BALTIMORE, Maryland May 23, 2014 - Maryland has not only qualified for the ACC Tournament for the first time since 2005, they have knocked off the No. 3 and No. 6 teams in the United States on consecutive days. Those wins combined with Virginia's 3-2 win over North Carolina on Friday night mean Maryland will play for the Atlantic Coast Conference Title on Sunday afternoon against the winner of the other five-team pool. Duke and Georgia Tech are in the driver's seat for the spot opposite Maryland on Sunday, while powerful Miami and Clemson have been eliminated. Friday, Maryland knocked off No. 6 Florida State, 5-3, behind the sensational pitching of Freshman Mike Shawaryn, who notched his second win of the season over the powerful Seminoles, and closer Kevin Mooney, who slammed the door on a huge Florida State rally in the 8th, then retired the Seminoles in order in the ninth. Shawaryn notched his almost unbelievable 10th win of the season, and Mooney gained his 12th save, and has saved games against Virginia and Florida State on consecutive days.
Maryland has never won an ACC Tournament Title. The School's three ACC Baseball Championships came before there was a tournament, the last being in 1971. Beginning in 2006 the ACC changed the format of the post-season tournament so that only the top 8 teams from the regular season standings qualified (it was changed this season to the top ten finishers to accomodate the increased number of teams in the conference). Maryland's fortunes in baseball have been so low that they have not qualified even for the conference tournament since 2005: the last year every ACC team played in the tournament. In fact, Maryland has only played in the NCAA Tournament three times. Their last appearance was in 1971. Their overall record in the NCAA Tournament, which culminates in the 8-team College World Series, is 1-6. The NCAA has been playing a baseball tournament to crown a national champion since 1947. Maryland has been playing baseball since the 1800's. In the press box on Thursday reporters were looking at a newspaper story written on the day of the first ever game between Maryland and Virginia in 1899, a game Virginia won, 10-2. The win over Florida State on Friday was the Terp's 11th straight win. It was also a school record 36th win on the season.
Shawaryn pitched seven shut-out innings against Florida State, departing with his team ahead, 5-0. The Seminoles did not have a man on base against the New Jersey native until there were two outs in the fifth, when they got an infield hit. All three of Florida State's runs came in the top of the 8th against the Terrapin Bullpen. In the eighth, with two runs already in and two men on, Maryland Coach John Szefc brought in his closer, Kevin Mooney, who was rocked for a two run homer Thursday, nearly blowing a three run lead against No. 3 Virginia. But he did not blow that Thursday lead, and he did not let Szefc down yesterday, striking out three Seminoles to quell the huge rally, and retiring Florida State in order in the ninth. This is a Florida State team that, like Virginia, spent more than a single week ranked as the number one team in the USA.
The hitting star for the Terps Friday was clean-up hitter Jose Cuas. Cuas got the Terps on the board in the third inning, hitting the first pitch from Florida State starter and loser Mike Compton down the leftfield line for a bases loaded two-run double. The Terps scored two more times in the third, one a run-scoring single by Tim Lewis and the other on an error by Seminole Shortstop Justin Gonzalez. Maryland got a key insurance run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Cuas, who finished the day with three runs batted in.
Maryland still must play North Carolina in pool play Saturday at 3 pm, but the game will have no meaning for the tournament. Going into their game last night against Virginia, North Carolina was the only team that still had a chance to nose out the Terps in their pool. But the Tar Heels, who had already lost to Florida State on Wednesday, lost a heartbreaking 3-2 game against the Cavaliers. But while the game will have no meaning on the outcome of the tournament, it will have an impact on both teams as they struggle to present credentials to the Selection Committee charged with setting the field for the National Tournament. The field for that tournament will be announced Monday. The winner of Sunday's game between the Terps and either Duke or Georgia Tech will get the ACC's only automatic bid. Clearly, Virginia, Florida State and Miami are in that field of 64. Other teams will sweat it out until the announcements are made. Maryland, riding the eleven game winning streak and with impressive wins over at least six ranked teams, is in great shape to receive an at-large bid, but they will want to win at least one of their remaining two games to avoid giving the committee any wiggle room. Other ACC teams in the hunt for a bid include Clemson, which is ranked in the last poll, Wake Forest, which won its series over Florida State last weekend, but was eliminated in a play-in game on the first day of the ACC Tournament, North Carolina, which has slumped badly at the end of this season, Georgia Tech, Duke, and North Carolina State. North Carolina really needs a win in today's game against Maryland to improve its chances.
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