ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Following a tough week of Patriot League action, the Navy baseball team (20-21, 12-10 PL) looks to get back on track Wednesday evening when it hosts Maryland Eastern Shore (12-26, 9-9 NEC) in a 5 p.m. non-conference showdown at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.
 
Wednesday's matchup begins the penultimate week of the regular season for the Midshipmen, as Navy wraps league play this weekend at Lehigh (April 29-30) before welcoming non-conference foes George Mason (May 3) and Elon (May 6-7) to Annapolis next week.
 
Series History
Navy is 35-5 in its all-time series with Maryland Eastern Shore … The Mids have won their last 12 meetings with the Hawks … Navy is 8-2 in its last 10 home games against Eastern Shore, with the Hawks making their first trip to Annapolis since March 8, 2018 … That 2018 contest at Max Bishop Stadium saw Navy capture a 16-1 victory behind three-hits games from Jacob Williamson and Stephen Born, while seven innings of one-run ball from starter Tommy Goodridge held the Hawks' bats in check … The teams' first meeting this season featured a season-high 18 runs and 21 hits from Navy en route to a 18-11 win over the Hawks in Salisbury, as Nick Burch, Kyle Rausch and Logan Keller all tallied four-hit, four-RBI contests for the Mids.
 
Navy Notables vs. Eastern Shore
Batting .600 in his career against Eastern Shore, junior Logan Keller has collected eight RBI in just two games while doubling twice … Junior Zane Raba has also mashed against the Hawks, hitting .556 in two starts and tallying five runs scored while homering in 2022 and doubling earlier this season … Senior Alex Smith holds a .308 average against UMES in three career appearances, racking up two doubles and scoring six times … Despite junior Eduardo Diaz recording just two hits in nine at-bats against the Hawks, both of those hits were doubles while also walking twice.
 
Last Time Out
Navy dropped all three games of the 2023 Star series to rival Army over the weekend in Annapolis, as the Mids could not overcome the league-leading Black Knights … Despite home runs from seniors Nick Burch and Kyle Rausch in the opener, Navy could not stop Army's power hitters from hitting four homers themselves in an 11-4 Black Knights win … Game 2 of the series saw Navy attempt a late rally on a two-run double from junior Eduardo Diaz, but Army held on for a 3-2 victory that clinched the Star for West Point … The series finale featured four first-inning runs for Army on the way to a 10-0 run-rule victory that secured the season sweep over the Mids despite two hits from Navy senior Colin Smith.
 
Diaz Dazzling with Bat and Glove
Junior shortstop Eduardo Diaz has been a force in the field and at the plate for Navy this season, ranking second on the team with a .305 batting average and third at a .987 fielding percentage … Diaz has also reached base at a team-leading .429 percentage in part due to a team-best 21 walks while doubling seven times and starting all 41 games for Navy … At shortstop, Diaz has committed just two errors all season and has a league-high 112 fielding assists while helping turn 22 double plays … Diaz has also been one of the toughest players to strike out in the PL, ranking third in the league and 78th nationally at 9.4 plates at-bats per strikeout … In 16 games during the month of April, Diaz has put together a .364 batting average over 55 at-bats and has drawn nine walks to post a .470 on-base clip, adding on five doubles along with seven runs scored and seven RBI.
 
Colin Turning it on Late
Despite struggling for the first month of the season, senior outfielder Colin Smith has come on in his last eight appearances with a .333 average over 24 at-bats, tallying three doubles and one homer in that span while accounting for four runs scored and four RBI … The senior has also hit well since Patriot League play began, batting .295 in-conference over 20 games played while homering three times to go with five doubles … In Navy's past 25 games, Smith has hit .279 while appearing in 22 of those 25 contests and slugging at a .485 clip.
 
Scouting Eastern Shore
The Hawks are 3-4 since playing Navy two weeks ago, winning two out of three games at conference foe Wagner before falling at UMBC last Tuesday and then dropping two of three at Mount St. Mary's this past weekend … Despite a 12-26 overall record, Eastern Shore has played .500 baseball in Northeast Conference action, including a three-game sweep of Coppin State back on April 6-8 … Batting a team-high .350 and slugging at a .571 clip, Brantley Cutler also paces the Hawks with 10 doubles, seven homers and 40 RBI … Hitting .256 to rank second on the team, Alex McCoy has leads the team with 24 runs scored and 15 stolen bases … Pitching to a 5.22 ERA in a team-leading 69 innings over 10 starts, Noah Covington ranks second in the nation at 0.65 walks per nine innings and third nationally with a 9.80 strikeout-to-walk ratio … Caden Parker's NEC-leading seven saves highlight a campaign that has seen the UMES closer record a 2.61 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 20.2 innings pitched.
 
Up Next
Navy heads to league rival Lehigh for a three-game set on April 29-30 that will wrap up the Mids' Patriot League regular season slate. Saturday's doubleheader is set for a noon start, while the series finale on Sunday is also slated for first pitch at noon.