Maryland pitching coach Jimmy Jackson first got to the program in mid-June 2023, coming to College Park after a successful eight-year run at James Madison.
Jackson had quite the full plate, needing to piece together an entirely new starting rotation after the Terps repeated as Big Ten regular-season champions in 2023 and won the conference tournament for the first time.
Quickly, he got a sense of who his No. 1 starter might be thanks to a tip from a few standouts from last season, namely Matt Shaw, Nick Lorusso and Luke Shliger.
“We were all hanging out and I asked them for the hell of it, ‘If you had to pick one returner, who’s the toughest kid on the mound?'” Jackson recalled. “Instantly, all three said ‘Kenny’ without skipping a beat.”
They were referring to Kenny Lippman, a McLean, Va., native who had just finished up his first season with the Terps after spending four years at Division III Denison University.
Primarily used as a starter with the Big Red, Lippman transitioned into a do-it-all pitcher for the Terps in 2023, throwing 57.1 innings across 31 appearances (three starts). The 6-foot-3, 200-pound right-hander posted a 4.40 ERA, struck out 56 and walked 30.
This came after an All-American season with Denison in 2022, when he went 7-1 with a 1.99 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 63.1 innings across 16 appearances (eight starts).
With one year of eligibility remaining entering the 2024 season, Lippman made his way back into the starting rotation, where he remained before shifting back to the bullpen in April.
“In the summer, I had set my goal to start on the weekend,” Lippman said. “In the fall, I could feel that I was being set up as a starter. About three weeks before the season, they decided that I was going to start on Fridays. … It hasn’t been too surprising. It’s been in the works all year.”
Maryland has had quite a few notable names slot into the Friday starter role recently, from Brian Shaffer to Mike Shawaryn to Hunter Parsons to Sean Burke to most recently, Jason Savacool.
All five pitchers were drafted by Major League Baseball organizations, with Shawaryn reaching the big leagues with the Boston Red Sox. Now, Lippman has the opportunity to add his name to that list.
“I’m very comfortable as a starter,” Lippman said. “I believe in my stuff as a starter.”
Lippman worked through the offseason and the fall to get himself prepared for a weekend starter role. The right-hander recently added a third pitch, a splitter, to his arsenal to help attack left-handed hitters more effectively, and it has given him an extra weapon along with his fastball and slider.
On a team like Maryland that has become one of the premier college baseball programs in the Northeast, earning that No. 1 spot in the rotation is proof of a top-end arm.
“There wasn’t one returning starter on the mound, let alone a weekend guy,” Jackson said. “We needed three brand new ones, so I was hoping a returner could take one of those and run with it. That’s what he’s done. … He had the mentality. He thought he could be a starter here. He wanted to be a starter.”
Jackson has also been impressed by Lippman’s poise on the mound and the process-oriented mentality he carries with him.
“He knows what works for him and when he’s off, he knows what’s off,” Jackson said. “At the end of the day, he’s got the best mentality because as long as our team wins the day he’s pitching, he’s good. … I think he does that every time he takes the ball.”
As Lippman established himself within Maryland’s weekend rotation, he has now gotten a chance to share the college experience with someone quite close to him: his brother, Hank, a right-handed pitcher at William & Mary. Lippman’s last season in college is Hank’s first.
“He’s been my project for years,” Lippman said. “We’ve played catch together, trained together, watched video. Really since COVID, we’ve trained together every offseason.”
The Terps and Tribe have faced off frequently on the diamond, typically playing at least one midweek game every season, but not this year. Regardless, Lippman has continued to show his excitement about watching his younger brother play college ball.
“I’m really proud of everything he’s been doing and will do,” Lippman said. “… I check the box scores every game. It’s really cool being able to check in on him at a high level.”
Back in College Park, a target is on the Terps’ backs given their success in recent seasons, but this year’s team is the one that Lippman thinks can get over the hump and get back to an NCAA super regional for the first time since 2015.
Maryland is 32-18 overall and 10-11 in the Big Ten entering play on May 11.
“We believe this is the team that can get through a regional, hopefully host a regional again,” Lippman said. “I’ve spent a long time in college baseball and I’m personally itching to get through a regional, just like a bunch of these guys are too. The program has been building up for a long time and this is the team to get it done.”
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Maryland Athletics
Originally published April 17, 2024. Updated May 9, 2024.