Last year, Maryland won the regular-season Big Ten title but came up short in the league tournament.
This year, the regular-season champs finished, claiming the Big Ten baseball tournament title by beating Iowa 4-0 Sunday in the final at Schwab Field.
The Terrapins won all four of their tournament games, with Nick Lorusso being named the tournament’s MVP.
“We just played a much better brand of baseball this time,” Maryland coach Rob Vaughn said. “Last year, we were in a position to host (a regional). I think we kind of knew that going into the week, (and) we just didn’t play the same level of competitive baseball as we did this week. So great experience, really proud of our kids this weekend.”
Pitching and defense ruled early Sunday.
The Hawkeyes had runners on the corners in the second but couldn't score. Maryland loaded the bases in the third and also came up empty.
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Iowa had two on with no outs in the top of the fourth after back-to-back walks, but Brayden Frazier grounded into a double play and Cade Moss followed with another groundout to end the inning.
The Terps finally broke the deadlock in the fifth.
After a leadoff walk to Jacob Orr, Kevin Keister launched a two-run blast into the left-field bullpen. Three batters later, Lorusso homered to the same spot to give the Terrapins a 3-0 lead.
In the sixth, Maryland reliever Kenny Lippman continued to shut down the Hawkeyes, retiring them in order for the second consecutive frame.
The Terrapins, meanwhile, used their half of the inning to extend the lead.
Eddie Hacopian hit a leadoff double off the right-field wall before Orr came through with a two-out RBI single to score Hacopian.
Iowa’s offensive lull continued in the seventh and eighth, as reliever Dave Falco recorded five consecutive outs.
“I had a good fastball this week. It was really working, and (I) just kind of let that do its job,” Falco said. “I felt like my command wasn’t as great as it has been, so just being able to let that fastball go and let it work was a big key to my success this weekend.”
Raider Tello notched Iowa’s first hit since his double in the third inning to lead off the ninth. That would be all the Hawkeyes would get, however, as Falco locked in and got the final three outs to cap another solid pitching performance from Terrapins during the tourney.
“Definitely a sweet feeling knowing that this is our conference, both regular season and tournament,” Lorruso said. “I think it’s definitely a big momentum shift. The pitching came alive and the hitting came alive late, so as long as we continue that, I feel like whatever regional we’re in is going to be a show.”
The Terrapin offense totaled six hits and four walks while Iowa notched five hits and four walks.
Lippman picked up the win after three scoreless innings while Jack Whitlock got the loss.
Maryland is NCAA tournament bound again while Iowa is a near-lock to receive an at-large bid. The regional pairings will be announce at 11 a.m. Monday during the NCAA selection show.
Despite its tourney championship, Maryland has a strong chance of being on the road for regionals. But the Terps won’t be fazed no matter where they play.
“If we’re at home, we’ll be fired up. More than likely, I think we’ll be on the road somewhere,” Vaughn said. “And, you know, this team’s kind of getting used to being good on the road. They’ve rung the bell every time they’ve been asked and we’ll get an opportunity to do that this weekend.”