Maryland Baseball Announces Challenging 2027 Schedule Featuring Ole Miss, Coastal Carolina and UCLA
By Brian Hradsky
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — The University of Maryland baseball program officially announced its 2027 schedule Wednesday, October 14, featuring a challenging collection of nonconference opponents and a demanding Big Ten Conference slate. The Terrapins will open the season February 19 with a three-game road series against Ole Miss before facing several established college baseball programs throughout the spring. Maryland will also welcome UCLA, Michigan State, Illinois, Rutgers and Ohio State to Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium as the program looks to rebound from a disappointing 2026 conference campaign.
Maryland will enter the upcoming season looking to improve on its 9-21 Big Ten record from 2026, a year in which the Terrapins struggled to establish consistency against conference competition. Head coach Matt Swope and his staff have assembled a schedule that should provide an early indication of how much the program has improved. With difficult road trips, competitive conference series and several matchups against regional opponents, Maryland will have plenty of opportunities to demonstrate its progress.
Difficult Nonconference Schedule Opens the Season
The Terrapins will begin their 2027 campaign in Oxford, Mississippi, where they will face Ole Miss in a three-game series February 19-21. Maryland will then travel to Delaware on February 23 before heading south to Conway, South Carolina, for three games against Coastal Carolina from February 26-28. These early matchups will provide valuable tests for a Maryland team hoping to establish momentum before conference play begins.
Maryland will play its first home game March 2 against Georgetown before traveling to East Carolina for another challenging three-game series March 5-7. The Terrapins will return to College Park to host UMBC on March 9, followed by their Big Ten opener against Michigan State from March 12-14. The opening month features limited opportunities for Maryland to settle into a comfortable home routine, making early pitching depth and consistent offensive production particularly important.
The Terrapins will also face Delaware on March 16 at Meritus Park in Hagerstown, home of the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars. Additional nonconference games include meetings with Richmond, George Washington, George Mason, Georgetown and UMBC. Maryland will also host Winthrop for a three-game series May 14-16, providing one final nonconference weekend before the regular season concludes.
Big Ten Schedule Features Major Home Matchups
Maryland will begin Big Ten competition at home against Michigan State from March 12-14 before traveling to Northwestern for a three-game series March 19-21. One of the most anticipated home weekends will follow when UCLA visits College Park from March 26-28. The Bruins’ arrival gives Maryland an opportunity to measure itself against another prominent program in the expanded Big Ten Conference.
The Terrapins will open April with a conference road series at Penn State from April 2-4 before returning home to face Illinois from April 9-11. Maryland will then travel to Purdue from April 16-18 and host Rutgers from April 23-25. Those consecutive conference weekends could play a significant role in determining whether Maryland can improve its position in the Big Ten standings.
Maryland will face another major challenge when it travels across the country to Eugene, Oregon, for a three-game series against Oregon from April 30 through May 2. The Terrapins will then host Ohio State from May 7-9 in their final home conference series. Maryland concludes its regular season with three games at Indiana from May 20-22, giving the program a demanding finish before postseason competition.
Maryland Rivals Highlight Midweek Matchups
Several familiar Maryland opponents appear on the schedule, including Navy, Towson and UMBC. The Terrapins will host Navy on April 20 before welcoming Towson to College Park on April 21. Maryland will then make the return trip to Towson on May 11, giving the two programs another opportunity to compete in a regional matchup.
These games will provide additional opportunities for Maryland to build its overall record while facing programs familiar to local baseball fans. The midweek contests will also challenge the Terrapins’ pitching staff, particularly during stretches featuring consecutive conference weekends. Maintaining enough healthy and effective pitchers for both midweek games and Big Ten series will be an important factor throughout the season.
Returning Offensive Talent Gives Maryland Reasons for Optimism
Despite its struggles in conference play last season, Maryland returns several productive offensive contributors who could play important roles in 2027. David Mendez headlines the returning group after batting .348 with a 1.005 OPS across 29 Big Ten games during the 2026 season. His performance against conference competition provides Maryland with an established offensive contributor heading into the spring.
Rylen Stockton also returns after batting .295 with a .928 OPS in 38 games last season. Jackson Sirois adds another productive bat after finishing 2026 with a .299 batting average and .966 OPS. Together, the three returning players provide an offensive foundation that Maryland can build around as it attempts to improve its consistency.
The Terrapins also strengthened their roster through the transfer portal, adding Jackson Logar from Mississippi State, Andrew Middleton from West Virginia and Charley Magoulick from Rider. These additions should increase competition for playing time and give the coaching staff more options when constructing its lineup. How quickly the newcomers adjust to Maryland’s system could influence the team’s early-season performance against difficult nonconference opponents.
Important Dates on Maryland’s 2027 Schedule
| Dates | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Feb. 19-21 | Ole Miss | Away |
| Feb. 26-28 | Coastal Carolina | Away |
| March 2 | Georgetown | Home opener |
| March 5-7 | East Carolina | Away |
| March 12-14 | Michigan State | Home |
| March 26-28 | UCLA | Home |
| April 9-11 | Illinois | Home |
| April 20 | Navy | Home |
| April 21 | Towson | Home |
| April 23-25 | Rutgers | Home |
| April 30-May 2 | Oregon | Away |
| May 7-9 | Ohio State | Home |
| May 11 | Towson | Away |
| May 14-16 | Winthrop | Home |
| May 20-22 | Indiana | Away |
MSB Take
Maryland’s 2027 schedule is challenging, but that is exactly the kind of competition the Terrapins need after struggling through Big Ten play last season. Opening against Ole Miss, Coastal Carolina and East Carolina will immediately test the roster, while conference matchups against UCLA and Oregon should provide an indication of where Maryland stands against some of the league’s stronger programs. The returning offensive production is encouraging, but the Terrapins will need improved pitching, defensive consistency and better execution in close games to make a meaningful jump in the standings.
The matchups against Navy and Towson also add local interest to a schedule that includes several significant road trips. Maryland has enough returning offensive talent to be competitive, but translating individual statistics into consistent team success will be the biggest challenge for Swope and his coaching staff. If the Terrapins can establish a reliable pitching rotation and improve their performance in conference series, the 2027 season could represent an important step toward restoring Maryland’s position as a competitive Big Ten baseball program.
