After two years of heartbreak at the regional tournament the Maryland Terps, lead by head coach Rob Vaughn, hopes to lead his program to their first national championship in program history. The Maryland Terps were ranked 13th in the D1 preseason rankings which were the highest rankings ever in the history of Maryland baseball. Expectations were high for the upcoming season and with impact players returning like number 1 ranked shortstop in the nation Matt Shaw and number 2 ranking catcher Luke Shlinger there seemed to be no reason why the Terrapins couldn’t fulfill these expectations. At the start of the season however those expectations were seeming to be unfulfilled as the Terps started the year 4-7. The competition was tough but the Terps quickly fell out of the rankings after the slow start and questions began being raised about the pitching for the squad which had been a previous strength but this year seemed far away from the constancy you see in powerhouse teams. The Terps quickly turned the corner and went 13-2 in their next 15 games and showed that they were the real deal. In the later half of the season they were being nationally recognized as the best hitting team in the nation and would average over 8 runs a game. The pitching was still highly questionable but wins kept rolling in as the Terrapins would end the year 37-19 and 17-7 in conference. This landed them the title of Big Ten regular season champions and secured the 1 seed for them in the Big Ten Tournament. So far in that tournament they have won 2 very close games and have shown composure in high tension situations. This is due in some part because of the recently announced Big Ten Player of the Year, Matt Shaw. The shortstop had a record breaking year landing Maryland’s single season homerun record and career home run record. He is a sure 1st round draft pick and is well respected around the country on and off the field. We cannot however overlook the achievement of Nick Larusso who now holds the career RBI record for Maryland Baseball and was the cornerstone 3 hitter of the perennial offense. If Maryland wins the tournament they are in contention of landing the 1 seed for a regional tournament. The region tournament however has been the kryptonite of the back to back Big Ten Coach of the Year. 2 years in a row Coach Vaughn has failed to hit the mark in the championship game as East Carolina and Uconn have shattered the souls of Maryland fans around the country. This however could be different. The offense as previously mentioned is simply unstoppable. The team could easily win shootouts against almost any team in the nation, the problem lies if this strategy will work further into the playoffs. This question however has left to be answered. Goodluck to the Maryland Terrapins on their road to the natty.