The Maryland baseball team's Big Ten tournament run started with a record.
In a complete game outing, right-hander Mike Shawaryn struck out 16, most ever at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb., which also hosts the College World Series and the Creighton baseball team. The Terps beat Indiana, 5-3, to open the Big Ten tournament on Wednesday morning.
Shawaryn allowed just four hits and three runs (two earned) over nine innings, throwing 125 pitches. He pitched his third complete game of the season to improve his record to 6-4 and lower his ERA to 3.18.
Shawaryn used a mix of fastball, slider and change-up to stifle the Hoosiers. Meanwhile, the Terps scored three runs in the fifth inning to pull ahead, and Shawaryn held down the lead.
"I'm not trying to vary my arm slots, but sometimes it just gives a hitter a little bit of a different look," Shawaryn said on Big Ten Network after the game. "I was told by one of my coaches back in the day that you throw two types of fastballs — your fastball, and then your (batting practice) fastball. Just a little bit difference of mile per hour can mess the hitter up, and it's the same thing with arm slot, too."
No. 6 seed Maryland (29-25) moves to the winner's bracket of the double-elimination Big Ten Tournament. The Terps will play Thursday at 5 p.m. against the winner of No. 2 seed Nebraska and No. 7 seed Michigan State. They likely need to win the Big Ten Tournament to make the NCAA Tournament.
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