Maryland baseball’s 2024 season ended early after it missed the conference and national tournaments. However, there were a handful of players who should be honored for their performance this season.
Below are the Terps who stood out in each respective category.
Pitching Awards
Starter of the Year
Joey McMannis
Heading into the season, McMannis was not in Maryland’s starting rotation, but was inserted after two weeks for Meade Johnson. Despite not starting the first two and last two weeks due to illness, McMannis held down the fort for Maryland on Sundays and was Matt Swope’s most stable starter. This season, McMannis was 1-2 with a 5.0 ERA in 12 appearances and 48 ⅔ innings. He also had a 1.7 WHIP, gave up 51 hits, walked 30 batters, struck out 37 batters and gave up six home runs.
Reliever of the Year
Logan Berrier
Berrier was easily the best bullpen option for Maryland, and Swope called upon him in almost every important situation. The Terps’ closer in his only season in College Park, he had seven saves to go along with a 7-1 record. When Berrier came into the game, he was almost always successful. He only blew one save against Northwestern.
Freshman Pitcher of the Year
Evan Smith
This award came down to a two-man race between Smith and McMannis. Smith finished with a worse ERA due to a bad final appearance, but was still a pleasant surprise for Maryland. He made three starts — two of which were in place of McMannis at the end of the season — but was mostly a reliever. Heading into the season, there were no real expectations for Smith, so his production was a bonus for Maryland. He finished with a 1-2 record, a 5.2 ERA and a 1.6 WHIP in 15 appearances and 34 ⅓ innings.
Pitcher of the Year
Logan Berrier
To nobody’s surprise, Berrier was Maryland’s best pitcher in 2024. In 41 ⅔ innings and 20 appearances, Berrier had a 2.8 ERA and a 1.1 WHIP. He gave up 13 earned runs, did not surrender a home run and struck out 38 batters, while only walking 15. It is unclear what the future holds for Berrier, but he will not return to Maryland after he was honored on Senior Day. At 23 years old, Berrier may look to enter the MLB Draft this summer.
Honorable Mention
Kenny Lippman
Lippman did not fall into any of these categories because of his even distribution of starts and bullpen reliefs. He struggled throughout his time as the Friday night starter, but was really efficient once he was moved into the bullpen. The right-hander had a 4-4 record with a 4.55 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in nine starts and 18 appearances. Lippman was Maryland’s second-most used pitcher behind Logan Koester, throwing 65 ⅓ innings in his second and final season with the Terps.
Stat leaders:
ERA – Logan Berrier (2.8)
Wins – Logan Berrier (7)
WHIP – Logan Berrier (1.1)
Saves – Logan Berrier (7)
Innings pitched – Logan Koester (72)
Strikeouts – Kenny Lippman (64)
Opponent batting average – Andrew Johnson (.193)
Hitting awards
Freshman Hitter of the Year
Chris Hacopian
Maryland rostered a plethora of freshmen who had massive impacts on the team’s lineup, including Michael Iannazzo, Brayden Martin and Jordan Crosland, but one player shined brighter than the rest: Chris Hacopian. He was the obvious choice for freshman hitter of the year, as he was arguably Maryland’s most powerful bat and a force to be reckoned with at the top of the lineup. He was second on the team with a .323 batting average and 15 home runs this year. He also had 42 RBIs and a 1.009 OPS.
Clutch Hitter of the Year
Sam Hojnar
In his only season with Maryland, Hojnar was incredibly clutch after transferring from Iowa. He seemingly always came up with a huge home run when the Terps needed it and led the team with 16 long balls. He had four multi-home run games and also led the team with 57 RBIs.
Hitter of the Year
Eddie Hacopian
Maryland’s most reliable and best hitter was Eddie Hacopian. In fact, Swope dubbed him “Steady Eddie” for how consistent he was throughout the season. His .377 batting average, 83 hits, 51 RBIs, nine home runs and 1.047 OPS were all top three on the team. It will be interesting to see what his future holds in College Park. He is eligible to enter the MLB Draft, but also has additional years of college eligibility.
Stat leaders:
Batting average – Eddie Hacopian (.377)
Home runs – Sam Hojnar (16)
Hits – Eddie Hacopian (83)
RBIs – Sam Hojnar (57)
Walks – Kevin Keister (36)
OPS – Eddie Hacopian (1.047)
Slugging percentage – Chris Hacopian (.578)
On-base percentage – Eddie Hacopian (.474)
Big Ten Awards
The Big Ten had its own set of awards that saw multiple Terps take home honors. They are as follows:
First team All-Big Ten — Eddie Hacopian and Hojnar
Second team All-Big Ten — Berrier and Chris Hacopian
Big Ten All-Freshman — Chris Hacopian
Maryland’s Sportsmanship Award — Jacob Orr
Overall Awards
Freshman of the Year
Chris Hacopian
Chris Hacopian was one of the best freshmen in the country and one of Maryland’s most impactful players. He has a bright future in baseball after a brilliant first season in College Park.
Defensive Player of the Year
Elijah Lambros
With a .993 fielding percentage and big defensive presence in center field, Lambros was Maryland’s best defensive player. He committed only one error on the season and made 134 putouts in 2024.
Most Improved
Brayden Martin
Despite being a freshman, Martin improved immensely throughout the season. He had multiple walk-off hits and was a force in the top half of Maryland’s lineup. Martin even hit his first career home run in the final game of the season, something he had been vying for the entire year.
Team MVP
Eddie Hacopian
Eddie Hacopian was massive for the Terps in the top of Maryland’s order, leading the Terps in four statistical categories. Without him, Maryland would not have even been in contention for the Big Ten Tournament.
