Duke Baseball 2016

[chrishoke]

Duke doubled home a run in the bottom of the tenth this afternoon to beat #10 California 6-5! Yesterday the opened the season with a 5-2 loss to Cal. Nice start to the year.

[weezie]

Good news. I'd love to catch a game this spring.

[ThrowItAround]

Can you buy beer at DBAP when Duke is playing? Pretty sure you can't, anyone know?

[chrishoke]

The Devils with their 2nd consecutive walk off win, beating 10th ranked California today 5-4. Unbelievable start for our guys.

[awhom111]

We very well could have won the first game too.

Sneaky of us to make sure the last two games were nice and early in the morning Pacific Time.

[BlueDevil14]

Can you buy beer at DBAP when Duke is playing? Pretty sure you can't, anyone know?

Yes- you can buy beer! Limited selection, but great perk nonetheless. Surprised we don't have more fans at these games. They are a blast! Kids can run around, beer served, great baseball - what else could you want?
Really impressive weekend. Cal was good- legit top ten team.

[chrishoke]

Your next chance to buy beer and enjoy Duke Baseball at the DBAP is Tuesday at 4:00 against Campbell. Go Devils! Go Beer!

[devildeac]

Your next chance to buy beer and enjoy Duke Baseball at the DBAP is Tuesday at 4:00 against Campbell. Go Devils! Go Beer!

And, if you didn't like the selection at the DBAP, you could visit Tyler's, Bull City Burger or Fullsteam a few blocks away before/after the game.

Take me out to the ball park...

[BlueDevil14]

And, if you didn't like the selection at the DBAP, you could visit Tyler's, Bull City Burger or Fullsteam a few blocks away before/after the game.

Take me out to the ball park...

AND, all midweek games are free!

[chrishoke]

Duke shuts out Campbell 4-0 this afternoon for a great 3-1 start to the season. Keep it up Devils.

[richmclean]

Driving up to Duke from Wrightsville Beach on March 19 to see Duke LAX vs. Georgetown on Saturday and Duke Baseball vs. UNC-CHeat on Sunday at DBAP. Get 'em Duke!

[chrishoke]

I may be the only one who cares, but Duke beat Ohio State today 8-1. That pushes their record to 4-1. Dougherty hit his first home run then proceeded to hit 2 more for the trifecta. No one was tripped.

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=210750187&DB_OEM_ID=4200

[dukie’s_daughter]

Please keep posting baseball updates!! Especially victories. :-)

[DukieInKansas]

Please keep posting baseball updates!! Especially victories. :-)

What she said!

Plus, OSU losing in anything is ok - my father raised me that way.

[ThrowItAround]

Awesome, Go Duke!!

[chrishoke]

Well, at least Seth Curry may be happy as Liberty ends Duke's four game winning streak today with a 1-0 win over the Devils.

[chrishoke]

The Duke nine got back to their winning ways after a two game losing streak with a 9-2 win Tuesday over the scholars of Davidson. Duke is now 5-3 for the year.

[Bob Green]

Duke beat Toledo 2-1 tonight to improve to 6-4 on the season. Game two of the three game series is tomorrow at 5 pm with game three being Sunday at 1 pm. This series is being played at DBAP.

[chrishoke]

We really need our bats to wake up. Go Devils.

[chrishoke]

Duke improves to 8-4 on the year with the weekend sweep of Toledo. Today's game was a 3-2 nail-biter. The final 2 outs were recorded with the tying run on third.

[BlueDevil14]

Pretty cool to be listed as the #8 team in this article, even though I'm not sure how scientific the process was...
http://college.usatoday.com/2016/03/04/top-men-division-i-schools-for-mens-baseball/
Only 1 other ACC school on the list!

[sagegrouse]

Pretty cool to be listed as the #8 team in this article, even though I'm not sure how scientific the process was...
http://college.usatoday.com/2016/03/04/top-men-division-i-schools-for-mens-baseball/
Only 1 other ACC school on the list!

Here's a couple of intro paragraphs from the article:


It’s time to think of your future in baseball. Where will it take you? Around the country? Around the world? It can certainly take you to college. If you never get called up from the farm system, you need an education. Your baseball scholarship can provide you with a great degree.

College Factual is here to help. We ranked the best baseball programs in the nation by athletic competitiveness, academic quality, return on investment and leadership. View the whole ranking here, and learn more about our rankings methodology here.
Vandy is #1; the other ACC team listed is Miami.

[DU82]

Too bad baseball is the one sport where unless you have pro talent, you're not going to get a full ride. 30 or so players, I believe 13.5 scholarships to spread around.

[chrishoke]

After a great start to the year, we are are once again losing to bad teams with an anemic offense. Yesterday's loss was 2-1 to Penn State, lowering our record to 8-5. :mad:

[chrishoke]

The anemic offense continues with a listless 6-0 loss at home to Virginia in our ACC opener.

[chrishoke]

The scoring-challenged Duke nine made a 2-0 first inning lead stand up for an important 3-0 win over 14th ranked Virginia to avoid the sweep at home. The 9-7 Devils really need to build on this. Plate more runs Devils! Let's go!

[chrishoke]

Duke breaks out the bats and wins 2 out of 3 at 18th ranked Georgia Tech, including a 10-4 win today.

[chrishoke]

Duke continued it's hot streak, winning 6 out of 7, after downing #18 Clemson last night in Durham 5-3. The Devils improved to 16-14 and 5-8 in the league. They lead Clemson today in the 5th 2-0. Go Devils.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Duke continued it's hot streak, winning 6 out of 7, after downing #18 Clemson last night in Durham 5-3. The Devils improved to 16-14 and 5-8 in the league. They lead Clemson today in the 5th 2-0. Go Devils.
Final score?!!!?

[jimsumner]

Final score?!!!?

Clemson scored twice in the top of the ninth to win 3-2.

[chrishoke]

Clemson scored twice in the top of the ninth to win 3-2.

That one hurts. Duke was one out away from the win.

[devildeac]

Clemson scored twice in the top of the ninth to win 3-2.

That's not the score we wanted :( .

[jimsumner]

That's not the score we wanted :( .

Well, there's nothing inherently wrong with a 3-2 score. :)

[killerleft]

Didn't we lose to Clemson by the score of 3-2 once upon a time in football?

[TruBlu]

Didn't we lose to Clemson by the score of 3-2 once upon a time in football?

Yep, I was there. If I remember correctly, it was a game where we marched up and down the field only to fumble every opportunity in the red zone. I think we had something like 6 fumbles . . . about 5 of them by our fullback, Jay Calabrese (spelling?).

[chrishoke]

Yep, I was there. If I remember correctly, it was a game where we marched up and down the field only to fumble every opportunity in the red zone. I think we had something like 6 fumbles . . . about 5 of them by our fullback, Jay Calabrese (spelling?).

I still have his chin strap from a game that year.

[chrishoke]

Duke puts the heartbreak of yesterday behind them and comes through with a come from behind 2-1 series winner over 18th ranked Clemson today. Mcafee (sp?) with his 2nd complete game won of the year. Duke goes to 6-9 in the conference.

[jimsumner]

Brian McAfee and Kellen Urbon are grad-student transfers from Cornell. McAfee has next-level talent.

[devildeac]

Duke puts the heartbreak of yesterday behind them and comes through with a come from behind 2-1 series winner over 18th ranked Clemson today. Mcafee (sp?) with his 2nd complete game won of the year. Duke goes to 6-9 in the conference.


Brian McAfee and Kellen Urbon are grad-student transfers from Cornell. McAfee has next-level talent.

Now that's the score I wanted to see.

:D

[chrishoke]

Duke upped its season record to 19-15 with two non conference wins this week. Number 1 Miami comes to Durham this weekend for a three game set. Sure would be nice to steal a game or two. Go Devils!

[rtnorthrup]

Too bad baseball is the one sport where unless you have pro talent, you're not going to get a full ride. 30 or so players, I believe 13.5 scholarships to spread around.

Is this fairly comparable among all ACC schools, or do other schools put more scholarships into baseball?

[BlueDevil14]

Is this fairly comparable among all ACC schools, or do other schools put more scholarships into baseball?

Maximum of 11.7 scholarships for all NCAA D1 teams. Duke does fully fund those 11.7, but I think this is one area where Duke is at a marked disadvantage. A 50 or even 75% scholarship to Duke still creates a huge financial burden to many families.

I hope we can get some good crowds out to the games this weekend vs. Miami. Weather looks great for all 3.

[aswewere]

Maximum of 11.7 scholarships for all NCAA D1 teams. Duke does fully fund those 11.7, but I think this is one area where Duke is at a marked disadvantage. A 50 or even 75% scholarship to Duke still creates a huge financial burden to many families.

I hope we can get some good crowds out to the games this weekend vs. Miami. Weather looks great for all 3.

If you get a partial scholarship is the rest eligible for financial aid from Duke ?

[DU82]

If you get a partial scholarship is the rest eligible for financial aid from Duke ?

Yes, as long as they follow their standard process for evaluating the need. (I.e., no "well, we need him in left, so let's give him everything else to make it a full ride.")

[awhom111]

ncaa.com seems to be updating their RPI every day. We sit at 57 right now, which is higher than we ended last season.

It would be nice to make the ACC Tournament again. With our recent pitching staffs, you could never rule out us making some noise in that format if only we could qualify.

[DukieInKansas]

Since awhom pointed out that Duke v Miami was on ESPN3, I decided to put it on the bottom corner of my screen. I'm liking it so far. Bottom of the 2nd and we are up 6-2 on the #1 Miami Hurricanes. Looks like there will be a pitching change.

(The 6 were scored after I tuned in - you are very welcome! ;-) )

[Olympic Fan]

Great news on Duke-Miami ... after we got blown out Friday (we were up 2-1 early, but lost 15-2).

This weekend marks the start of the second half of the ACC season. We have to do better in the second half -- as it now stands, we're out of the ACC Tournament. The top six teams qualify for the round robin .. the next four teams play a one-game single elimination to qualify for the round robin.

It's very close, but we need to pick it up to get in the top 10 and make the tournament -- even one of the two play-in games.

[DukieInKansas]

Great news on Duke-Miami ... after we got blown out Friday (we were up 2-1 early, but lost 15-2).

This weekend marks the start of the second half of the ACC season. We have to do better in the second half -- as it now stands, we're out of the ACC Tournament. The top six teams qualify for the round robin .. the next four teams play a one-game single elimination to qualify for the round robin.

It's very close, but we need to pick it up to get in the top 10 and make the tournament -- even one of the two play-in games.

Winning 12-7 has to help! Let's go, Devils!

[hallcity]

Wow!

[BlueDevil14]

Winning 12-7 has to help! Let's go, Devils!

With the 12-5 win, we moved into the mid-40s in RPI. Win tomorrow would be huge and probably get us into some national rankings.

[chrishoke]

Has Duke baseball ever, before today, beaten a #1 team?

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

Has Duke baseball ever, before today, beaten a #1 team?
GoDuke article says we beat #1 Uncheat in 2009.

[DukieInKansas]

Time for a 9 run bottom of the 9th. Let's Go, Devils!

[chrishoke]

Back down to earth.

[dukie’s_daughter]

Blue Devils in a slugfest at Liberty tonight. Justin Bellinger led off the 6th with a solo HR to give DUKE an 8-7 lead...But we haven't had a 3 up and 3 down inning tonight defensively. 21 total hits so far. Let's go DUKE!!

[dukie’s_daughter]

8-7 is tonight's final! DUKE wins!!!
:-)

[chrishoke]

8-7 is tonight's final! DUKE wins!!!
:-)

I followed on line. That was an amaizing back and forth game. Our pitching finally came through in the end.

[Olympic Fan]

All wins are great and you want the best record possible, but the harsh truth is that Duke is unlikely to earn an at large NCAA bid.

The immediate goal should be qualifying for the ACC Tournament. Even that is going to be tough.

The top six teams in the standings qualify for an eight-team round robin. The next four teams in the standings play a one-game, sudden-death contest to settle the last two round-robin teams. The last four teams in the standings (Syracuse does not compete in baseball) are out.

Right now, Duke is out ... but with 12 ACC games to go, it's close.

If the tourney started right now, the six round-robin teams would be:

1. Miami (13-3)
2. Louisville (13-5)
3. FSU (10-4)
4. NC State (10-6)
5. Notre Dame (9-7)
6. UNC (9-9)
Virginia (9-9)

Either UNC or Virginia would drop to the play-in game (not sure who won the tiebreaker), along with:
8. Georgia Tech (8-9)
Pitt (8-9)
10. Clemson (8-10)

Out are:
Duke (7-11)
Wake (7-11) (Note: Wake currently wins the tiebreaker after going 2-1 vs. Duke)
Boston College (5-11)
Virginia Tech (3-15)

Duke plays three games at Virginia Tech this weekend. It's vital that Duke sweeps this three-game series against the ACC's worst team. Even a 2-1 series win wouldn't help a lot, considering what's coming up.

Next weekend, Duke plays three games at NC State, one of the league's better teams. A 2-1 split in that one would be a great achievement.

Duke gets the next weekend off from ACC play, but May 13-15, Duke has three games with powerful FSU at Durham Bulls Athletic Park (the site of the ACC Tourney).

The next Thursday-Saturday, Duke has three games at Pitt -- a team the Devils should be fighting for a spot in the tournament. A tiebreaker might be important, so at least a 2-1 series split is vital.

Getting in the play-in game makes it tough -- you have to burn your best (or second best if the coach wants to gamble) pitcher before the round-robin. But it's a lot better than missing the tournament.

I think Duke has to go at least 8-4 in its final ACC games ... and that would merely get the Devils to 15-15 for the season. That SHOULD be enough (no guarantee). I'd be scared to finish 14-16 (as 7-5 finish). Note: rainouts are usually not made up (unless the games can be made up later that same weekend), so if we're going to have rainouts, let it be against FSU or State and not VPI or Pitt.

[chrishoke]

All wins are great and you want the best record possible, but the harsh truth is that Duke is unlikely to earn an at large NCAA bid.

The immediate goal should be qualifying for the ACC Tournament. Even that is going to be tough.

The top six teams in the standings qualify for an eight-team round robin. The next four teams in the standings play a one-game, sudden-death contest to settle the last two round-robin teams. The last four teams in the standings (Syracuse does not compete in baseball) are out.

Right now, Duke is out ... but with 12 ACC games to go, it's close.

If the tourney started right now, the six round-robin teams would be:

1. Miami (13-3)
2. Louisville (13-5)
3. FSU (10-4)
4. NC State (10-6)
5. Notre Dame (9-7)
6. UNC (9-9)
Virginia (9-9)

Either UNC or Virginia would drop to the play-in game (not sure who won the tiebreaker), along with:
8. Georgia Tech (8-9)
Pitt (8-9)
10. Clemson (8-10)

Out are:
Duke (7-11)
Wake (7-11) (Note: Wake currently wins the tiebreaker after going 2-1 vs. Duke)
Boston College (5-11)
Virginia Tech (3-15)

Duke plays three games at Virginia Tech this weekend. It's vital that Duke sweeps this three-game series against the ACC's worst team. Even a 2-1 series win wouldn't help a lot, considering what's coming up.

Next weekend, Duke plays three games at NC State, one of the league's better teams. A 2-1 split in that one would be a great achievement.

Duke gets the next weekend off from ACC play, but May 13-15, Duke has three games with powerful FSU at Durham Bulls Athletic Park (the site of the ACC Tourney).

The next Thursday-Saturday, Duke has three games at Pitt -- a team the Devils should be fighting for a spot in the tournament. A tiebreaker might be important, so at least a 2-1 series split is vital.

Getting in the play-in game makes it tough -- you have to burn your best (or second best if the coach wants to gamble) pitcher before the round-robin. But it's a lot better than missing the tournament.

I think Duke has to go at least 8-4 in its final ACC games ... and that would merely get the Devils to 15-15 for the season. That SHOULD be enough (no guarantee). I'd be scared to finish 14-16 (as 7-5 finish). Note: rainouts are usually not made up (unless the games can be made up later that same weekend), so if we're going to have rainouts, let it be against FSU or State and not VPI or Pitt.

Sad but true Olyfan. Duke going 8-4 would be miraculous. Sweep the Hokies and keep hope alive.

[Olympic Fan]

Duke's first game at Virginia Tech was rained out Friday, but we'll still get all three games in up there if the weather holds for the rest of the weekend.

The first of two today has started this afternoon -- 0-0 after five innings.

As noted above, pretty important to sweep the ACC's worst team if Duke hopes to qualify for the ACC Tournament.

[chrishoke]

Duke hits a 2 run homer in the ninth to tie the game but gives up an rbi double in the bottom half to lose to the lowly Hokies. Bye, bye ACC tourny eligibility.

[chrishoke]

Duke waited until the second game of the double header to score 18 runs. Damn!

[chrishoke]

The Devils manage enough offense to take the rubber game beating VPI 3-1.

[jimsumner]

With apologies to Meatloaf, two out of three ain't bad.

But there's not much wiggle room down the stretch.

[BlueDevil14]

I need someone to explain the RPI formula to me. It is supposed to reward playing road games, so losses there count less. We went 3-1, all on the road, for the week. UNC went 1-4, including being swept by Wake. Their RPI was unchanged (16); ours took a nose dive, going from 45 (in bubble) to 62. UNC also lost to Va Tech 2 weeks ago, AT HOME, which should have had a more negative affect, yet their RPI did not take a hit. I'm getting flashbacks to two years ago when we had a winning ACC record (only 2nd one of those ever, I think!!), played well in ACC tourney, and got snubbed from NCAA tournament.

[jv001]

I need someone to explain the RPI formula to me. It is supposed to reward playing road games, so losses there count less. We went 3-1, all on the road, for the week. UNC went 1-4, including being swept by Wake. Their RPI was unchanged (16); ours took a nose dive, going from 45 (in bubble) to 62. UNC also lost to Va Tech 2 weeks ago, AT HOME, which should have had a more negative affect, yet their RPI did not take a hit. I'm getting flashbacks to two years ago when we had a winning ACC record (only 2nd one of those ever, I think!!), played well in ACC tourney, and got snubbed from NCAA tournament.

It's a Uncheat/NCAA thing. They are joined at the hip. It will never make sense. GoDuke!

[Olympic Fan]

Amazingly, despite the disappointing failure to sweep VPI, Duke moved into a tie for 10th place in the ACC standings -- the last spot that will make the ACC Tournament play-in game.

As it now stands the top six (a bye into the round-robin round):

1. FSU 13-4
2. Miami 14-5
3. Louisville 14-7
4. NC State 10-6
5. Virginia 11-10
6. Georgia Tech 10-10

The teams competing for the four play-in spots (two single games -- the two winners advance to the round robin):

7. Pitt 8-9
8. Notre Dame 9-10
9. Wake 10-11
10. (tie) Duke 9-12
UNC 9-12
Clemson 9-12

We lose the tiebreaker -- we were 0-3 vs. UNC and 2-1 vs. Clemson ... UNC and Clemson don't meet this season, so UNC wins the three-way tiebreaker

Of course, still nine games to go (for Duke), starting with three game this weekend at NC State. After that, we get FSU for three games at the DBAP, then finish with three games at Pittsburgh.

I'd kill for a 2-1 weekend with a strong Wolfpack team.

[devildeac]

Damn. Lost in the bottom of the 9th to the Pack:

http://www.goduke.com/fls/4200/stats/2015-16/baseball/Box_042916_NCState.pdf

[chrishoke]

Duke bounced back from a heart breaking Friday loss and a trouncing Saturday to take the final from NC State 2-1. This was probably the b est we could hope for against a top 10 team on the road. Exam break next.

[arnie]

Duke bounced back from a heart breaking Friday loss and a trouncing Saturday to take the final from NC State 2-1. This was probably the b est we could hope for against a top 10 team on the road. Exam break next.


Both Clemson and UNC are marginally ahead of us. Heels have series with Louisville, NC State and ND left. Clemson has one game with Florida State and series with NC State and ND. We have series Florida State and Pitt.

We only need to finish ahead of Clemson OR Heels to make tourney (assuming BC doesn't erupt and we eliminate Pitt). Seems plausible, particularly if we can win 4 of 6. .

[Olympic Fan]

Both Clemson and UNC are marginally ahead of us. Heels have series with Louisville, NC State and ND left. Clemson has one game with Florida State and series with NC State and ND. We have series Florida State and Pitt.

We only need to finish ahead of Clemson OR Heels to make tourney (assuming BC doesn't erupt and we eliminate Pitt). Seems plausible, particularly if we can win 4 of 6. .

There is still a chance, but we can't get swept by FSU.

I hate to dwell on what ifs, but we've lost three ACC games in the ninth -- our one loss to Clemson, our one loss top VPI and one of our two losses to NC State. We are SO close to being in good shape.

[chrishoke]

Here are the current ACC standings with two series to go, Pitt and FSU.



STANDINGS (as of May 09, 2016)

Atlantic Division

ACC Overall
Team W L T Pct W L T Pct
Florida State....... 14 6 0 .700 32 13 0 .711
Louisville.......... 16 8 0 .667 38 10 0 .792
NC State............ 13 9 0 .591 32 14 0 .696
Clemson............. 13 14 0 .481 31 16 0 .660
Wake Forest......... 11 13 0 .458 28 19 0 .596
Notre Dame.......... 10 12 0 .455 26 20 0 .565
Boston College...... 11 14 0 .440 27 18 0 .600


Coastal Division

ACC Overall
Team W L T Pct W L T Pct
Miami............... 16 6 0 .727 36 9 0 .800
Virginia............ 14 10 0 .583 31 17 0 .646
Georgia Tech........ 11 12 0 .478 31 16 0 .660
Pitt................ 10 13 0 .435 24 19 0 .558
North Carolina...... 10 14 0 .417 30 17 0 .638
Duke................ 10 14 0 .417 27 20 0 .574
Virginia Tech....... 5 19 0 .208 18 31 0 .367

[Olympic Fan]

Here are the current ACC standings with two series to go, Pitt and FSU.



STANDINGS (as of May 09, 2016)

Atlantic Division

ACC Overall
Team W L T Pct W L T Pct
Florida State.... 14 6 0 .700 32 13 0 .711
Louisville...... 16 8 0 .667 38 10 0 .792
NC State....... 13 9 0 .591 32 14 0 .696
Clemson...... 13 14 0 .481 31 16 0 .660
Wake Forest..... 11 13 0 .458 28 19 0 .596
Notre Dame...... 10 12 0 .455 26 20 0 .565
Boston College... 11 14 0 .440 27 18 0 .600


Coastal Division

ACC Overall
Team W L T Pct W L T Pct
Miami........ 16 6 0 .727 36 9 0 .800
Virginia....... 14 10 0 .583 31 17 0 .646
Georgia Tech.... 11 12 0 .478 31 16 0 .660
Pitt........ 10 13 0 .435 24 19 0 .558
North Carolina... 10 14 0 .417 30 17 0 .638
Duke........ 10 14 0 .417 27 20 0 .574
Virginia Tech.... 5 19 0 .208 18 31 0 .367

Divisional standings are pretty meaningless in the context of the ACC Tournament. A better way to list it is:

Six teams leading for a bye into the round-robin:
1. Miami 16-6
2. FSU 14-6
3. Louisville 16-8
4. N.C. State 13-9
5. Virginia 14-10
6. Clemson 13-14

The four teams leading for the play-in spots (two teams will win one game to join the round-robin):

7. Georgia Tech 11-12
8. Wake 11-13
9. Notre Dame 10-12
10. Pitt 10-13

Fighting to get in the field

Boston College 11-14
Duke 10-14
UNC 10-14

Only Virginia Tech (5-19) is out at this point.

Interesting how close it is at the bottom. Only five ACC teams have a winning record in the league ... if Duke could somehow go 5-1 in its two final series to get to 15-15, there is a reasonable chance that Duke could get a first-round bye into the round-robin. But I think that's unlikely with this week's three-game set with FSU (Friday-Sunday at the DBAP). We'll be lucky to get one. We need to be in range for our final three-game series at Pitt ... we could be fighting them (as well as UNC and BC) for the last spot or two in the field.

[chrishoke]

Duke is now 29-20 after beating Norfolk State today.

Olympic, tx for organizing the standings better.

[chrishoke]

Duke beat #6 Florida State tonight 5-4 for its biggest win of the year. The Devils are now 30-20 and 11-14.

[Olympic Fan]

Duke beat #6 Florida State tonight 5-4 for its biggest win of the year. The Devils are now 30-20 and 11-14.

Keeps he ACC Tourney hopes alive ...

[dukie’s_daughter]

Whoo-Hoo! I vote for a repeat performance tomorrow!

[chrishoke]

Whoo-Hoo! I vote for a repeat performance tomorrow!

So far so good. 2-1 in the fourth. Go Devils!

[Bob Green]

Duke goes up 3-1 with a Justin Bellinger home run to right field.

[Bob Green]

Duke wins 3-1. The post season resume gets another impressive win.

[dukie’s_daughter]

Whoo-Hoo! I vote for a repeat performance tomorrow!

...I'd like to try it one more time!! Go Duke!!

[chrishoke]

Outstanding pitching today! 12-14 in the league. Go Devils!

[arnie]

Divisional standings are pretty meaningless in the context of the ACC Tournament. A better way to list it is:

Six teams leading for a bye into the round-robin:
1. Miami 16-6
2. FSU 14-6
3. Louisville 16-8
4. N.C. State 13-9
5. Virginia 14-10
6. Clemson 13-14

The four teams leading for the play-in spots (two teams will win one game to join the round-robin):

7. Georgia Tech 11-12
8. Wake 11-13
9. Notre Dame 10-12
10. Pitt 10-13

Fighting to get in the field

Boston College 11-14
Duke 10-14
UNC 10-14

Only Virginia Tech (5-19) is out at this point.

Interesting how close it is at the bottom. Only five ACC teams have a winning record in the league ... if Duke could somehow go 5-1 in its two final series to get to 15-15, there is a reasonable chance that Duke could get a first-round bye into the round-robin. But I think that's unlikely with this week's three-game set with FSU (Friday-Sunday at the DBAP). We'll be lucky to get one. We need to be in range for our final three-game series at Pitt ... we could be fighting them (as well as UNC and BC) for the last spot or two in the field.

With Duke now 12-14 and 9 of the leagues 14 teams below .500, if we can split the next four games that should get us in. Might even make it with one more win depending on how the other games play out.

[Bob Green]

Duke has an early 1-0 lead on FSU. Today's game isn't on ESPN3 so all I can see is the Live Stats at GoDuke.com:

http://www.goduke.com/liveStats/v2/baseball/index.dbml?GAME_STAT_ID=2686168&db_oem_id=4200

[chrishoke]

Duke has an early 1-0 lead on FSU. Today's game isn't on ESPN3 so all I can see is the Live Stats at GoDuke.com:

http://www.goduke.com/liveStats/v2/baseball/index.dbml?GAME_STAT_ID=2686168&db_oem_id=4200

GoDuke.com is showing the video, but you have to be a subscriber.

Still 1-0 good guys in the fourth.

[chrishoke]

FSU ties it up in the top of the 4th but Duke retakes the lead 2-1 in the bottom of the inning.

[chrishoke]

A dinger and two dropped pop ups give FSU the lead in the 5th 3-2.

[chrishoke]

After Duke ties it up in the bottom of the inning, FSU retakes the lead 4-3.

[chrishoke]

4-3 FSU heading into the bottom of the eighth. Come on Devils!!

[Bob Green]

Final: FSU 4, Duke 3. While a series sweep would have been nice, winning 2 out of 3 against the #6 team in the nation is a pretty good weekend. Now we need to go to Pittsburgh and win a couple more games.

[chrishoke]

No sweep. FSU wins 4-3.

[Olympic Fan]

Okay, bear with me ... I working off the ACC website, which is not the most reliable in the world. Trying to put together yesterday's standings (which I'm not 100 percent sure are right) and today's scores.

This is what I get with all of Sunday's scores in:

1. Miami 19-6
2. Louisville 19-8
3. Florida State 15-8
4. Virginia 16-11
5. N.C. State 13-12
6. Wake Forest 13-14
(tie) Clemson 13-14

8. Georgia Tech 12-14
9. Notre Dame 11-13
10. Duke 12-15

11. Boston College 11-14
12. UNC 11-15
13. Pitt 10-16
14. Virginia Tech 6-20

Notre Dame is at UNC Monday to complete this weekend round.

The final weekend has Duke at Pitt for three games, Miami at FSU for three, Louisville at Wake for three; UNC at NC State for three, Clemson at Notre Dame for three, BC at Georgia Tech for three games.

Remember, the top six make the round-robin ... the next four face a sudden death play-in game .. the last four are out.

As it now stands, Duke would face either Clemson or Wake Forest Tuesday next week in a play-in game -- the loser out, the winner moves on to the round-robin and would be guaranteed three more games.

It's still very close at the bottom -- with a good weekend in Pittsburgh, Duke could make the top six and win a bye into the round robin. But with a bad weekend, the Devils could be out.

[awhom111]

One side effect of our play of late is that our RPI has soared. If the latest NCAA rankings are accurate, we are now up to 27. That means we can actually think about the NCAA tournament. If you had told me that when I was at Duke, I would have been even more skeptical of that than our football team making a bowl game. It has been a tremendous effort from all involved and hopefully just the start of what we can do.

[Olympic Fan]

North Carolina beat Notre Dame today ...

That drops Notre Dame from 11-13 to 11-14 -- below Duke's 12-15.

But it improves UNC to 12-15 -- the same as Duke. And they have the tiebreaker (a 3-0 series sweep of Duke). So Duke remains the No. 10 seed in the ACC tourney (as of today).

This weekend's series at Pitt remains huge. Sweep all three games and Duke will most likely earn a top six finish and a bye into the round robin. Go 0-3 and Duke probably misses the tourney.

Too many teams too close to guess what a 2-1 or a 1-2 finish would mean.

[BlueDevil14]

One side effect of our play of late is that our RPI has soared. If the latest NCAA rankings are accurate, we are now up to 27. That means we can actually think about the NCAA tournament. If you had told me that when I was at Duke, I would have been even more skeptical of that than our football team making a bowl game. It has been a tremendous effort from all involved and hopefully just the start of what we can do.

It's amazing how our RPI has climbed from the gutter when Pollard took over the program. Steadily increased each year under his leadership. Pretty incredible, really, for 4 years in, regardless of this weekends outcome.
That being said, let's sweep Pitt and leave no doubt!

[Olympic Fan]

It's amazing how our RPI has climbed from the gutter when Pollard took over the program. Steadily increased each year under his leadership. Pretty incredible, really, for 4 years in, regardless of this weekends outcome.
That being said, let's sweep Pitt and leave no doubt!

Duke is 11-14 against teams that were ranked at the time we played them -- we took 2 of 3 from No. 10 Cal, 2 of 3 from No,. 18 Clemson, 2 of 3 from No. 21 Georgia Tech.

Okay, I just checked and we are 9-10 against the current top 25 -- 1-2 vs. No. 3 Miami, 1-2 vs. No. 8 Virginia, 2-1 vs. No. 9 FSU, 1-2 vs. No. 13 NC State, 2-1 against No. 19 Clemson, 0-1 vs. No. 20 Coastal Carolina, 2-1 against No. 22 Georgia Tech.

15 of our 21 losses to teams that have been in the top 25 (ECU was not ranked when we lost to them, but they have been in the poll and just dropped out this week) ... we've also won seven of our last eight games.

Will that get us our first NCAA Tournament bid since 1961 (when Duke reached the College World Series)? I don't know -- we've been screwed at least twice before in recent years.

I do know that to even have a chance, we'll have to finish strong -- and that means winning the series in Pittsburgh this weekend (the weather forecast is not good) and doing well in the ACC Tournament. It's possible, but we are a clear bubble team at the moment.

[BlueDevil14]

Duke is 11-14 against teams that were ranked at the time we played them -- we took 2 of 3 from No. 10 Cal, 2 of 3 from No,. 18 Clemson, 2 of 3 from No. 21 Georgia Tech.

Okay, I just checked and we are 9-10 against the current top 25 -- 1-2 vs. No. 3 Miami, 1-2 vs. No. 8 Virginia, 2-1 vs. No. 9 FSU, 1-2 vs. No. 13 NC State, 2-1 against No. 19 Clemson, 0-1 vs. No. 20 Coastal Carolina, 2-1 against No. 22 Georgia Tech.

15 of our 21 losses to teams that have been in the top 25 (ECU was not ranked when we lost to them, but they have been in the poll and just dropped out this week) ... we've also won seven of our last eight games.

Will that get us our first NCAA Tournament bid since 1961 (when Duke reached the College World Series)? I don't know -- we've been screwed at least twice before in recent years.

I do know that to even have a chance, we'll have to finish strong -- and that means winning the series in Pittsburgh this weekend (the weather forecast is not good) and doing well in the ACC Tournament. It's possible, but we are a clear bubble team at the moment.

With an RPI at 27, everyone is predicting that we are in right now. We HAVE to get to the ACC tournament, obviously, which means that this weekend is huge. If we win 2 this weekend, we can go one and out at the ACC tourney and still make a regional. When we got screwed two years ago, our RPI was in the 60s or 70s even with our winning ACC record. With our wins against top teams this year, we have nothing to worry about if we can make the ACC tournament. If we don't, then obviously we are out and will have to wait until next year.
The incoming freshman class is LOADED assuming we don't lose them to the draft.

[tbyers11]

Duke beats Pitt 2-1 in 10 innings to take the first game of the series.

Trailed 1-0 going into the 9th. Back-to-back 2 out singles to plate the leadoff hitter who had walked.

Another 2 out RBI single to take the lead in the 10th.

Big win for ACC and NCAA hopes!

[chrishoke]

Huge win for the Devils tonight at Pitt 2-1 in 10. Duke was trailing 1-0 in the 9th and down to their last out when they scored to tie it.

[chrishoke]

BC, WF, and Notre Dame all lose. Heels lopsing to the Pack 6-2 in the 8th. Great night.

[BlueDevil14]

Duke beats Pitt 2-1 in 10 innings to take the first game of the series.

Trailed 1-0 going into the 9th. Back-to-back 2 out singles to plate the leadoff hitter who had walked.

Another 2 out RBI single to take the lead in the 10th.

Big win for ACC and NCAA hopes!

Huge Win! I listened to the ACC podcast with Adam Gold, and they were talking about how Pitt's starting pitcher tonight is a first rounder, and we would probably need to hope to win the next two after a loss tonight. Just huge. I hope we can take tomorrow's game!!!

[chrishoke]

Heels end up losing to State 6-4. Helluva night.

[dukie’s_daughter]

Awesome news!! Let's do it again tomorrow!!!! Te-hee 😀👍😄
Go DUKE! Go Pack!!!

[Olympic Fan]

Going into Friday's games ... the updated standings:

1. Miami 20-6
2. Louisville 20-8
3. FSU 15-9
4. Virginia 16-11
5. NC State 14-12
6. Clemson 14-14

(Those teams are in line for the bye into the round-robin)

7. Georgia Tech 13-14
8. Wake Forest 13-15
9. Duke 13-15 (Wake has the tiebreaker)
10. UNC 12-16

(Those teams are in line to play a one-game sudden death play-in Tuesday at the DBAP)

11. BC 11-15
(tie) Notre Dame 11-15

(those teams are out at the moment)

Today's games (that matter to Duke):

Noon -- BC at Georgia Tech (it would be nice if BC could pill the upset)
1 p.m. -- Louisville at Wake (again, it helps if Louisville wins)
6 p.m. -- Duke at Pitt ... obviously we need that one
6 p.m. -- Clemson at Notre Dame (for any chance to get in the top six, we need Notre Dame to sweep Clemson)
6:30 p.m. -- UNC at State (mathematically, Duke could tie State in the top six, but they win the tiebreaker, so go Pack, beat the cheating Heels)

A lot of rain on the Eastern seaboard today, so we may have some rainouts ... any game rained out today, gets made up as a doubleheader Saturday ... if it's still raining Saturday, I think they can use Sunday. But if the game(s) are not made up by Sunday, they simply aren't played.

[Bob Green]

Final: Louisville 9, Wake Forest 2.

[Olympic Fan]

Final: Louisville 9, Wake Forest 2.

Good news for Duke ... looks like Boston College at Georgia Tech was postponed ... a doubleheader is set Saturday, starting at noon.

[chrishoke]

Duke takes a 1-0 lead on a homer by Bellinger in the 2nd. Go Devils!

[Bob Green]

5-0 Duke in the 3rd.

[arnie]

5-0 Duke in the 3rd.

Our pitching must be really good. Can it carry us through a regional series if we get in?

[chrishoke]

6-0 now. Bellinger has a homer and an rbi double. Proctor has a two run triple.

[Bob Green]

Our pitching must be really good. Can it carry us through a regional series if we get in?

I'll defer to someone more knowledgeable on the team. I've watched about three games this season. One, against Gardner-Webb, live at Jack Coombs Field plus a couple on ESPN3.

[hallcity]

Up 7-0 in 5th.

[Bob Green]

7-0 Duke in the Top of the 5th. J. Labosky just homered to left center.

[jimsumner]

Our pitching must be really good. Can it carry us through a regional series if we get in?

If Bailey Clark gets it back together, perhaps. But let's cross that bridge when and if we get to it.

The Weaux gods and all that.

[chrishoke]

7-4 in the top of the 8th. Heels up 5-2 on the Pack in the 5th.

[hallcity]

Duke wins 7-5. Definitely makes ACC Tournament and tantamount to making NCAA Tournament for first time since 1961.

[chrishoke]

7-5 final.

[Bob Green]

Final: Duke 7, Pitt 5.

[Olympic Fan]

Duke wins 7-5. Definitely makes ACC Tournament and tantamount to making NCAA Tournament for first time since 1961.

I agree with the first statement and I hope you are right about the second -- but I think that's far from certain.

Duke has certainly put themselves in position to make the tournament, but a strong showing in Durham next week might be necessary to make that happen.

Note: UNC is beating NC State 8-2 in the sixth. If they win, they stay a game back and we need a win Saturday or a UNC loss Saturday to stay ahead of them (they win the tiebreaker). Pretty much the same with Wake Forest -- we're up one, but they have the tiebreaker.

[jimsumner]

Final: Duke 7, Pitt 5.

It got hairy in the bottom of the ninth. Down 7-4, two outs, no one on, 1-2 count, Pitt goes double, double, walk to bring the winning run to the plate. But Labosky bore down and induced a game-ending grounder.

[hallcity]

Am I right that the only way Duke gets a top 6 finish and avoids the play in game is by beating Pitt and Clemson losing to Notre Dame?

[awhom111]

The win on Thursday pushed our RPI up to 23. Of the top 17 teams at the end of that day, 8 were from the ACC and another 7 were from the SEC (including 6 of the top 9) so it shows how much competition we have in the conference and for recruiting.

[Olympic Fan]

Am I right that the only way Duke gets a top 6 finish and avoids the play in game is by beating Pitt and Clemson losing to Notre Dame?

If Duke beats Pitt Saturday and Notre Dame beats Clemson, both teams will finish 15-15, but Duke wins the tiebreaker (2-1 vs. Tigers in regular season).

That's the only possible way, but even that might not be enough. Georgia Tech (13-14) has two games Saturday with Georgia Tech ... if they sweep, they finish 15-14 and get sixth place (and the last bye) by half a game.

Also, if UNC beats State Saturday, then NC State finishes 14-14 (which is the same in the ACC's eyes as 15-15). That would set up a three-way tie with Duke, Clemson and N.C. State. Amazingly, all three teams are 3-3 against each other. The next tiebreaker is complicated. I THINK they match records against the best teams 1-2-3, etc.

Well, Miami is first ... Duke was 1-2 against Miami, Clemson was 0-3 against Miami ... but NC State did not face Miami. Not sure how that works out.

The point is that Duke gets the sixth seed (and the bye) if:

(1) Duke beats Pitt
(2) Notre Dame beats Clemson
(3) NC State beats UNC

The first two have to happen. If the third happens, we're in -- period. If the first two happen and third doesn't, I don't know what happens -- they may draw it out of a hat.

But today's win guarantees that Duke is in the tournament -- somewhere between the sixth and 10th seed.

[Reilly]

... Georgia Tech (13-14) has two games Saturday with Georgia Tech ...

Prediction: GT will finish 15-16.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Georgia Tech (13-14) has two games Saturday with Georgia Tech .



Prediction: GT will finish 15-16.
My girlfriend just literally helped me clean my laptop screen and keyboard (and the floor and everything else within a spit take's shot) of my morning coffee.

[budwom]

It got hairy in the bottom of the ninth. Down 7-4, two outs, no one on, 1-2 count, Pitt goes double, double, walk to bring the winning run to the plate. But Labosky bore down and induced a game-ending grounder.

that's why they call him The Great Labosky...

[SCMatt33]

If Duke beats Pitt Saturday and Notre Dame beats Clemson, both teams will finish 15-15, but Duke wins the tiebreaker (2-1 vs. Tigers in regular season).

That's the only possible way, but even that might not be enough. Georgia Tech (13-14) has two games Saturday with Georgia Tech ... if they sweep, they finish 15-14 and get sixth place (and the last bye) by half a game.

Also, if UNC beats State Saturday, then NC State finishes 14-14 (which is the same in the ACC's eyes as 15-15). That would set up a three-way tie with Duke, Clemson and N.C. State. Amazingly, all three teams are 3-3 against each other. The next tiebreaker is complicated. I THINK they match records against the best teams 1-2-3, etc.

Well, Miami is first ... Duke was 1-2 against Miami, Clemson was 0-3 against Miami ... but NC State did not face Miami. Not sure how that works out.

The point is that Duke gets the sixth seed (and the bye) if:

(1) Duke beats Pitt
(2) Notre Dame beats Clemson
(3) NC State beats UNC

The first two have to happen. If the third happens, we're in -- period. If the first two happen and third doesn't, I don't know what happens -- they may draw it out of a hat.

But today's win guarantees that Duke is in the tournament -- somewhere between the sixth and 10th seed.

So you're correct that they match up records against the best teams, but according to the ACC website, it's only if those teams were common opponents. As you mentioned, Clemson did not play Miami. In fact, there is only one common opponent in the top 4, Florida State. Duke and Clemson both went 2-1, while NC State went 0-1 with 2 games called off. The site explicitly states before all the tiebreakers that win percentage is used, regardless of number of games played, so NC State drops out. It also state that if any three team tiebreaker is reduced to two, they will revert to two team tiebreakers, which Duke would win against Clemson based on head to head, so technically, Duke could get all the way up to the 5 seed if things fall just right. Here is the three team tiebreaker from the ACC website for reference:


Three-or-More-Team Tie
(1) Combined head-to-head record among the tied teams (if common opponents).
(2) Head-to-head competition of the tied teams compared to common opponents with the highest overall conference winning percentage and continuing until one team gains an advantage.
(3) The seed shall be chosen by a draw.

[Olympic Fan]

I apologize for my sloppy previous post ... my only excuse was it was late and I was punchy.

Obviously, Georgia Tech does not play Georgia Tech -- the Jackets play Boston College.

And we need BC to win at least one of the two games to stay ahead of Tech in the standings. So the correct order of things that have to happen today to earn a bye into the round-robin:

(1) Duke must beat Pitt.

(2) Notre Dame must beat Clemson

(3) BC must win at least one of two from Georgia Tech.

If SCMatt is right about the tiebreaking procedure, then it doesn't matter if State beats UNC. But I still say, Go Pack -- just on general principal.

[wilson]

Duke up 1-0 in the top of the 3rd (http://www.theacc.com/game-center/56ba2a28e4b0c41aab075530/).

[chrishoke]

Nice work above.

Duke takes a 1-0 lead into the third. McAfee again pitching well. Go Devils!

[jimsumner]

I apologize for my sloppy previous post ... my only excuse was it was late and I was punchy.

Obviously, Georgia Tech does not play Georgia Tech -- the Jackets play Boston College.

And we need BC to win at least one of the two games to stay ahead of Tech in the standings. So the correct order of things that have to happen today to earn a bye into the round-robin:

(1) Duke must beat Pitt.

(2) Notre Dame must beat Clemson

(3) BC must win at least one of two from Georgia Tech.

If SCMatt is right about the tiebreaking procedure, then it doesn't matter if State beats UNC. But I still say, Go Pack -- just on general principal.

Well, at least you didn't call anyone the Oakland Warriors. :)

[chrishoke]

Tied up 1-1 in the 4th.

[killerleft]

BC up 3-0 on GT after 3 completed at GT.

[Olympic Fan]

Well, at least you didn't call anyone the Oakland Warriors. :)

Well, their nickname is Warriors and they play in Oakland. What's wrong with that?

[Olympic Fan]

Good news: BC is up 3-0 on Georgia Tech after three innings in the first game

Bad news: Clemson is up 2-0 on Notre Dame early ...

We need BC and Notre Dame to win (along with a Duke win) to get a bye.

[dpslaw]

Apparently, the game has been called due to rain. Does that mean we can't avoid a playoff game?

[tbyers11]

Apparently, the game has been called due to rain. Does that mean we can't avoid a playoff game?

Called? After 4 innings at 2pm? Is the Pittsburgh area experiencing a tropical storm that I am unaware of? Can't they wait it out a bit?

[BigWayne]

Called? After 4 innings at 2pm? Is the Pittsburgh area experiencing a tropical storm that I am unaware of? Can't they wait it out a bit?

I am guessing the urgency to complete a game between the 8th and 13th place teams in the league is not that high, especially when it's at the home of the 13th place team and they just want this season to be over.

[chrishoke]

Crap.

[BlueDevil14]

I am guessing the urgency to complete a game between the 8th and 13th place teams in the league is not that high, especially when it's at the home of the 13th place team and they just want this season to be over.

Pitt made a bad call to move the game later in the day. Originally scheduled for 11am. Should have had doubleheader yesterday based on forecast. Duke was will to miss their flight and bus it back to get game in, but it was heavy rain and going to stick around for hours. No avoiding play in game now.

[BlueDevil14]

Pitt made a bad call to move the game later in the day. Originally scheduled for 11am. Should have had doubleheader yesterday based on forecast. Duke was will to miss their flight and bus it back to get game in, but it was heavy rain and going to stick around for hours. No avoiding play in game now.

*willing

[tbyers11]

I am guessing the urgency to complete a game between the 8th and 13th place teams in the league is not that high, especially when it's at the home of the 13th place team and they just want this season to be over.

From Pitt's POV maybe. Duke needed a win for a shot at a bye in the ACC tourney. I'm sure they wanted to play

[jimsumner]

Well, their nickname is Warriors and they play in Oakland. What's wrong with that?

Because that's not actually their name?

Are we okay with the Irving Cowboys and the Foxborough Patriots and the somewhere-in-the-middle of Suburbia Braves?

[arnie]

I am guessing the urgency to complete a game between the 8th and 13th place teams in the league is not that high, especially when it's at the home of the 13th place team and they just want this season to be over.

Looks like we'll either be 7 or 8. This means were considered home team and bat last in play-in game?

[Olympic Fan]

Because that's not actually their name?

Are we okay with the Irving Cowboys and the Foxborough Patriots and the somewhere-in-the-middle of Suburbia Braves?

Absolutely .. teams should own their hometowns. It's disgusting that the Warriors don't acknowledge their hometown of Oakland. It's a great city that gave us Jack London, Gertrude Stein, Isadora Duncan, Sheila E., MC Hammer, Tupac Shakur and a ton of great athletes, from Bill Russell (who grew up there), to Frank Robinson, Joe Morgan, John Brodie, Curt Flood, Ernie Lombardi, Vada Pinson, Don Budge, Jason Kidd, Gary Payton ... the point is, Oakland is a great city, but hoity-toity San Francisco looks down its nose at the city across the bay. It's a shame that the basketball team based there refuses to acknowledge its home.

So I have no problem with the Charlotte Panthers or the Raleigh Hurricanes. I know A LOT of pundits use the New Jersey Giants to the describe the team that likes to pretend it represents the Big Apple but plays across the Hudson in New Jersey.

When the Braves move, I will NEVER refer to them as Atlanta again. They will become the Cobb County Braves.

[devildeac]

Absolutely .. teams should own their hometowns. It's disgusting that the Warriors don't acknowledge their hometown of Oakland. It's a great city that gave us Jack London, Gertrude Stein, Isadora Duncan, Sheila E., MC Hammer, Tupac Shakur and a ton of great athletes, from Bill Russell (who grew up there), to Frank Robinson, Joe Morgan, John Brodie, Curt Flood, Ernie Lombardi, Vada Pinson, Don Budge, Jason Kidd, Gary Payton ... the point is, Oakland is a great city, but hoity-toity San Francisco looks down its nose at the city across the bay. It's a shame that the basketball team based there refuses to acknowledge its home.

So I have no problem with the Charlotte Panthers or the Raleigh Hurricanes. I know A LOT of pundits use the New Jersey Giants to the describe the team that likes to pretend it represents the Big Apple but plays across the Hudson in New Jersey.

When the Braves move, I will NEVER refer to them as Atlanta again. They will become the Cobb County Braves.

I'm ok with the Charlotte Panthers and Raleigh Hurricanes. The less I have to read c*rolina, the better :rolleyes: .

[devildeac]

I am guessing the urgency to complete a game between the 8th and 13th place teams in the league is not that high, especially when it's at the home of the 13th place team and they just want this season to be over.

Or, they all wanted one of these from Primanti Brothers:

6385

[BlueDevil14]

Looks like we'll either be 7 or 8. This means were considered home team and bat last in play-in game?

I think with BC's win we are 7 seed now. Possibly play unc for play in game???

[Olympic Fan]

I think with BC's win we are 7 seed now. Possibly play unc for play in game???

That's the way it's working out, unless UNC stages a fantastic rally in the ninth (they are down 9-1 to State).

UNC will tie Wake Forest for the No. 9 seed, but Wake wins the tiebreaker (3-0 vs. UNC). Georgia Tech can tie Duke for seventh-place (they have a second game with BC), but Duke wins the tiebreaker.

If I'm reading the standings right, Duke will be the No. 7 seed and will face No. 10 seed UNC Tuesday in one play-in game ... Wake Forest meets Georgia Tech in the other play-in game.

UNC swept three games from Duke at the DBAP in mid-March -- all by lopsided scores (11-2, 12-2 and 8-2). I hope that means we're due!

PS Clemson ended up beating Notre Dame today, so even if Duke had been able to play and win today at Pitt, the Devils would still have been the No. 7 seed.

[BandAlum83]

Absolutely .. teams should own their hometowns. It's disgusting that the Warriors don't acknowledge their hometown of Oakland. It's a great city that gave us Jack London, Gertrude Stein, Isadora Duncan, Sheila E., MC Hammer, Tupac Shakur and a ton of great athletes, from Bill Russell (who grew up there), to Frank Robinson, Joe Morgan, John Brodie, Curt Flood, Ernie Lombardi, Vada Pinson, Don Budge, Jason Kidd, Gary Payton ... the point is, Oakland is a great city, but hoity-toity San Francisco looks down its nose at the city across the bay. It's a shame that the basketball team based there refuses to acknowledge its home.

So I have no problem with the Charlotte Panthers or the Raleigh Hurricanes. I know A LOT of pundits use the New Jersey Giants to the describe the team that likes to pretend it represents the Big Apple but plays across the Hudson in New Jersey.

When the Braves move, I will NEVER refer to them as Atlanta again. They will become the Cobb County Braves.

I am pretty sure the area where the stadium is being built is actually an Atlanta address. I used to work in a bldg on the other end of windy hill road which was also an Atlanta address.

The area is an unincorporated area of Cobb County and the address takes the name of the nearest city.

I live in the marietta portion of unincorporated Cobb, I have friends down the street with a Roswell address but are still in Cobb.

I claim Atlanta as my own since I live in the Atlanta metropolitan area and spend boatloads of time in the city proper.

I will continue to call them the Atlanta Braves.

Just saying...

[dpslaw]

Ha! BC wins two at GT, knocking UNC out of the ACC tournament.

[hallcity]

When does Duke play? Who?

[tbyers11]

When does Duke play? Who?

Wake Forest at 11am on Tuesday

Bracket here (http://raycomsports.com/sports_labs_docs/m-basebl/2016_baseball_bracket.pdf?utm_source=all&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=base&utm_content=champ)

[Olympic Fan]

Ha! BC wins two at GT, knocking UNC out of the ACC tournament.

Wow, I did not see that coming ... but you are right. I now get the final regular season standings as:

1, Miami 21-7
2. Louisville 22-8
3. Virginia 19-11
4. FSU 16-10
5. NC State 15-13
6. Clemson 16-14

All six win a bye into the round-robin portion of the tournament, which starts Wednesday at the DBAP.

7. Duke 14-15
8. Boston College 13-15
9. Georgia Tech 13-16
10. Wake Forest 13-17

Note: UNC also finishes 13-17, but loses the tiebreaker after going 0-3 vs. Wake.

That means Duke will face Wake Forest Tuesday in a sudden-death play-in game. First pitch is at 11 am (BC-Georgia Tech play at 3 p.m.). Duke was 1-2 at Wake Forest earlier this year, losing 12-0 and 3-2 in 10 innings and winning the finale 3-2.

If Duke wins Tuesday, then the Devils qualify for the round-robin and would be guaranteed three more games. Duke would go in the pool with Louisville, Virginia and Clemson. The winner of that pool will qualify for the single-elimination title game Sunday.

Lose Tuesday and we can all hold our breath until the NCAA selection show.

[Pghdukie]

I am pretty sure the area where the stadium is being built is actually an Atlanta address. I used to work in a bldg on the other end of windy hill road which was also an Atlanta address.

The area is an unincorporated area of Cobb County and the address takes the name of the nearest city.

I live in the marietta portion of unincorporated Cobb, I have friends down the street with a Roswell address but are still in Cobb.

I claim Atlanta as my own since I live in the Atlanta metropolitan area and spend boatloads of time in the city proper.

I will continue to call them the Atlanta Braves.

Just saying...
Oakland is an area within the city limits of Pittsburgh. Carnegie Mellon also is within city limits. But try to get your street plowed or salted in the winter, nearly impossible !!!!

[buddy]

Great news for baseball. I kept going over tie breaker possibilities this weekend, but completely missed the chance that BC could knock our unCHeat. Couldn't happen to a more deserving school! Must be tough to be in the Top 20 and miss out on your conference tournament!:)

[devildeac]

Ha! BC wins two at GT, knocking UNC out of the ACC tournament.

6386. Always.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I'm ok with the Charlotte Panthers and Raleigh Hurricanes. The less I have to read c*rolina, the better :rolleyes: .
That is certainly how I refer to "our" pro teams. I can't root for teams called carolina. :cool: LGD GTHc!

[Bob Green]

That means Duke will face Wake Forest Tuesday in a sudden-death play-in game. First pitch is at 11 am (BC-Georgia Tech play at 3 p.m.). Duke was 1-2 at Wake Forest earlier this year, losing 12-0 and 3-2 in 10 innings and winning the finale 3-2.

If Duke wins Tuesday, then the Devils qualify for the round-robin and would be guaranteed three more games. Duke would go in the pool with Louisville, Virginia and Clemson. The winner of that pool will qualify for the single-elimination title game Sunday.



Duke is playing good ball at the right time having gone 9-1 in the month of May with a win over #10 N.C. State and two wins over #6 FSU. Include April in the discussion and the record is 21-8 with wins over #1 Miami, #18 Clemson (2) and #21 Georgia Tech (2).

Duke had a rough March going 2-8 in ACC play.

[chrishoke]

Anyone going to our tournament game Tuesday at 11? I'm going to try.

[burnspbesq]

Absolutely .. teams should own their hometowns. It's disgusting that the Warriors don't acknowledge their hometown of Oakland. It's a great city that gave us Jack London, Gertrude Stein, Isadora Duncan, Sheila E., MC Hammer, Tupac Shakur and a ton of great athletes, from Bill Russell (who grew up there), to Frank Robinson, Joe Morgan, John Brodie, Curt Flood, Ernie Lombardi, Vada Pinson, Don Budge, Jason Kidd, Gary Payton ... the point is, Oakland is a great city, but hoity-toity San Francisco looks down its nose at the city across the bay. It's a shame that the basketball team based there refuses to acknowledge its home.

So I have no problem with the Charlotte Panthers or the Raleigh Hurricanes. I know A LOT of pundits use the New Jersey Giants to the describe the team that likes to pretend it represents the Big Apple but plays across the Hudson in New Jersey.

When the Braves move, I will NEVER refer to them as Atlanta again. They will become the Cobb County Braves.

I don't think the Giants or Jets want to be identified with East Rutherford. They would suffer by comparison with the team in town that makes the playoffs most years, the mighty Becton Regional Wildcars.

[DukieInKansas]

I don't think the Giants or Jets want to be identified with East Rutherford. They would suffer by comparison with the team in town that makes the playoffs most years, the mighty Becton Regional Wildcars.

What is a Wildcar? ;)

And what sport do they play?

[Lid]

Anyone going to our tournament game Tuesday at 11? I'm going to try.

I'll be there! Looking forward to supporting the team and Coach Pollard. Hope to see some blue there.

[duke79]

I'll be there! Looking forward to supporting the team and Coach Pollard. Hope to see some blue there.

For reasons I don't understand, the Duke-Wake baseball game is blacked out for me on ESPN3? Ugh.

[Giles95]

For reasons I don't understand, the Duke-Wake baseball game is blacked out for me on ESPN3? Ugh.

http://www.theacc.com/page/2016-acc-baseball-championship-on-rsn

It is for me as well (I'm in NYC). Hopefully the link above will provide you with another viewing option!

[aswewere]

Game tracker http://www.theacc.com/game-center/5715840fe4b0acb482c51a02

[captmojo]

If you can get Fox Sports South...

Bottom of the third 3-1 Wake. But, Duke has runners on 1st & 2nd with one down.
Make that...loaded now.
Well, it should have been. Neighborhood ground ball force at second.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Wake wins 4-3. Looks like we were down 4-1 and scored 2 in the bottom of the 7th but left men on first and second and left men on third in both the 8th and 9th.

[BigWayne]

What is a Wildcar? ;)

And what sport do they play?

Just google it and google will fix it for you. It's amazing how lazy computers can make us.

[Olympic Fan]

Wake wins 4-3. Looks like we were down 4-1 and scored 2 in the bottom of the 7th but left men on first and second and left men on third in both the 8th and 9th.

I just got back from the DBAP ... incredibly frustrating game -- Duke outhit them 13-5 and ended up with 12 LOB, while Wake finished with 2 LOB

Urban hit the second batter of the game, then gave up a two-run homer. After that, he and three relievers were pretty dominant. Wake scratched out two more runs, basically by running on Duke's outfield. The first came with a man on second (thanks to a balk) and a pop to short, SHORT right ... the runner was able to move from second to third. He then came in on a routine fly ball to deep center. We had another play, not so bad, when a Wake runner on first was able to tag and get to second on a deep fly to center. He scored on a single.

Duke hit in some incredible bad luck -- twice hitting line shots that would have driven in runs, but were hit right at defenders. One of those ended the seventh, after Duke had already scored two and had the tying run flying home from second on contact -- but theliner went straight to the centerfielder, ending the inning.

Down one in the eighth, Duke got a leadoff double, sacrificed him to third ... then a three pitch strikeout and another strikeout.

Still down one in the ninth, Duke got a leadoff walk. Duke tried to sacrifice him, but two failed bunt attempts led to a strikeout. Duke got a two out single to put runners on first and third ... a pinch hitter struck out to end the game.

Tough, tough loss. I talked to a very knowledgeable college baseball guy at the game (I know very little about the sport) and said Duke's NCAA chances were just a little better than 50-50 ... but far from a lock.

[Reilly]

... I talked to a very knowledgeable college baseball guy at the game (I know very little about the sport) and said Duke's NCAA chances were just a little better than 50-50 ... but far from a lock.

What are WFU's odds?

In Googling around, I found mention of some D1 college baseball bracketology forecasting on this site by a former Baseball America writer based on Durham, but it looks like may have to pay:

http://www.d1baseball.com/

[chrishoke]

Heart-breaker. Hard to win games when your team has double digit strike outs.

[jv001]

I just got back from the DBAP ... incredibly frustrating game -- Duke outhit them 13-5 and ended up with 12 LOB, while Wake finished with 2 LOB

Urban hit the second batter of the game, then gave up a two-run homer. After that, he and three relievers were pretty dominant. Wake scratched out two more runs, basically by running on Duke's outfield. The first came with a man on second (thanks to a balk) and a pop to short, SHORT right ... the runner was able to move from second to third. He then came in on a routine fly ball to deep center. We had another play, not so bad, when a Wake runner on first was able to tag and get to second on a deep fly to center. He scored on a single.

Duke hit in some incredible bad luck -- twice hitting line shots that would have driven in runs, but were hit right at defenders. One of those ended the seventh, after Duke had already scored two and had the tying run flying home from second on contact -- but theliner went straight to the centerfielder, ending the inning.

Down one in the eighth, Duke got a leadoff double, sacrificed him to third ... then a three pitch strikeout and another strikeout.

Still down one in the ninth, Duke got a leadoff walk. Duke tried to sacrifice him, but two failed bunt attempts led to a strikeout. Duke got a two out single to put runners on first and third ... a pinch hitter struck out to end the game.

Tough, tough loss. I talked to a very knowledgeable college baseball guy at the game (I know very little about the sport) and said Duke's NCAA chances were just a little better than 50-50 ... but far from a lock.

I don't care if it's little league, high school, college or even major league baseball, not doing the little things seem to come back and haunt you. Failing to sacrifice, giving up walks and hitting batters happen through out the game of baseball but it really hurts. Hoping for an NCAA berth but if not, the guys really came together late in the season. GoDuke!

[BigWayne]

What are WFU's odds?

In Googling around, I found mention of some D1 college baseball bracketology forecasting on this site by a former Baseball America writer based on Durham, but it looks like may have to pay:

http://www.d1baseball.com/

Don't know if RPI works the same as in hoops, but if it does, we are looking decent.

http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/baseball/d1/rpi

There are 31 automatic bids and 33 at large.

Duke is at 23 in the RPI. 15 of the 22 teams ahead of us are from the SEC or ACC. 17 out of the top 25 are from the SEC or ACC. 13 conferences are represented in the top 33 RPI. The math would lead you to believe the cutoff for making the tournament is down around #40 in RPI.

[Olympic Fan]

I saw John Manuel of Baseball America -- and one of the best experts on college basketball -- interviewed tonight from the ACC Tourney.

He said that both UNC and Duke "will be on pins and needles" on Selection Monday. That gibes with what I hear -- it's going to be a close call, either way.

He added that NC State was bidding to host a regional site, but may have lost that with their loss to FSU Tuesday.

[Reilly]

Per Baseball America's May 24 projection, Duke is in:

http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/projected-field-of-64-may-24/#mhafq5Y71ZLop141.97

Who's on the committee?

[chrishoke]

Per Baseball America's May 24 projection, Duke is in:

http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/projected-field-of-64-may-24/#mhafq5Y71ZLop141.97

Who's on the committee?

They have Duke in and UNC out. If that happens I will be stunned and flabbergasted.

[sagegrouse]

They have Duke in and UNC out. If that happens I will be stunned and flabbergasted.

We'll find out Monday, May 30 at noon EDT on ESPNU.

[DukieInKansas]

They have Duke in and UNC out. If that happens I will be stunned and flabbergasted.

I would do an extra round of the happy dance.

Let's go, Duke!

[chrishoke]

I would do an extra round of the happy dance.

Let's go, Duke!

A ruby slipper happy dance!

[Reilly]

This BC site gets into some of what the bracketologists are saying about the ACC teams in general:

http://www.bcinterruption.com/boston-college-baseball/2016/5/26/11779540/ncaa-bubble-watch-major-publications-have-eagles-dancing-again

[Olympic Fan]

Just got back from the ACC Tournament at the DBAP -- Clemson and Florida State each won 5-4 games today in the bottom of the ninth to win their pools and advance to the ACC championship game Sunday. Gametime has been moved up to 10 am due to the threat of bad weather later in the day.

Tonight's Virginia-Louisville game is meaningless.

I talked to a lot of clued-in baseball people today -- including ACC and team officials and several very prominent college basketball writers -- trying to gauge how Duke stands going into Monday's noon selection show. Almost everybody I talked to thought that Duke was in ... and UNC will be out.

Of course, that's just encouraging, but still it's nice to hear.

The other interesting topic is how many ACC and SEC teams will get No. 1 seeds -- it's possible that the two leagues could wind up with a majority of the 16 No. 1 subregional seeds. The SEC is hoping for an unprecedented five No. 1 seeds ... the ACC is hoping to get four.

One interesting thing to watch will be to see if a North Carolina team gets to host a subregional. The Wolfpack are on the bubble for a No. 1, but at least one projection had them getting a No. 1, but not getting to host a regional. The thinking is that the NCAA needs to spread out its sites and can't have them all in the East. Baseball America has NC State as a No. 1 seed, but "hosting" a regional in Oklahoma.

One NC State official said he was afraid the NCAA would take the easy route to move State (and any other team from North Carolina) to avoid any protests or controversy over the HB2 issue. That wouldn't be given as the reason, but it would be awfully convenient for the politically sensitive organization.

We'll see Monday.

[jimsumner]

One positive sign for Duke.

The Duke baseball team is watching tomorrow's selection show from the Tobacco Road Café and media are invited.

No word on public access. But Duke isn't likely to be inviting the media to a public viewing unless they have some confidence things will go well.

[budwom]

John Skipper will probably make a phone call and ruin everything.

[Olympic Fan]

It looks like Clemson is going to win the ACC championship

The Tigers are up 18-5 in the seventh inning -- after a four hour rain delay (with Clemson up 13-1 in the third!)

[burnspbesq]

The 16 regional sites have been announced.

http://www.ncaa.com/news/baseball/article/2016-05-29/division-i-baseball-16-regional-sites-selected-2016-championships

[Olympic Fan]

The 16 regional sites have been announced.

http://www.ncaa.com/news/baseball/article/2016-05-29/division-i-baseball-16-regional-sites-selected-2016-championships

Wow ... this is astonishing stuff. I was told at the ACC Tournament that the ACC and SEC were likely to get nine No. 1 subregional seeds between them -- they got 13 of the 16!

The ACC was hoping for four host sites ... they got six. The SEC was hoping for five ... they got seven.

That bodes well for Duke's chances of making the field (announcement in about 15 minutes from now).

PS And NC State DID get to post, so the fears that they would be sent west or screwed by the HB2 controversy proven groundless.

[arnie]

Wow ... this is astonishing stuff. I was told at the ACC Tournament that the ACC and SEC were likely to get nine No. 1 subregional seeds between them -- they got 13 of the 16!

The ACC was hoping for four host sites ... they got six. The SEC was hoping for five ... they got seven.

That bodes well for Duke's chances of making the field (announcement in about 15 minutes from now).

PS And NC State DID get to post, so the fears that they would be sent west or screwed by the HB2 controversy proven groundless.

Uh oh. 50% announced - no Duke.

[arnie]

Uh oh. 50% announced - no Duke.

Great!

[DukieInKansas]

We made it!