With its home schedule complete, the Virginia softball team will head to College Park this weekend for a three-game series against Maryland.
Virginia (13-31, 4-11 ACC) will come into the game more rested than usual, as it did not play a midweek doubleheader this week, as it has for most of the season. The Cavaliers used their extra practice time to work on "basics and fundamentals," coach Eileen Schmidt said.
"Just staying sharp defensively and continuing to stay fundamentally sound," Schmidt said when asked where the Cavaliers will focus their efforts this weekend. "Swinging-wise getting back on track. We didn't swing great [Sunday]. And getting on the corners pitching-wise, getting some ground balls. Because when we do pretty well defensively, if we can get ground balls to our infield and some easy fly balls to our outfield, it makes it pretty easy."
Virginia will look to capitalize on a Maryland team that has played inconsistently this season, especially during conference play. The Terrapins (30-14, 4-8 ACC) have the third-best overall record in the ACC but are sitting in fifth place in the conference standings because of their mediocre conference record.
"They're kind of up and down like we are," Schmidt said. "They can get just as hot as everybody else because they did play a very good preseason, early schedule."
The Terrapins and the Cavaliers have played many of the same opponents this season. Recently Maryland took two of three games from Florida State -- a team that swept Virginia earlier this season -- and swept a doubleheader with Georgetown. The Hoyas shut out Virginia in the only meeting between the two teams this year.
In its last ACC matchup, however, Maryland lost two of three to N.C. State, whereas Virginia took two of three from the Wolfpack earlier this season.
After the series with N.C. State, Penn State swept Maryland in a doubleheader Wednesday, so the Terrapins will come into Charlottesville having lost three in a row and four of their last five.
Despite the Terrapins' recent slump, the Cavaliers know they must play up to their potential.
"Maryland's always a tough team to play," senior Meghan O'Leary said. "They're not doing as well as they have in the past couple of years. But they're always a tough team to play and we definitely don't need to take their record for granted, because they can do some damage."
Despite their conference record, the Terrapins have often played very well while losing in close contests. In Maryland's 14 losses this season, eight have come in games decided by two runs or fewer. A key to Maryland's strength in these games has been strong pitching; the Terrapins' team ERA sits at just 2.20, and opponents are batting only .197 against the pitching staff.
"I ... expect strong, good solid pitching with scrappy defense and good hitters," Schmidt said. "They've always had hitters."
Though Maryland has consistent hitters, the Terrapins have only 12 home runs, compared to Virginia's 23.? The team, however, does make its hits count inside the fences, with 16 team triples and 43 doubles. The number of extra-base hits means that, despite the home run disparity, Maryland has a team slugging percentage five points higher than Virginia's.
With Maryland and Boston College the only two remaining ACC series on the Cavaliers' schedule, O'Leary believes winning will help more than just the team's record.
"I think we need these next two weekends to go well for us," she said. "We need to get our confidence back. We need to know that we can compete in the conference and [that] we are a good team"
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