35-Year FSU HC Mike Martin: "This is the Best Maryland Baseball Team I've Seen"

by John Vittas

Originally Published for WMUC Sports (March 9, 2014)

FSU Hall of Fame coach Mike Martin was effusive in his praise for the 2014 Maryland baseball team, calling this year’s Terps squad the best in his long tenure at Florida State.

“This is the best Maryland team I’ve seen since we’ve been competing against Maryland,” Martin said. “And it’s John Szefc and his staff. You don’t fool ‘em. You don’t fool 'em. When DJ [Stewart] got picked off, I changed the sign. That’s how much respect I got for them.”

Martin played at FSU in the mid-1960s and has been the head coach for the past 35 seasons. He has been involved in 76 percent of the wins in the history of Florida State baseball. He has the most victories of any active coach in America (For Martin's full resume, click here)

Photo: John Vittas

“Maryland is a very impressive club,” Martin said with his thick southern drawl. “They’re going to be very, very tough this year.

Martin also complimented Maryland’s top two starting pitchers, Jake Stinnett and Mike Shawaryn, throughout the weekend. Shawaryn beat Martin’s No. 2 Seminoles on Saturday afternoon.

“We ran into a buzzsaw last night with Shawaryn. He was beautiful.”

The Terps (9-4, 1-2) return home losers in two out of three in Tallahassee, but with an impressive win against the country’s number two team. Boasting a 7-0 non-conference record, Maryland hosts Delaware on Tuesday at 4 p.m., which can be heard live here on WMUC Sports.

“They’re a good group of guys that do it right,” Martin said. “He [John Szefc] is to be commended. They’re on the right track.”

TO HEAR MARTIN'S FULL COMMENTS ON MARYLAND BASEBALL FROM SUNDAY'S PRESS CONFERENCE, CLICK HERE

FOR FULL WEEKEND COVERAGE OF THE MARYLAND / FSU SERIES, CLICK HERE

Terps Baseball Stuns No. 2 Florida Sate

by John Vittas

Originally Published for WMUC Sports (March 8, 2014)

by John Vittas

BOX SCORE

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

FULL BROADCAST

Mike Shawaryn pumped his fist and yelled into the Florida sunshine, demonstratively celebrating a crucial double play that stifled the seventh-inning Seminole rally, preserving Maryland’s 3-0 lead.

“It was a big play so I let loose a little bit there," Shawaryn said. “I’m composed in between the lines but after I step off the mound on those big plays, you can let a little emotion go."

The Terp freshman allowed only one run on five hits over seven and one-third innings in front of 4,800 fans at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee. He is now 4-0 with a 0.75 ERA, having beaten two nationally ranked teams in his first month of college baseball.

Terps Senior Kyle Convissar
Photo: John Vittas

“Shawaryn is extremely mature for his age and that’s why he’s had so much success,” Terps senior Kyle Convissar said. “He trusts his stuff and he knows what he’s capable of doing. He attacks the zone and he has a plan. It takes a special kind of guy to do that and I think he’s a special kind of guy.”

Convissar rocketed a two-run home run to left off Seminoles' starter Brandon Leibrandt in the fifth inning, giving Maryland that 3-0 lead.

“I got into a good count, 3-and-1 and I took advantage of it,” Convissar said. “Any time you hit a ball over the fence, it’s a one-of-a-kind feeling. I’m just happy to contribute back to the team.”

Maryland began the scoring early. Charlie White scored on Brandon Lowe’s RBI groundout in the first after Leibrandt fielded White’s bunt and threw it down the right field line to begin the afternoon. The score remained 1-0 until Convissar’s homer in the fifth. After Shawaryn’s dramatic double play, LaMonte Wade delivered a two-run double in the eighth, scoring Lowe and Michael Montville. Montville doubled down the line to begin the inning.

Alex Robinson got Maryland out of a jam in the eighth and Kevin Mooney struck out the side in the ninth to cap the big 5-1 win.

“It’s a great feeling," Shawaryn said. "As a team, this is a big win for us and the program. Just to come out here after the loss last night and dominate, it’s very special.”

Maryland (9-3, 1-1) is looking for its third consecutive winning season for the first time in 41 years, and has won nine of their first twelve to begin the year. The Terps earned votes in two of the four major polls earlier this week. A win against No. 2 Florida State again Sunday should put them into the top-25 for the first time in two years.

“Any time you can win at a place like this, it’s a big deal,” Convissar said. “But I think the fact that we played well today and with a lot of guys contributing, I think it shows that we have a pretty mature team. We have some momentum going into tomorrow.”

Jared Price (1-1, 5.27) will face off with FSU's Mike Compton (1-0, 2.70) in Sunday's rubber game. Coverage begins at 10:35 a.m. live from Tallahassee. You can hear the action by clicking here.

Additional Links

Mike Shawaryn Post-Game Interview

Kyle Convissar Post-Game Interview

Florida State's Video Recap of Saturday's Game, with Quotes from Mike Martin, Liebrandt and Brett Knief, along with the awesome video of Shawaryn's emotional reaction after the seventh-inning DP.

WHO IS MIKE SHAWARYN? WATCH THIS VIDEO TO GET TO KNOW HIM BETTER

Friday's Game Highlights

Mike Martin's Post-Game Press Conference after Friday's Win

Other Weekend Headlines from WMUC

Sunday - MIKE MARTIN: "THIS IS THE BEST MARYLAND TEAM I'VE SEEN"

Friday - STINNETT IMPRESSES SEMINOLES IN DEFEAT

Friday - TERPS DROP GAME ONE IN TALLAHASSEE

Thursday - STINNETT, TERPS HEAD INTO TALLAHASSEE CONFIDENT, READY FOR OPPORTUNITY

Thursday - TERPS NOT FAZED ABOUT FACING JAMEIS WINSTON, NO. 2 NOLES

Stinnett Impresses Seminoles in Defeat

by John Vittas

Originally Published for WMUC Sports (March 8, 2014)

Jake Stinnett took the loss against No. 2 Florida State Friday, but did win over the Florida State dugout.

"Coming into the game, we knew what he was about, how good of a pitcher he was," Seminoles starter Luke Weaver said. "He had a great night. The whole time I was just trying to compete with him and put up zeroes like he was. We just happened to get the edge."

At the onset of the FSU press conference, Hall of Fame head coach Mike Martin went out of his way to compliment the Terps' senior.

"I'll tell you what," Martin said. "Mister Stinnett was very impressive. He's got a good arm, a good breaking ball. He did a very good job."

Stinnett is 2-0 with 16 shutout innings at home so far in 2014, including a no-hitter against UMass Saturday. However, he is 0-2 with an ERA of 5.25 in the state of Florida this year. Both of those losses came against ranked teams, No. 20 Florida in the season opener and No. 2 Florida State in the ACC opener.

Terps Drop Game 1 in Tallahassee

by John Vittas

Originally Published for WMUC Sports (March 7, 2014)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - No. 2 Florida State beat Maryland 15-3 Friday night at Dick Howser Stadium.

“Anybody who sees the score of tonight’s game would think it was a laugher. It was far from that,” legendary Seminole head coach Mike Martin said.

The game was tied in the seventh inning before FSU scored 13 runs in their final two offensive innings. The six-run seventh began with back-to-back singles from Danny De La Calle and Josh Delph. The big blow in the inning came when freshman outfielder Ben DeLuzio cracked a bases-clearing triple to left-center, making the score 8-2.

“It was a well played baseball game and then a couple things happened and we took advantage of it,” Martin said.

Martin went on to compare DeLuzio’s speed to well-known NFL star Deion Sanders and St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Shane Robinson. Martin coached both of them at Florida State.

Luke Weaver earned the win, going seven innings for the Noles. He struck out eight and allowed just two runs on four hits.

“Luke Weaver pitched extremely well,” Martin said. “He was very dominating early. That was big time stuff.”

Game two of the three-game set begins at 2 p.m. Saturday. Coverage begins at 1:45 here on WMUC Sports. Mike Shawaryn will start for Maryland, with lefty Brandon Leibrandt pitching for Florida State.

Stinnett, Terps Head into Tallahassee Confident, Ready for Opportunity

by John Vittas

Originally published for WMUC Sports (March 7, 2014)

The Terps enter this weekend’s series at No. 2 Florida State confident and riding a seven-game winning streak. Maryland has outscored their opponents 43-12 over that span.

“Our pitching’s been really good, obviously,” head coach John Szefc said. “Our defense has been pretty flawless too, we’re just trying to get some guys comfortable at the plate. We’re a little bit inconsistent offensively.”

Maryland swept UMass over the weekend, outscoring the Minutemen 17-3. Senior ace Jake Stinnett highlighted the series with the school’s seventh no-hitter Saturday, striking out nine and walking only two in the process. The California native will pitch Friday night against No. 2 Florida State.

“I feel really good about this team,” Stinnett said. “The vibe is very good. I can tell that we have a lot of guys that are confident in their ability and confident in this team and that’s something that’s contagious out on the baseball field. I see a lot of good things coming in the future."

Maryland’s only two losses have come against a nationally-ranked Florida Gators team. In years past, stealing one of three from a ranked team would be considered a success. But this year’s team was not happy with the result.

“After Florida, we were kind of kicking ourselves because we knew we could play better,” freshman pitcher Mike Shawaryn said.

Teammates echo those type of expectations. The Terps aren’t starstruck heading into Tallahassee. Instead, they view the No. 2 Seminoles as just another team in the way.

“We just see it as another game,” Sunday starter Jared Price said. “We’re very confident. We started off the season hot and we continue to get better every day.”

This year’s team is looking to finish with a winning record for the third consecutive season for the first time in 41 years. But that’s not the only goal. Two wins this weekend against the nation’s number two team should get the Terps into the top-25 and the national spotlight, as people in the game will start to view Maryland as a legitimate contender.

Terps Not Fazed About Facing Jameis Winston, No. 2 Noles

by John Vittas

Originally Published on WMUC Sports (March 6, 2014)

The Terps' baseball team (8-2) is not intimidated by the prospect of facing Heisman trophy winner Jameis Winston and the second-ranked Florida State Seminoles this weekend in Tallahassee.

“He’s just another player we have to get through,” Sunday starter Jared Price said. “We just see it as another game. If we do our thing, we’ll win.

Winston hasn’t given up a run in six innings of relief this season. He’s also 3-for-7 at the plate, with a walk, double and RBI.

“After the game it’ll be cool [seeing Winston] during handshakes,” Saturday’s starting pitcher Mike Shawaryn said. “But once it’s in between the lines, it’s a game and you just revert back to the good old days of throwing strikes and playing baseball.”

Terps' Freshman Pitcher Mike Shawaryn Making an Impact

by John Vittas

Originally published for WMUC Sports (March 5, 2014)

Maryland freshman Mike Shawaryn strolls around practice like any other pitcher, laid back and unassuming. But when it comes time to work, Shawaryn's coolness is replaced with pinpoint focus. He doesn’t mess around.

“As a person, you can just tell he was someone who takes care of business, worked hard and was always on task,”
Terps’ senior ace Jake Stinnett said. “That was the first thing I noticed about him. He wanted to know exactly what he was doing that day, exactly what the practice plan was. He was here to work hard and really make an impact.”

Through three starts, Shawaryn has done just that. After beating No. 20 Florida on the road in his first career Division I outing, Shawaryn has posted eleven consecutive shutout innings, a streak that will be on the line against No. 2 Florida State this weekend.

“He has really good makeup, he doesn’t get messed up mentally,” Maryland head coach John Szefc said. “He can reset himself and get back in the zone quick. He’s pitched in big situations before he got here, he has a good feel for pitching in pressure situations and he’s the kind of kid who welcomes the pressure.”

Shawaryn won four Non-Public A state titles during his time at Gloucester Catholic in New Jersey, while also adding multiple All-American accolades and an American Legion World Series title to his resume. Perfect Game USA ranked him the No. 4 prospect in the state.

“He’s strong mentally,” sophomore catcher Kevin Martir said. “He’s the kind of kid who wants the ball. He’s the kind of kid who gets outs.”

And outs are exactly what Shawaryn has gotten, fifty of them to be exact, to go with just ten hits and three walks. All in all, Shawaryn has allowed only 14 base runners in 16 and two-thirds innings this season. Opponents are hitting just .172 off him, and in case you were wondering, his ERA is a stingy 0.54 (1 ER allowed).

Shawaryn’s father, Michael, played football at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania. The younger Michael believes growing up in an athletic family has facilitated his success.

“It helps you with determination and work ethic,” Shawaryn said. “When I was younger, I would just play all the sports. I think the biggest thing it really helped is my competitiveness and drive. And that is still instilled in me today, just the drive to get it done and get the W.”

Shawaryn has become well acquainted with 'the W,’ having earned wins in each of his first three collegiate starts. His pitching has improved since high school, but his mindset remains the same.

“At this level, it’s still baseball. You take what you know from your roots. Even back in Little League, just throw strikes and you’ll be successful."