Heading into the 2026 season, freshman Ty Kaunas was named the Just Baseball’s Preseason Big Ten Freshman of the Year. During the fall, he had a .400 batting average and hit six home runs. On Saturday, Kaunas validated his preseason honors, blasting his first career home run against USC.
The shortstop stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the fifth inning with Aden Hill on first. On the 1-1 pitch, the freshman launched a 444-foot home run over the left field wall to give Maryland a one-run lead
over the Trojans.
That shot was the difference Saturday as the Terps took down No. 12 USC, 6-4, to even the series — and give the team their first ranked win of the season.
After the Trojans scored 10 runs in the first three innings of Game 1, left-handed pitcher Evan Smith only gave up two runs in the five innings he pitched. Smith had his best game of the season, throwing 103 pitches — his most this season in the most innings he’s pitched.
“He can build on the outing today, and have confidence after last week,” said head coach Matt Swope. “Hopefully we’ll see a steady dose of more of these quality starts.”
In the top of the second, USC’s Jack Basseer made his way onto base after being walked by Evans, later advancing to second on a wild pitch. Auggie Lopez then grounded out to David Mendez at second base, but Basseer made his way to third. Dean Carpentier slammed an RBI double off the left field wall to bring home Basseer and take a 1-0 lead.
Meanwhile, the Terps’ bats were solid on Saturday, recording 10 hits.
In the bottom of the second, catcher Rylen Stockton singled up the middle to get onto base with one out. After sophomore Paul Jones II drove a liner directly to right field, freshman Bud Coombs smashed a line drive that looked like it was heading to right-center field, but second baseman Abbrie Covarrubias made a leaping effort to snag the final out.
But Covarrubias was given a taste of his own medicine after Jones II made a similar leaping catch at first to record the first out of the third inning. Neither team scored throughout the frame.
USC extended its lead in the top of the fourth after designated hitter Auggie Lopez smashed a homer over the center field wall with two outs.
The Terps quickly stopped the Trojans from extending their lead and kicked off the bottom of the fourth by scoring their first run. Junior David Mendez hit a line drive right down the middle to get on base. Stockton subsequently popped out to right field just inches away from the wall, and Jones II lined out to first base.
Coombs then stepped up to the plate and recorded his second RBI of the series on a single to center, bringing home Mendez.
Maryland recorded its first error of the day in the top of the fifth after sophomore Jackson Sirois threw too high to Jones II at first, allowing Covarrubias to advance to third. Mendez ended the inning quickly with a routine play at second to leave the Trojans scoreless.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Terps took the lead after Kaunas’ two-run home run.
Cristofer Cespedes took the mound for Smith in the sixth and kept the Trojans scoreless, recording two strikeouts with two runners on.
USC tied up the game in the bottom of the seventh, 3-3. Richard Tejeda singled to right-center field and was brought home after Adrian Lopez blasted a line drive to the same spot.
The Terps extended their lead in the bottom of the seventh, with the team’s first three hitters slamming two home runs. Freshman right-handed pitcher Diego Velazquez had taken the mound in place of starting pitcher Grant Govel, who ranks fifth in the nation with an ERA of 0.69 and was undefeated prior to the game.
“Those two starters they have are gonna be two of the best in the country, statistically they are two of the best in the country,” Swope said. “So to compete like we did yesterday, getting that guy out in 4.1 innings, he’s gone six plus every start.”
On the 2-2 count, Sirois launched his first home run as a Terp over the center field wall. The sophomore’s home run was followed by Velazquez walking Aden Hill. Brayden Martin then stepped to the plate and notched his first home run of the season — giving Maryland a 6-3 lead.
“We’ve obviously struggled a bit, so it was good to kind of have a big moment to help the team,” Sirois said.
Logan Hastings took the mound in the top of the eighth for Cespedes. Between the two, only two runs total were allowed, three walks, and five strikeouts.
The Trojans only scored one run in the bottom of the ninth but failed to catch up to the Terps– marking Maryland’s first ranked win and USC’s third loss of the season.
Maryland looks to take home the series victory Sunday at 1 p.m.
“I think we’ve gone toe-to-toe all week with some of the best teams in the country, we’ve just got to come out from the series tomorrow,” Swope said.
Three things to know
1. “The games in the first inning,” Swope stated Friday night after USC’s four-run first inning. Saturday proved the importance of the first inning after USC wasn’t allowed any runs and only one Trojan made their way onto base.
2. Countless firsts for Maryland. Three Terps recorded their first home runs of the season. Kaunas notched his first career homer while Martin claimed his first of the season and Sirois his first with Maryland. Evan Smith recorded a season high of 103 pitches while playing his most innings in a game this season.
3. A new rivalry? This weekend marked the first time the Terps and Trojans have faced in their two years being in the same conference. Maryland hasn’t made it easy for the No. 12 ranked team in the country.
