PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland – The University of Maryland Eastern Shore baseball team will be looking to avenge two home losses during a three-game series at Mount St. Mary's (MD) starting on Friday, April 21 in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
Currently the Hawks sit at 11-24 (9-9 NEC) following a midweek loss to UMBC after taking a Northeast Conference series against Wagner this past weekend. The Mount swept their past weekend series against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opponent Saint Peter's but were drubbed 19-2 at Georgetown in their midweek.
The Hawks hold a 10-18 record against the Mountaineers since 2008, taking two-game series in both 2019 and 2020 but haven't found success in 2023, falling short in 6-10 and 6-15 losses.
Honing on the Hawks
Despite taking the loss to UMBC on Tuesday (April 18), the Hawks still are in position for a spot in the NEC Championships at sixth in the conference thanks to the series win at Wagner. With a weekend of non-conference play, all teams under UMES in the standings have a NEC series this weekend – leading to a better understanding of the pressure heading into the home stretch.
Offensively the Hawks have been led by
Brantley Cutler, who is slowly climbing into the single season record books across multiple categories. The right fielder's seventh home run of the year moved him into third since 1992 and he is on pace for making top-five in hits, RBIs, total bases, and OPS.
Behind Cutler has been first baseman
Alex McCoy, who ranks 125
th nationally in stolen bases per game, slashing .265/.377/.736 and showed why he is an MLB prospect with a bomb against the Seahawks in the Hawks 7-1-win last Saturday.
Second baseman
Luke Myers, beyond being part one half of the nation's leading double-play pair with shortstop
Dillon Oxyer, is on a twelve-game on base streak following a single against the Retrievers.
On the mound
Kyle Speas,
Noah Covington and
Evan Nibblett have settled into the weekend rotation over the last few weeks. With an out-of-conference weekend there may be a chance of a shakeup in the rotation though, as interim head coach
Shawn Phillips may want to give some rest to the usuals.
Lefty Speas has held his own since being thrown into the Friday starter position, keeping the Hawks in games by producing at least five innings in each of his last three appearances. The freshman looks to be a mainstay of the Hawks weekend rotation for at least the rest of the season, if not his collegiate career.
Noah Covington continues to be a leader in control, ranking second in the nation walks allowed per nine innings and is fourth in strikeout-to-walk ratio. He sits with an even 5.00 ERA that is inflated due to early season outings but has allowed just one earned over his last 17 innings pitched.
An absolute bulldog,
Evan Nibblett is second in the NEC with a 3.04 ERA over 56.1 innings pitched, just behind Covington's 63 IP this spring. His .243 BAA ranks first against players with 40 innings pitched or more.
Out of the pen Phillips has relied on the pair of
Nick Gatton and
Caden Parker in the late innings, with righty Gary Hallmen Jr. working his way into the order with great movement on his off-speed pitches. Gatton leads the team with 9.2 strikeouts-per-nine, Parker is tempting the record books tied at six saves – good for first place since 1992.
As a team, the Hawks continue to be leaders in double plays thanks to the Myers-Oxyer-McCoy Connection. They also rank seventh in sacrifice bunts with 13, four Hawks rank in the top-100.
Monitoring the Mountaineers
Both sides of the diamond will be well acquainted with another going into the series, as Mount St. Mary's (MD) took two from the Hawks in Salisbury earlier this season. The Hawks suffered 6-15 and 6-10 against the visitors.
Sitting at 18-17 with experience against #2 Wake Forest and #7 Virginia, the Mount is battle tested and will be looking to grab a few runs back in the differential after losing by 17 to Georgetown.
The Mount's lineup is filled with sluggers, with three student-athletes producing an OPS over 1.000 and another, three-hole hitter Tierney Allen at .967 on the season. All nine regulars hold a batting average .268 or better.
Scott Seeker has been the man for the Mountaineers, although Shane Wockley has put together nearly an equal season. Both have eleven home runs and Seeker leads 50-33 hits, although Wockley leads in walk rate.
On the mound Cooper Adams and Derek Huff have been the mainstays, Snyder Jackson was slated in a weekend spot but has not appeared in a game since March. As a team, the Mountaineers hold a 9.31 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP.
If the game is close, expect Jett Slepak to take over late, he leads the team with a 3.55 ERA over 25.1 innings pitched and a team high three saves.
How to Follow
A livestream of the game and Live Stats will be provided by Mount St. Mary's for the entire weekend series, links available for both are accessible on the University of Maryland Eastern Shore athletics website. Updates as always are on Twitter via @ESHawksBase.
