Brandon Lowe (Photo by Tim Casey)

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Top 25 Breakdown: No. 14 Maryland

2014 Record: 40-23. RPI: 21.

Coach (Record at school): John Szefc (70-48, 2 years).

Postseason History: 4 regionals (active streak: 1), 0 CWS trips, 0 national titles.

Maryland's Projected Lineup

Pos. Name, Yr. AVG/OBP/SLG HR RBI SB C Kevin Martir, Jr. .269/.359/.386 4 26 3 1B Justin Morris, Fr. HS—Hyattsville, Md. 2B Brandon Lowe, So. .348/.464/.464 1 42 8 3B Jose Cuas, Jr. .279/.333/.417 5 42 3 SS Andrew Bechtold, Fr. HS—Glen Mills, Pa. LF Tim Lewis, Sr. .270/.357/.288 0 15 2 CF LaMonte Wade, Jr. .247/.358/.335 2 25 4 RF Anthony Papio, Jr. .271/.389/.356 2 29 7 DH Nick Cieri, So. .248/.329/.308 0 18 2

Pos. Name, Yr. W-L ERA IP SO BB SV RHP Mike Shawaryn, So. 11-4 3.12 92 72 24 0 RHP Bobby Ruse, Sr. 7-3 3.52 64 36 15 1 LHP Tayler Stiles, So. 5-2 4.05 47 34 14 1 RP Kevin Mooney, Jr. 1-2 4.33 35 45 18 13

SEE ALSO: Five Questions With Maryland’s John Szefc

Hitting: 60. Maryland must replace catalyst Charlie White and shortstop Blake Schmit (two of its top three hitters a year ago), but the rest of the lineup remains intact, and a stellar recruiting class should help make it even more potent. Maryland’s aggressive, high-pressure offense led the nation in hit-by-pitches last year (126) and ranked ninth in sacrifice bunts, 26th in doubles, 32nd in walks and 39th in stolen bases, illustrating the variety of ways the Terrapins can give opponents trouble. White’s vacated leadoff spot will be filled by Lowe, who owns a sweet lefthanded swing, a mature gap-to-gap approach and excellent pitch recognition. He rates as the team’s best hitter, but there is reason to believe Cieri, Wade and Cuas will be more productive this year, because all three are talented line-drive hitters. Lewis and Martir give the lineup depth and veteran presence; both are pesky singles hitters, like freshmen Bechtold and Kevin Smith, who will compete for the shortstop job.

Power: 50. The physical Cieri is the pick to click after a strong summer in the Cal Ripken League. He has power to the pull side and an improving approach. Cuas worked hard to improve his two-strike approach and reduce his swing-and-misses in the fall, and the Terps think he has a chance to hit double-digit homers as a junior this spring, because he has real life in his righthanded swing. Morris is competing for time at first base with redshirt freshman Matt Oniffrey, and both offer lefthanded pop and good swings. Papio has the most raw power on the team, but he has a pull-heavy approach and a tendency to strike out. Wade is primarily a doubles hitter currently but figures to grown into some more pop, perhaps as soon as this spring.

Speed: 45. White and Schmit accounted for 41 of Maryland’s 85 steals last year, and no other Terrapin reached double digits in stolen bases. Wade is a slightly above-average runner, and Lowe is a fringe-average runner. Speed does not figure to be a big part of Maryland’s attack this year.

Defense: 55. The Terrapins are loaded behind the plate, where Martir is a polished defender with a good arm, and Cieri and Morris are capable of holding their own as well. Lowe has good range and arm strength at second, and both freshmen shortstops (Bechtold and Smith) are more advanced defensively than offensively; Maryland needs one or the other to emerge at that crucial spot. The rangy Cuas has a strong arm and occasionally makes highlight-reel plays at third base. Wade has taken well to center field after spending the last two years as a standout defender at first base, but the Terps lack range in the outfield corners.

Mike Shawaryn (Photo by Tim Casey)

Starting Pitching: 60. Maryland is uncommonly deep on the mound, and is blessed with at least six quality starting options. The only role that seems set in stone is Friday starter, where Shawaryn’s dogged competitiveness will make him a perfect tone-setter for the weekend. He pounds the strike zone with an 87-91 fastball and three solid secondary pitches. Ruse and Stiles are similarly adept at throwing strikes, which gives them a shot to win rotation spots behind Shawaryn. Ruse saw his velocity climb a bit in the fall, working at 88-91 along with his good changeup and solid curveball—and he did not walk a batter all fall. Stiles spots his 88-89 heater well and has improved his slider to combat lefties, along with his changeup against righties. LHP Jake Drossner has the most electric stuff of the group, with a low-90s fastball that bumps 95 and the makings of a putaway slider, and his control is continuing to progress, though he still has work to do. Fellow lefty Willie Rios, a prized freshman, can reach 94 with his lively fastball and flashes an average slider, but thumb surgery over the summer put him a bit behind schedule. And another freshman, RHP Brian Shaffer, showed very good control with his 90-92 fastball and solid slider this fall.

Bullpen: 70. Maryland’s pitching depth should make its bullpen one of college baseball’s best. The unit has a rock-solid, battle-hardened closer in Mooney, who has 22 saves over the last two years. He has power stuff, with a fastball that reaches 94 and a true power curveball with sharp downer action. Maryland’s best arm belongs to Jr. LHP Alex Robinson, who showed 92-96 mph heat and a wipeout slider last summer in the New England Collegiate League, where he ranked as the top prospect. He is most comfortable in the bullpen, where he’ll team with Mooney to form a dynamite one-two punch. Junior Zach Morris gives this unit another lefty who can reach 90-plus, and junior Jared Price (coming back from a minor elbow procedure) is another good righty. Two or three of the Ruse/Stiles/Drossner/Rios/Shaffer group will also wind up in the loaded bullpen.

Experience/Intangibles: 65. The Terrapins embraced coach John Szefc’s blue-collar mentality last year, when they shocked the college baseball world by toppling mighty South Carolina in the Columbia Regional, then gave juggernaut Virginia all it could handle in the Charlottesville Super Regional. The 2015 Terrapins are loaded with seasoned veterans from that postseason run, and there is no shortage of toughness. This group has the experience and talent to get the Terps to Omaha for the first time ever.