Baseball working on focus

Coppin State, today's Terrapin baseball opponent, doesn't normally threaten any team it plays, especially an ACC team like the Terps.

After going 0-44 last season, including two blowout losses at the hands of the Terps, the Eagles have started this year 0-8 and are giving up an average of 15.6 runs per game.

But if you ask Terrapin players about preparing for today's match-up, they'll tell you straight-faced how important it is to be focused and playing their best.

"Anyone can beat any team on any given day," junior infielder and pitcher Jensen Pupa said. "We can't look forward to Florida State on the weekend. We have business to take care of [today]."

"We saw what can happen when you come out flat," senior center fielder Nick Jowers said in reference to last week's loss to Towson. "We're not thinking about anything else right now, we're going into it just like any other game."

The concern for not being focused can be traced back to Sunday's 6-5 loss to Hofstra, when the Terps failed at bunting base runners over three separate times, including the bottom of the ninth inning with runners on first and second, no outs and down a run.

At the end of yesterday's practice , coach Terry Rupp had his hitters work on bunting during a batting practice session.

"We missed big opportunities on Sunday," said Rupp. "I just thought we needed to work on it, so we were putting the emphasis on getting the bunts down."

After Sunday's loss, Rupp also cited defensive miscues that have plagued the Terp infield all season as an area for improvement.

It's possible that Rupp will re-shuffle the infield positioning for a third time in today's game.

Pupa, who normally plays first when not pitching, worked out at second in yesterday's practice. Regular catcher Chad Durakis was at first base while Mike Murphy was back at third, after playing second in all four games of the Hofstra series.

"I haven't made any decisions as of yet, but there may be some things," Rupp said about possible further defensive infield changes. "We're gonna try a lot of different combinations."

Even though the Terps tied a program record 25 hits in a 27-0 win over Coppin State in last season's first game against the Eagles and had five pitchers combine for a 12-0 no-hit win in the teams' second game, Rupp said the Terps need to play at a high level if they want to be ready for Florida State this weekend.

"We need to play well," Rupp said. "We need to play against ourselves, not our opponent if we're going to get ready for Florida State."

His players' echoed that message.

"You have to play every game the same no matter who you're playing," junior left fielder Gerry Spessard said. "Whether you're up 20 or you're down, every pitch you just got to play the same."

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