UCF baseball preview: UCF - Maryland Series Preview

CUSA Fans UCF sports correspondent Ryan Westin provides us with a preview of the upcoming baseball series between UCF and Maryland.

The Golden Knights look to build off a win over No. 15 TCU last Sunday when they host the Maryland Terrapins this coming weekend in a three game series. UCF has never played Maryland and this will mark its first meeting with an ACC opponent since an 18-4 loss to Florida State in the 2004 Tallahassee Regional.

About the Terps

UCF Pitcher Mitch Herald and the Golden Knights host the Maryland Terrapins this weekend for a three game series.

Maryland comes to Orlando with a 2-1 record after playing three different opponents in the Winthrop Challenge in Rock Hill, South Carolina. They are coming off of a 26-30 record in 2006, a season which saw them defeat some quality opponents while growing more competitive in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Terry Rupp is now in his seventh season at the helm in Maryland. Rupp sounds very similar to UCF coach Jay Bergman when he stated "I think the one thing we have right now is depth position-wise, and we have not had that depth." He went on to say, "We had a young team last year, and these guys are more seasoned."

This should be an interesting match-up, as both squads seem to be coming into this year—as well as this weekend’s series—with experienced squads that are attempting to become winners this season.

Maryland's right-handed pitcher Kevin Biringer was named ACC Pitcher of The Week this week after only giving up one hit in five innings of work while striking out five batters against Creighton on Sunday in a 10-4 victory.

Who's Next?
The Knights play an exhibition game versus the Hyundai Unicorns on February 20th before heading out to Baton Rouge to take on LSU for a three game weekend series. LSU leads the all time series 11-3. The two last met up in Orlando in 2004 where the Knights avoided being swept by defeating the then No. 2 Tigers, 6-5, in 10 innings.

Westin's Series Prediction
UCF, 2-1