frogs advanced to the NCAA Fayetteville Regional Final last year, falling to College World Series participant Arkansas, while Sam Houston State, a 2017 Super Regional team, also provides stiff competition in one of the Terps’ premier midweek tilts.
The Terps open Big Ten play against Michigan State at home (March 20-22) before heading to Delaware for a midweek matchup (March 25). Maryland then plays a series at Rutgers to open its road conference slate (March 27-29).
Maryland visits The Diamond in Richmond, Va. to face VCU (March 31) to close out March, then will host a three-game set with a strong Nebraska squad (April 3-5) coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance.
The Terps then travel to a midweek matchup against West Virginia (April 7), who was an NCAA Regional host last year. The Mountaineers’ final 2019 RPI (13) is the highest Maryland will face all season.
Maryland hosts Binghamton for a three-game set (April 10-12) before playing a midweek with William and Mary (April 15). The Terps then head to Iowa for a series with the Hawkeyes (April 17-19) and follow it up with a midweek clash at James Madison (April 21).
The Terps host a weekend set against Penn State (April 24-26) and close out the month of April with a game at Mount St. Mary’s (April 28) followed by a rematch at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium the following day (April 29).
Maryland hits the road for a series at Purdue (May 1-3), returns home for the final home midweek of the season vs. Towson (May 5), then heads to Columbus, Ohio to play the defending Big Ten Tournament Champions Ohio State for the final road Big Ten series of the season (May 8-10).
Maryland plays its last midweek matchup of the year at William and Mary (May 12), then closes the regular season with three games against Minnesota at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium (May 14-16).
The Big Ten Tournament will take place at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb., May 20-24. Maryland’s non-conference home weekend series tentatively have the following game times: Friday (4 p.m.), Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.) with the exception of the Binghamton series, which will follow the tentative conference game times. Maryland’s conference home weekend series will tentatively have a 6:30 p.m. first pitch time on Friday with first pitch times for Saturday and Sunday remaining at 2 p.m. and 1 p.m. Game times are tentative until television broadcasts designations are announced.
