Three months ago, the Maryland baseball team traveled to Minneapolis for a weekend tournament featuring a couple ofopponents at the time ranked in the top 10. With an opportunity to collect résumé-fortifying victories, the Terrapins instead got swept and dipped three games below .500.
It marked the nadir in the early going for a program that began the season ranked No. 13 with aspirations of perhaps a first-ever berth in the College World Series. So senior third baseman Nick Lorusso, typically understated in his demeanor, took it upon himself to deliver a reassuring message to Coach Rob Vaughn.