Florida State at Maryland

The Florida State Seminoles head to College Park this weekend to take on the Terrapins in a battle between the first place and last place in the ACC Atlantic Division. FSU heads to UMD with an all-time record of 48-3 and 20-1 in College Park. Maryland picked up their only victory in College Park on May 2, 1993. FSU last loss to Maryland was on March 26th 1998. Florida State enters with a 39-7 overall record and 17-4 in the ACC. Florida State has been led by number 1 pitcher Bryan Henry who has a perfect 11-0 record and a solid ERA of 2.45. Michael Hyde has been holding down the number 2 starter role with an 8-2 record and a 2.79 ERA. Hyde picked up a loss earlier this season against Duke ace Tony Bajoczky. The Seminoles have made a change in their rotation with Danny Rosen taking over the Sunday starter role with a 1-1 record and a marginal ERA of 3.77. Rosen started his first game for the Seminoles last weekend against the Miami Hurricanes and gave up four runs (three earned) on four hits. Maryland enters with a 25-24 overall record but are struggling in the ACC at 7-17 and are virtually out of the ACC Tournament hunt. Brett Cecil is the team’s best pitcher with a 5-4 record and eight saves. His ERA is 3.12 but should be lower since he had some rough outings at the beginning of the season. The CBB predicts FSU to sweep the Terps.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Friday: Bryan Henry (11-0, 2.45 ERA) vs. Casey Baron (4-3, 3.56 ERA)
Saturday: Michael Hyde (8-2, 2.79 ERA) vs Ryan Moorer (3-4, 4.45 ERA)
Sunday: Danny Rosen (1-1 3.77 ERA) vs TBA

FSU Recap
Maryland Recap

Boston College at Clemson

The Boston College Eagles head down to Clemson for the first time as an ACC opponent. Boston College has been on a recent hot streak winning eight of their last ten games. BC enters in a tie for the eighth spot in the ACC with Wake Forest with identical conference records of 11-13. BC’s overall record is 20-23-1 after picking up two non-conference wins over Quinnipiac and Dartmouth. Boston College has been getting solid pitching from both Kevin Boggan (4-4, 4.01 ERA) and Terry Doyle (3-3, 4.83 ERA) the last few weeks. The other starting spot has been going to Nate Jeanes (1-4, 5.09 ERA) who has been up and down throughout the season. Johnny Ayers has been the Eagles top hitter and returned to the lineup last weekend series with Virginia Tech. He leads the team with a .380 BA. Clemson enters as the 14th ranked team in the country and have an overall record of 29-15 and 13-8 record. Doug Hogan picked up player of the week from the ACC this week after batting .500 in four games. All-American closer candidate Daniel Moskos has made the move to the starting rotation and enters with a 3-3 record and a 1.94 ERA in four starts and 21 appearances. Brad Chalk is the leading hitter for the Tigers with a .407 batting average but is nursing an injury so is questionable for the weekend series. The CBB predicts that Clemson takes two out of three from the Eagles.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Saturday: Kevin Boggan (4-4, 4.01 ERA) vs Daniel Moskos (3-3, 1.94 ERA)
Sunday Game 1: Terry Doyle (3-3, 4.83 ERA) vs David Kopp (5-2, 3.16 ERA)
Sunday Game 2: Nate Jeanes (1-4, 5.09 ERA) vs Ryan Hinson (4-2, 2.05 ERA)

Clemson Game Notes

I will be posting an Out of Conference preview for the other teams that are in action outside of the ACC.

Tags: ACC, ACC Weekend Preview, Boston College, Clemson, FSU, Maryland

Florida State at Miami

The Florida State Seminoles head down to Miami in a big conference showdown this weekend. FSU enters the series with a 37-6 overall record and are in first place in the Atlantic Division with a 15-3 conference record. Florida State is coming off a tough series with North Carolina last weekend in which the Noles took two out of the three games. Miami enters with a 26-17 record and only 11-10 in the ACC. The Miami program is in a rebuilding mood and they took a three game series up in Blacksburg VA last weekend. The CBB predicts that FSU takes two out of three games.

Probable Starting Pitchers
Friday: Scott Maine (3-5, 3.43 ERA) vs Bryan Henry (10-0, 2.24 ERA)
Saturday: Enrique Garcia (4-2, 2.67 ERA) vs Ryan Strauss (8-1, 2.98 ERA)
Sunday: Eric Erickson (5-3, 2.29 ERA) vs TBA

FSU Game Notes
Miami Game Notes

North Carolina at NC State

The North Carolina Tar Heels head to Raleigh to take on their arch rival NC State in a key ACC series. North Carolina enters with a 35-9 overall record and 14-7 in the ACC. UNC is led by All-American candidate Robert Woodard who leads the team with a 7-1 record and has a very solid ERA of 2.05. Dustin Ackley leads the offense with .451 batting average which is second in the ACC and fourth overall in the country. NC State enters with a 28-14 record and 11-10 in the ACC. NC State was swept last weekend by Georgia Tech but picked up a non-conference win over UNC-Wilmington on Wednesday. Mike Roskopf over his last 15 games has six homers to lead the Pack attack. The CBB predicts UNC to take 2 out of 3 games.

Probable Starting Pitchers
Friday: Robert Woodard (7-1, 2.05 ERA) vs Eric Surkamp (3-2, 2.88 ERA)
Saturday: Alex White (4-3, 3.26 ERA) vs Andrew Brackman (6-4, 3.90 ERA)
Sunday: Luke Putkonen (6-1, 3.78 ERA) vs Jimmy Gillheeney (3-2, 4.32 ERA)

UNC Game Notes
NC State Game Notes

Maryland at Virginia

The Virginia Cavaliers will welcome the Maryland Terrapins for an ACC series this weekend. The Cavaliers are in second place only a half game back of North Carolina while Maryland is in last place in the Atlantic Division where they are a whooping eleven games back in the loss column behind Florida State. The Cavaliers are currently on a two game losing streak by losing the final game of their series with Clemson last weekend and picking up a non-conference loss to James Madison on Wednesday in 14 innings. That loss dropped the Cavaliers overall record to 34-10 and they have a 13-7 record in the ACC. Maryland enters with a 23-21 record but 7-14 in the ACC. They lost to West Virginia on Tuesday 13-2 and lost two out of three to Duke last weekend. The CBB predicts UVA to sweep Maryland.

Probable Starting Pitchers
Friday: Jacob Thompson (9-0, 1.54 ERA) vs Casey Baron (4-3, 3.66 ERA)
Saturday: Matt Packer (3-2, 3.38 ERA) vs Ryan Moorer (3-3, 4.97 ERA)
Sunday: Sean Doolittle (6-3, 2.33 ERA) vs Kevin Biringer (3-8, 5.98 ERA)

Maryland Game Notes
Virginia Game Notes

Georgia Tech at Clemson

Georgia Tech (26-15, 13-7 ACC) heads to Clemson University (27-14, 11-7 ACC) as both teams are trying to increase their potential seeding in the end of season ACC Tournament. Georgia Tech is led by Danny Payne (.391 BA) and Matt Wieters (.359 BA, 7 HR). Clemson has moved All-American closer candidate Daniel Moskos into the number 1 starter role and he has just been average in that role. Doug Hogan leads the Clemson offense with a with a .319 average. The CBB predicts that GT takes 2 out of 3 games.

Probable Starting Pitchers
Friday: David Duncan (5-2, 3.03) vs. Daniel Moskos (3-3, 2.29)
Saturday: Eddie Burns (3-0, 2.98) vs. David Kopp (4-2, 3.32)
Sunday: Ryan Turner (3-3, 3.99) vs. Ryan Hinson (4-1, 2.03)

GT Game Notes
Clemson Game Notes

Duke at Wake Forest

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (24-22, 8-13 ACC) snapped a three game losing streak by picking up two non-conference road wins over Charlotte and Appalachian State. Duke (26-17, 6-15 ACC) took two out of three games last weekend against Maryland and also picked up a 12-0 victory over Campbell on Tuesday. The Blue Devils have been getting outstanding pitching from Tony Bajoczky who has a 8-2 record and a 2.70 ERA. The CBB predicts Duke to take two out of three games from the Deacons.

Probable Starting Pitchers
Friday: Alexander Hassan (2-3, 3.83 ERA) vs Brad Kledzik (3-3, 4.75 ERA)
Saturday: Tony Bajoczky (8-2, 2.70 ERA) vs Garrett Bullock (3-1. 4.91 ERA)
Sunday: TBA vs Charlie Mellies (1-2, 9.00 ERA)

Wake Forest Game Notes
Duke Game Notes

Virginia Tech at Boston College

Peter Hughes leads his Virginia Tech Hokies into Chestnut Hill in a battle between old friends. Peter Hughes was the head coach of Boston College for eight seasons but left after the 2006 season for Virginia Tech to replace coaching legend Chuck Hartman. Hughes former assistant coach and former teammate at Davidson Mikio Aoki was named the new head coach and he has seen some success this season by putting the Eagles into the race for an ACC tourney spot. The Eagles enter with a 16-22-1 overall record but are in eighth place in the conference with a 9-12 mark. The CBB predicts that BC takes 2 out of 3 from the Hokies.

Probable Starting Pitchers
Friday: Kevin Boggan (3-4, 4.02 ERA) vs Greg Fryman (2-7, 7.63 ERA)
Saturday: Nate Jeanes (1-3, 4.70 ERA) vs Andrew Wells (2-4, 5.84 ERA)
Sunday: Terry Doyle (2-3, 5.40 ERA) vs Adam Redd (2-4, 4.02 ERA)

Virginia Tech Game Notes
Boston College Stats

Tags: ACC, ACC Weekend Preview, Boston College, Clemson, Duke, FSU, Maryland, NC State, Peter Hughes, UNC, UVA, VT, Wake Forest

UNC at FSU

The biggest series of the weekend in the country takes place in Tallahassee where the Seminoles take on the North Carolina Tar Heels. Each team leads their respective divisions in the ACC. Both schools also are in the top 5 in all major polls in the nation. North Carolina is led by Freshman sensation Dustin Ackley who leads the nation with a .474 batting average. Robert Woodard will take the ball on Friday night as he continues to be the ace of the staff. He leads the team with 7-0 record with an ERA of 1.98. Florida State is led by Tony Thomas Jr. who has the highest batting average on the team at .465. Bryan Henry is continuing to hold down the number 1 starter role as he is 9-0 with a 2.37 ERA. The CBB predicts that UNC sweeps the Seminoles in Tallahassee. (I am still not a fan of FSU pitching).
Probable Starters
Friday: Robert Woodard (7-0, 1.98 ERA) vs Bryan Henry (9-0, 2.37 ERA)
Saturday: Alex White (4-2, 3.04 ERA) vs Michael Hyde (8-2, 2.84 ERA)
Sunday: Luke Putkonen (5-1, 3.43 ERA) vs Ryan Strauss (8-0, 2.44 ERA)

UNC Game Notes
FSU Game Notes
Tallahassee Democrat Preview
SEBaseball Article on Woodard

Virginia at Clemson

The other big series this weekend is when Virginia heads down to Clemson for a three game set. The Cavaliers are ranked eighth in the nation and Clemson 13th by NCBWA. Virginia is led by one of the top pitchers in the country in Jacob Thompson who enters the weekend with an 8-0 record and 1.32 ERA. The Cavaliers are led by Brandon Guyer who currently has a 25 game hitting streak in which he is hitting .439 during that time. Greg Miclat also is hitting .404 on the season. The Cavs knocked off Richmond on Tuesday 12-5. The Tigers have moved closer Daniel Moskos to the starting the rotation the last two weekends where he has pitched 10 innings and only allowed two runs. Brad Chaulk leads the team with a .416 average and Marquez Smith leads the team with six homers on the season. The CBB predicts that Virginia takes 2 out of 3 games.

Probable Starters
Friday: Jacob Thompson (8-0, 1.32 ERA) vs Daniel Moskos (3-2, 2.27 ERA)
Saturday: Matt Packer (3-2, 3.75 ERA) vs David Kopp (4-2, 3.74 ERA)
Sunday: Sean Doolittle (6-2, 2.42 ERA) vs Ryan Hinson (3-1, 2.28 ERA)

Virginia Game Notes
Clemson Game Notes

NC State at Georgia Tech

The Wolfpack head down to Atlanta to take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in another key ACC showdown. NC State enters the series with a 27-11 overall record and 11-7 in the ACC. NC State is led by starting pitcher Eric Surkamp who is 3-1 with a 2.98 ERA. Andrew Brackman fills the Saturday starter role but has been up and down throughout the season as his record is 6-3 with a mediocre ERA of 3.67 ERA. Mike Roskopf continues his hot hitting as he has a .435 average over the last 12 games. NC State rolled past Davidson on Wednesday with a 14-3 victory. Georgia Tech enters with a 23-14 record and a solid 10-7 in the ACC. They have had suspect starting pitching this year with Eddie Burns leading the staff with a 3-1 record and 2.74 ERA. Matt Wieters (.336 BA) and Danny Payne (.379 BA) still are the heart and soul of the Yellow Jackets attack. The CBB predicts that NC State takes 2 out of 3 games.

Probable Starters
Friday: David Duncan (5-2, 3.29) vs Eric Surkamp (3-1, 2.98)
Saturday: Eddie Burns (3-1, 2.74) vs Andrew Brackman (6-3, 3.67)
Sunday: Ryan Turner (3-3, 3.74) vs. Jimmy Gillheeney (3-1, 3.40)

GA Tech Game Notes
NC State Game Notes

Maryland at Duke

The Maryland Terrapins and Duke Blue Devils will meet in Durham NC. Both schools will be looking to get back into the ACC Tournament hunt as Maryland is two games behind Wake Forest for the last spot while Duke is four games behind Wake Forest. Maryland is led by Dan Benick who leads the every day players with a .333 average. The top starting pitcher for the Terps has been Casey Baron who is 4-3 with a 3.64 ERA. Duke has been receiving tremendous pitching performances from Tony Bajoczky who has beaten FSU, UVA, and Georgia Tech on the season. His record is 7-2 with a solid 2.94 ERA. The CBB predicts that Duke takes 2 out of 3 games.

Probable Starters
Friday: Alexander Hassan (2-3, 3.43 ERA) vs Casey Baron (4-3, 3.64 ERA)
Saturday: Tony Bajoczky (7-2, 2.94 ERA) vs Ryan Moorer (3-2, 4.21 ERA)
Sunday: Jonathan Anderson (2-1, 2.05 ERA) vs Kevin Biringer (3-7, 5.95 ERA)

Maryland Game Notes
Duke Game Notes

Miami at Va Tech

This series took on special meaning this week after the tragedies at Virginia Tech this past week. The game on Friday night will be the first athletic event since the incident on Monday in which the Hokies will participate in. The Miami athletic department in a pre-game ceremony will present a check for 10,000 dollars to the fund for the victims of Monday’s tragedies. The Hurricanes are led by Yonder Alonso who is hitting .373 average while the Hokies are led by Sean O’Brien at .340. The CBB predicts that Miami takes 2 out of 3 games.

Miami Game Notes
VT Game Notes

Wake Forest at Boston College

Wake Forest heads up north to take on the Boston College Eagles. Wake Forest enters the weekend with a 22-19 overall record and 8-10 ACC record. Wake Forest currently has a two game lead over Boston College who enters with a 13-21-1 record and 6-12. Boston College needs to sweep the Deacons this weekend to put themselves in position to make the ACC Tournament as the season is winding down. Wake Forest is led by All-American candidate Allan Dykstra who leads the team in average at .351 and homers at 15. The Deacons might be without their second best hitter Willy Fox who is suffering from an injury he got from confronting an intruder on April 2nd. Boston College has struggled throughout the season with the worst hitting team in the conference. They broke out last weekend against Maryland on Sunday in a 18-6 victory over the Terps. BC is led by freshman catcher Tony Sanchez who is hitting .344 average. The CBB will be in attendance for Saturday’s game in Brockton and we predict that Wake Forest sweeps the Eagles.

Probable Starters
Friday: Brad Kledzik (3-3, 5.33 ERA) vs Kevin Boggan (3-4, 4.24 ERA)
Saturday: Garrett Bullock (3-1, 5.50 ERA) vs Terry Doyle (2-3, 6.50 ERA)
Sunday: Charlie Mellies (1-1, 5.40 ERA) vs Nate Jeanes (0-3, 5.13 ERA)

Wake Forest Game Notes

Tags: ACC, ACC Weekend Preview, Boston College, Clemson, Duke, FSU, Maryland, NC State, UNC, UVA, VT, Wake Forest

Duke at UNC

The Duke Blue Devils head down the road to visit the Tar Heels for a Coastal Division showdown. The Tar Heels are leading the Division with an 11-4 record in the conference while Duke is pulling up the rear with a paltry 3-12. The Tar Heels swept Boston College last weekend in a fairly easy fashion behind strong pitching and solid hitting. UNC knocked off the Charlotte 49ers on Tuesday by a score of 6-3 and had their Wednesday game with Elon postponed due to rain. The Tar Heels are led by Freshman All-American candidate Dustin Ackley who is hitting an outstanding .489 on the season. Robert Woodard has continued his dominance on the mound despite last week’s poor performance with his 6-0 record. Duke took one game last weekend from Virginia and had a mid-week game with Davidson postponed by rain. Duke is led by Jimmy Gallagher who is hitting .368 on the season. Tony Bajoczky has become the ace of the staff with victories over Virginia and Florida State the last two weekends. The CBB predicts that UNC takes all three games on the weekend.

Probable Pitching Matchups
Friday: Robert Woodard (6-0, 2.34 ERA) vs Alexander Hassan (2-2, 2.88 ERA)
Saturday Game 1: Alex White (4-1, 2.13 ERA) vs Tony Bajoczky (6-2, 3.04 ERA)
Saturday Game 2: Luke Putkonen (5-1, 3.43 ERA) vs TBA

UNC Game Notes
Duke Game Notes

Virginia Tech at Florida State

Peter Hughes leads his Virginia Tech Hokies into Dick Howser Stadium for an ACC series this weekend. Va Tech has an overall record of 17-17 but 4-11 in the ACC. The Hokies were swept last weekend by Clemson but picked up a victory over Richmond on Tuesday. The Hokies have been led by Sean O’Brien who has continued his strong start with a .349 average. Florida State enters with a very good record of 32-4 and 10-2 in the ACC. Florida State picked up a non-conference win over Jacksonville 7-2 on Tuesday and are coming off taking two out of three with NC State last weekend. Tony Thomas Jr. has continued hitting the ball well at a .493 average as he has become the toughest out in the ACC. The Seminoles weekend starters have only lost two games this season. The CBB predicts that FSU sweeps the Hokies.

Probable Pitching Matchups
Friday: Bryan Henry (8-0, 2.60 ERA) vs Greg Fryman (2-5, 6.84 ERA)
Saturday: Michael Hyde (8-2, 2.82 ERA) vs Andrew Wells (2-3, 5.32 ERA)
Sunday: Ryan Strauss (7-0, 2.59 ERA) vs Adam Redd (2-2-1, 2.72 ERA)

FSU Game Notes
VT Game Notes
Brandon Reichert Article in Tallahassee Democrat

Georgia Tech at Virginia

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head to Virginia to take on the Cavaliers this weekend. This will be one of the big ACC Matchups on the season because both teams are expected to make the NCAA tournament this season. Georgia Tech has an overall record of 21-13 and 9-6 in the ACC while Virginia enters with a 30-7 overall record and 10-5 in the ACC. Georgia Tech is led by MLB prospects Matt Wieters and Danny Payne. Both players have seen time in the field and on the mound this year. Payne ended up getting his first loss of the season last Saturday against Miami by giving up a three run homer to Mark Sobolewski. Payne has an ERA of 2.79 in eight appearances this year. Payne is also leading the team in hitting at a .381 clip. Matt Wieters enters the weekend with a .336 average with seven homers. He has struggled out of the bullpen where he is 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA. Virginia has been playing good baseball with tons of excellent pitching coming from Jacob Thompson who has an earned run average of 1.49 in his nine starts. The Cavaliers offense has been led by the two headed monster of Brandon Guyer who is hitting .435 and Greg Miclat who is hitting an even .400. The CBB predicts that UVA takes two out of three games.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Friday: Jacob Thompson (8-0, 1.49 ERA) vs David Duncan (5-2, 3.53 ERA)
Saturday: Matt Packer (3-2, 3.27 ERA) vs Eddie Burns (3-1, 2.33 ERA)
Sunday: Sean Doolittle (6-2, 2.42 ERA) vs Ryan Turner (3-3, 3.88 ERA)

GT Game Notes
UVA Game Notes

Clemson at Wake Forest

The Clemson Tigers take their 23-9 overall record and 8-4 record in the ACC up to Winston Salem to take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons who have been struggling this season with an overall record of 20-16 and 7-8 in the ACC. The Tigers are led by Brad Chaulk who is hitting .393 on the season. Daniel Moskos is going to be making his second start of the season and his career this weekend as he is making the transition from Closer to Starter in the middle of the season. He lasted only four innings against Va Tech last weekend but the game was suspended due to snow on the field until Saturday. Wake Forest is led by All-American candidate Allan Dykstra who leads the team with 13 homers and an average of .349. The CBB predicts that Clemson Tigers will sweep the series.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Friday: Brad Kledzik (3-2, 5.24) vs Daniel Moskos (2-2, 2.45)
Saturday: Garrett Bullock (3-1, 5.17) vs David Kopp (4-2, 3.22)
Sunday: Charlie Mellies (1-0, 0.00) vs Ryan Hinson (2-1, 2.23)

Clemson Game Notes
Wake Forest Game Notes

NC State at Miami

The NC State Wolfpack head down to Coral Gables to take on the Miami Hurricanes in a weekend series. The Wolfpack carry a record of 24-10 and 9-6 in the ACC. NC State lost two out of three games against FSU last weekend. They are led by Mike Roskopf who is hitting .436 in his last ten games. Caleb Mangum leads the team in hitting with a .333 average. Jimmy Gilheeney has been a pleasant surprise for the Wolfpack with his 3-1 record and 2.45 ERA in his freshman campaign. The Hurricanes have been playing better baseball lately as their record has gone up to 21-14 and 7-8 in the conference. Yonder Alonso leads the Canes offense with his solid .367 average. Eric Erickson is not scheduled to pitch this weekend as he got injured in warm-ups last weekend and his status is still up in the air. The CBB predicts that Miami takes 2 out of 3 games.

Friday: Scott Maine (2-5, 4.03 ERA) vs Eric Surkamp (3-1, 2.84 ERA)
Saturday: Enrique Garcia (2-2, 3.08 ERA) vs Andrew Brackman (6-2, 3.31 ERA)
Sunday: TBA vs Jimmy Gilheeney (3-1, 2.45 ERA)

NC State Game Notes
Miami Game Notes

Boston College at Maryland

Both schools are looking to pick up some big ACC wins in their hunts to get to the ACC Tournament. BC enters the series with an overall record of 10-20-1 and 4-11 in the ACC. Boston College currently is on a nine game losing streak in the ACC but picked up a non-conference win over Harvard on Wednesday. Maryland has a 19-16 record and 5-10 record. Boston College has been led by freshman Tony Sanchez who is hitting at a .336 clip. Johnny Ayers is still questionable after hurting his shoulder a few weeks ago. Maryland is currently on a five game losing streak after losing a non-conference contest on Wednesday to Old Dominion 4-2. Maryland freshman AJ Casario leads the team in batting average at .333. Maryland closer Brett Cecil has seven saves on the season with a 3.50 ERA. The CBB predicts that BC takes 2 out of 3 games in the series.

UPDATE: BOSTON COLLEGE AND MARYLAND HAVE CHANGED THE SCHEDULE TO A DOUBLEHEADER ON FRIDAY AND A SINGLE GAME ON SATURDAY.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Friday Game 1: Casey Baron (3-2, 3.86 ERA) vs Kevin Boggan (2-4, 4.89 ERA)
Friday Game 2: Ryan Moorer (3-2, 4.18 ERA) vs Nate Jeanes (0-3, 5.67 ERA)
Saturday: Kevin Biringer (2-6, 5.87 ERA) vs TBA

Maryland Game Notes

Tags: ACC, ACC Weekend Preview, Boston College, Clemson, Duke, FSU, Maryland, UNC, VT, Wake Forest

FSU at NC State

The Florida State Seminoles head to Raleigh NC to take on the Wolfpack. Florida State is coming off a 16-7 loss to Florida on Wednesday. The Seminoles have a 29-3 record and 8-1 in the ACC. The Seminoles starting pitchers have been fantastic this year with Bryan Henry leading the staff with a record of 7-0 and an ERA of 2.44. Ryan Strauss and Michael Hyde complete the staff. Strauss has a 7-0 record with an ERA of 2.08. Michael Hyde got the first loss for the staff last Saturday against Duke. He has an 8-1 record and an ERA of 2.79.

The NC State Wolfpack picked up a come from behind victory over East Carolina on Wednesday by a 3-2 scoreline. They enter the series with Florida State sporting a 23-8 overall record and 8-4 record in the ACC. NC State completed a sweep over the Boston College Eagles last weekend and outscored the Eagles by a score of 40-7 over series. NC State top pitching prospect is Andrew Brackman who pitched seven innings last weekend while only allowing 1 run and four hits. He hit 97 on one of the radar guns that was around me. He has an overall record of 5-2 with a 3.42 ERA.

The College Baseball Blog predicts NC State takes two out of three games this weekend.

Probable Pitchers
Friday: Bryan Henry (7-0, 2.44 ERA) vs Eric Surkamp (3-1, 3.00 ERA)
Saturday: Michael Hyde (8-1 2.79 ERA) vs Andrew Brackman (5-2, 3.42 ERA)
Sunday: Ryan Strauss (7-0, 2.08) vs Jimmy Gillheeney (3-1, 2.06 ERA)

FSU Game Notes
NC State Game Notes

Clemson at Virginia Tech

The Clemson Tigers will head to Virginia Tech for a three game set this weekend. They have an overall record of 20-9 but an average 5-4 mark in the ACC. The Tigers picked up two big OOC victories over SEC foe Georgia. The Tigers pitching has been suspect so they will have potential All-American closer Daniel Moskos making his first career start on Friday. The top hitter for the Tigers is Brad Chalk who is hitting .408. Andy D’Alessio is questionable for the weekend with a pulled groin he suffered last weekend against Miami.

Virginia Tech enters with 16-14 overall record and 4-8 in the ACC under first year head coach Peter Hughes. The Hokies knocked off VMI on Wednesday but were swept at home by the Virginia Cavaliers. They have had some pitching problems this season as the staff has the second highest ERA in the conference at 5.94 which is only behind the BC Eagles. Adam Redd is the top pitcher with a 2-2 record and ERA of 2.89. Sean O’Brien is the top hitter for the Hokies with a .345 average while driving in 18 runs. Nate Parks has become a pest on the base paths as he has 24 stolen bases in 28 attempts.

The College Baseball Blog predicts that Clemson sweeps the Hokies.

Probable Pitchers
Friday: Daniel Moskos (2-2, 2.49 ERA) vs Greg Fryman (2-4, 6.80 ERA)
Saturday: David Kopp (3-2, 3.32 ERA) vs Andrew Wells (2-2, 5.49 ERA)
Sunday: Ryan Hinson (2-1, 2.04 ERA) vs Adam Redd (2-2, 2.89 ERA)

Clemson Game Notes
Virginia Tech Game Notes

Duke at Virginia

The Duke Blue Devils head to Charlottesville for an ACC series with the Virginia Cavaliers. The Blue Devils started the season with a 15-1 record but have struggled since then by losing 11 out of the next 17 to have an overall record of 21-11 but 2-10 in the ACC. The Blue Devils knocked off previously number 1 ranked Florida State behind top pitcher Tony Bajoczky. The Blue Devils are young and talented so the Cavaliers better take them seriously. The Cavaliers lost on Wednesday night at VMI but enter with a solid 27-6 record and tied for first place in the coastal division with an 8-4 mark. Jacob Thompson has become the ace of the staff with a 7-0 record and an ERA of 1.75. He is the leading candidate for ACC Pitcher of the Year if he can continue these numbers. The top hitter is Brandon Guyer who is hitting an outstanding .443 on the season.

The Virginia Cavaliers will take two out of three games according to The College Baseball Blog.

Probable Pitchers
Friday: Jacob Thompson (7-0, 1.75 ERA) vs Alexander Hassan (2-1, 2.86 ERA)
Saturday: Matt Packer (3-1, 3.12 ERA) vs Tony Bajoczky (5-2, 2.63 ERA)
Sunday: Sean Doolittle (5-2, 2.74 ERA) vs TBA

Virginia Game Notes
Duke Game Notes

Georgia Tech at Miami

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets enter Coral Gables with a very respectable 20-11 mark and tied for first place in the Coastal Division of the ACC at 8-4. The Yellow Jackets pitching is still suspect with David Duncan leading the staff with a 4-2 record and 3.54 ERA. The Yellow Jackets offense is still loaded with Danny Payne hitting .409 in the leadoff role and Matt Wieters continuing his great career with a .325 average and six homers on the season.

Miami is coming in with a 18-13 record and only 5-7 in the ACC. The Hurricanes have played some of the top teams in the ACC early in the season thus the reason for the slow start. They will start playing some easier games in the coming weeks to get themselves eligible for the conference tournament. Eric Erickson has been far the best pitcher on the staff with a solid 4-3 record and a minuscule ERA of 1.96. Yonder Alonso leads the team in batting average at a .383 clip.

The College Baseball Blog predicts that Miami wins two out of three games this weekend.

Probable Pitchers
Friday: David Duncan (4-2, 3.54 ERA) vs Erik Erickson (4-3, 1.96 ERA)
Saturday: John Goodman (1-1, 4.18 ERA) vs Scott Maine (2-5, 4.42 ERA)
Sunday: Ryan Turner (3-3, 3.57 ERA) vs Enrique Garcia (2-2, 2.91 ERA)

Miami Game Notes
GT Game Notes

Wake Forest at Maryland

Wake Forest and Maryland both enter this must win series looking to knock each other farther back from the eighth spot in the ACC standings. Wake Forest enters with an overall record of 15-16 and 4-8 in the ACC. They have had some starting pitching struggles with a staff ERA of 5.26. They are led by All-American candidate Allan Dykstra who leads the team with 12 homers. Wake Forest will be without Willy Fox who is out with a leg injury.

Maryland enters with a record of 19-12 and 5-7 in the ACC. They have been receiving great play from Freshman AJ Casario who leads the team in hitting at .327. The top pitcher in the rotation for the Terps has been Ryan Moorer who is 3-1 with a 3.43 ERA.

The College Baseball Blog predicts that Wake Forest sweeps the Terps with their powerful offense.

Probable Pitchers
Friday: Brad Kledzik (2-2, 4.81 ERA) vs Casey Baron (3-1, 3.60 ERA)
Saturday: Garrett Bullock (2-1, 5.31 ERA) vs Ryan Moorer (3-1 3.43 ERA)
Sunday: Charlie Mellies (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs Kevin Biringer (2-5, 4.75 ERA)

Maryland Game Notes
Wake Forest Game Notes

I previewed the UNC at Boston College yesterday and it can be read here.

 

Tags: ACC, ACC Weekend Preview, Clemson, Duke, FSU, Maryland, NC State, UVA, VT, Wake Forest

The North Carolina Tar Heels will head to Boston College for an odd Thursday and Saturday series with the Eagles. The Tar Heels are coming off a 14-2 victory over UNC-Wilmington on Tuesday while the Eagles enter the games after beating local rival Northeastern also on Tuesday.

North Carolina is led by Robert Woodard who is an outstanding 29-3 in his career. This season he is a perfect 6-0 with an ERA of 2.17. He will be pitching against Boston College on Friday which is the only ACC team he has not defeated. He faced the Eagles in 2006 but only lasted four innings while giving up a run on three hits. Freshman Dustin Ackley leads a potent UNC offense as he currently holds a 23 game hitting streak entering Game 1 on Thursday. Ackley is hitting for the season at a .479 clip. He has also hit five homers and driven in 45 runs. He is not the only offensive threat for the 2006 CWS finalist as Tim Federowicz and Chad Flack are among many that return from last year’s team.

Boston College is currently on a six game ACC losing streak with consecutive sweeps at the hands of FSU and NC State. The Eagles pitching has been poor as they have a staff ERA in the ACC of 6.04. The Eagles have no pitching this year as they have moved Kevin Boggan from the closer role to the number 2 starter position. He gave up 10 runs in his last start against NC State in 4.2 innings. The Eagles will send Nate Jeanes to the mound this weekend as he went seven strong innings in relief last Saturday against NC State while giving up three earned runs. The third starter’s spot is still not announced but I expect Terry Doyle will take the ball and try to regain his composure he showed this past summer in the Cape Cod League. The Eagles leading hitter is punter/outfielder Johnny Ayers who is hitting .346 on the season. Tony Sanchez has been a pleasant surprise with a .333 average.

The College Baseball Blog might attend the doubleheader on Saturday if the weather cooperates and if I can handle the cold of Massachusetts that is hitting this weekend. I predict that the BC Eagles get swept by North Carolina.

Probable Starting Pitchers
Thursday: Robert Woodard (6-0, 2.17 ERA) vs Kevin Boggan (2-3, 4.96 ERA)
Saturday Game 1: Alex White (3-1, 2.27 ERA) vs Nate Jeanes (0-2, 5.40 ERA)
Saturday Game 2: Luke Putkonen (5-1, 3.23 ERA) vs TBA

UNC Game Notes
BC Stats

Tags: ACC, ACC Weekend Preview, Boston College, UNC

Florida State at Duke

The Florida State Seminoles will leave the state of Florida for the first time this season when they head to Durham NC to take on the Duke Blue Devils. Florida State enters the series with a 27-1 overall record and a perfect 6-0 record through two weekends of the ACC portion of the schedule with sweeps over Wake Forest and Boston College. Tony Thomas Jr. is the leading hitter for the Noles with a .482 batting average on the season. Bryan Henry is the considered the ace of the staff and has a 6-0 record and a 2.37 ERA which is the highest of the weekend starters for the Seminoles. Ryan Strauss with a 1.57 ERA and Michael Hyde at 1.74 have both been dominant from their spots in the weekend rotation. Duke enters with a 19-9 overall record and 1-8 in the ACC. They picked up their first victory last Saturday when they beat Georgia Tech by a 3-0 score. Jimmy Gallagher leads the Blue Devils with a .356 batting average while Nate Frieman is right behind him at .351. Freshman Alexander Hassan leads the Duke pitching staff with a 2.10 ERA in his six appearances. The College Baseball Blog predicts that Florida State continues their undefeated ACC season with a sweep of Duke.

Probable Pitching Matchups
Friday: Bryan Henry (6-0, 2.37 ERA) vs Alexander Hassan (2-0, 2.10 ERA)
Saturday: Michael Hyde (8-0, 1.74 ERA) vs Tony Bajoczky (4-2, 2.27 ERA)
Sunday: Ryan Strauss (6-0, 1.57 ERA) vs TBA

FSU Game Notes
Duke Game Notes

Wake Forest at UNC

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons will be taking a roadtrip this weekend when they visit the North Carolina Tar Heels. The Demon Deacons picked up a loss this week to Winthrop by a score of 15-9 to give the Deacons an overall record of 14-13 and 3-6 in the ACC. Wake Forest is led by Allan Dykstra who leads the team in average at .378 and homers with 12 on the season. The Wake Forest weekend pitching staff has been ineffective with Brad Kledzik leading them with a 4.91 ERA. UNC enters hitting the ball extremely well as they got 28 runs from their offense in a 28-3 drubbing over Davidson in their only mid-week game of the week. North Carolina’s overall record is 23-4 and 6-3 in the ACC. They are lead by Dustin Ackley who is hitting an outstanding .495 on the season for the young freshman. Alex White has the lowest ERA out of the weekend starters at 1.91 but Robert Woodard is right there at 2.35 to provide a strong 1-2 punch. The College Baseball Blog predicts that UNC takes 2 out of 3 games on the weekend.

Probable Pitching Matchups
Friday: Brad Kledzik (2-1, 4.91 ERA) vs Robert Woodard (5-0, 2.35 ERA)
Saturday: Garrett Bullock (2-1, 4.96 ERA) vs Alex White (3-1, 1.91 ERA)
Sunday: TBA vs Luke Putkonen (5-0, 3.51 ERA)

Wake Forest Game Notes
UNC Game Notes

Virginia at Virginia Tech

The Virginia Cavaliers will travel across the state with their 24-5 overall record and ACC record of 5-4 to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies for a big weekend series. The Cavaliers are led by the .447 average of Brandon Guyer and Greg Miclat who is hitting a hefty .433 on the season also. The Cavaliers top pitcher has been Jacob Thompson who leads the weekend staff with an ERA of 1.83 and a 6-0 record. Sean Doolittle has gotten off to a slow start on the mound with a 4-2 record and a solid ERA of 3.20. Doolittle is also hitting .300 on the season which is down from the .324 he hit in 2006. The Hokies enter the series with a 15-11 overall record and 4-5 in the ACC. They picked up a loss to James Madison on Tuesday. They are led by first year head coach Peter Hughes who bolted out of Boston College after the 2006 season. The top weekend starter for the Hokies is Adam Redd who is 2-1 with an ERA of 3.68. The top hitter for the Hokies is Nate Parks who is hitting .336 with Sean O’Brien at .323 in the second spot on the team batting average list. The Hokies are a running team as they have attempted to steal 64 bases and successful on 43 of them while their opponents have attempted 31 and only been successful on 22 of them. The College Baseball Blog predicts that Virginia sweeps the Hokies.

Probable Pitching Matchups
Friday: Jacob Thompson (6-0, 1.83 ERA) vs Greg Fryman (2-3, 7.79 ERA)
Saturday: Matt Packer (3-1, 2.97 ERA) vs Andrew Wells (2-1, 4.19 ERA)
Sunday: Sean Doolittle (4-2, 3.20 ERA) vs Adam Redd (2-1, 3.68 ERA)

UVA Game Notes
VT Game Notes

Miami at Clemson

The Miami Hurricanes enter this series against Clemson with an unheard of 15-12 overall record and 3-6 ACC record. The Hurricanes are entering the series after a week long break after losing two out of three games to Virginia last weekend. The Hurricanes are led by Yonder Alonso who leads the team in hitting with his .374 average. Freshman Eric Erickson has been the most consistent weekend starter for the Canes with a 3-3 record but a very good ERA of 1.58. Clemson enters the series coming off a 15-6 victory on Wednesday over Western Carolina and a 14-2 victory on Tuesday over Gardner-Webb to bring their overall record to 17-7 and ACC record stands at 4-2 after a weekend sweep over Duke and losing two out of three up at Maryland. Clemson is led by a strong offensive attack which is hitting on the season as a unit at a strong .293 batting average. Brad Chaulk is the leading hitter at .425. The top weekend starter has been P.J. Zocchi who is 3-0 on the season with a 2.70 ERA. The College Baseball Blog predicts that Clemson sweeps the Hurricanes out of South Carolina.

Probable Pitching Matchups
Friday: Eric Erickson (3-3, 1.58 ERA) vs P.J. Zocchi (3-0, 2.70 ERA)
Saturday: Scott Maine (2-4, 4.68 ERA) vs Ryan Hinson (1-1, 2.14 ERA)
Sunday: Enrique Garcia (2-2, 2.43 ERA) vs David Kopp (3-2, 3.58 ERA)

Miami Game Notes
Clemson Game Notes

Maryland at Georgia Tech

The Maryland Terps will travel down to Final Four country this weekend for a three game set against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Maryland is coming off two midweek victories in which they beat William & Mary on Tuesday by a score of 15-3 and then followed that on Wednesday with a no-hitter in which they beat Coppin State 12-0. The Terps have an overall record of 18-8 and 5-4 in the ACC. They are led by Freshman A.J. Casario who leads the team in batting average at .371. The top weekend starter has been Ryan Moorer who is 3-0 with a 2.29 ERA. The Yellow Jackets swept Georgia Southern in a quick two game mid-week series by scores of 10-2 and 6-2. They are led by All-American candidates Matt Wieters who leads the team with 28 RBI and Danny Payne who leads the team in batting average at .412. John Goodman has become the most consistent weekend starter for the Jackets as he enters the weekend with a 1-1 record and an ERA of 2.84. The College Baseball Blog predicts that Maryland continues their hot streak by taking two out of the three games on the weekend.

Probable Pitching Matchups
Friday: David Duncan (4-2, 3.40) vs. Casey Baron (3-1, 3.59)
Saturday: John Goodman (1-1, 2.84) vs. Ryan Moorer (3-0, 2.29)
Sunday: Ryan Turner (2-3, 3.89) vs. Kevin Biringer (2-4, 4.65)

Maryland Game Notes
GT Game Notes

NC State at Boston College

The NC State Wolfpack will head to Boston College this weekend for a key ACC showdown. The Wolfpack enter with a 19-8 overall record but 5-4 in the ACC. They are led on offense by Joe Florio who is hitting .345 on the season. Ramon Corona is continuing to struggle at the plate with a .223 average. He struggled in teh Cape Cod League in 2006 with the Hyannis Mets where he hit .236 for the summer. The top pitcher for the Wolfpack weekend rotation has been Freshman Jimmy Gilheeney who is 2-1 with a very healthy 1.84 ERA. The biggest prospect of the season in terms of height and hype was Andrew Brackman who enters the series with a record of 4-2 and an ERA of 3.79. Brackman has been roughed up over his last four starts as he has a 1-2 record and an ERA of 6.26 over that period. Some people were talking about Brackman’s fastball hitting 99 MPH this summer on the cape. Boston College enters the series coming off a 10-7 victory over Holy Cross on Thursday and a 6-5 victory over Hartford on Tuesday. Boston College has an overall record of 8-11-1 and 4-5 in the ACC. The Eagles are led by two sport athlete Johnny Ayers who leads the team with a .369 batting average. Tony Sanchez is second on the team with a .365 batting average. Kevin Boggan leads the pitching staff with a 2-2 record and an ERA of 2.57 on the season. The College Baseball Blog predicts BC to take 2 out of 3 games this weekend.

The College Baseball Blog will have staff at both Saturday’s and Sunday’s games. So stay tuned for full coverage of the series.

Probable Pitching Matchups
Friday: Kevin Boggan (2-2, 2.57 ERA) vs Eric Surkamp (2-1, 3.00 ERA)
Saturday: Nick Asslein (1-1, 5.85 ERA) vs Andrew Brackman (4-2, 3.79 ERA)
Sunday: TBA vs Jimmy Gillheeney (2-1, 1.84 ERA)

NC State Game Notes
BC Stats
Interview with Peter Frates (BC)

 

Tags: ACC, ACC Weekend Preview, Boston College, Clemson, Duke, FSU, Maryland, NC State, UNC, UVA, VT, Wake Forest

Boston College at Florida State

The Boston College Eagles head to Tallahassee for the first time ever to take on the number 2 ranked Florida State Seminoles. FSU is coming off their first loss of the season to Jacksonville on Wednesday while Boston College picked up a victory on Sunday over Georgia Tech before heading back to Boston where they had a game postponed because of the snow on the ground. The CBB predicts that BC will win one game of the series this weekend if Terry Doyle is able to pitch. If Doyle does not go then the Eagles will get swept.

Probable Starters
Friday: Bryan Henry (5-0, 2.61 ERA) vs Kevin Boggan (2-1, 2.14 ERA)
Saturday: Michael Hyde (7-0, 1.59 ERA) vs Nate Jeannes (0-1, 3.57 ERA)
Sunday: Ryan Strauss (5-0, 1.85 ERA) vs Terry Doyle (2-0, 2.40 ERA)

BC has not officially named any starting pitchers for this weekend yet so I have based this on past weekend rotation.

Florida State Game Notes

North Carolina at Virginia Tech

Peter Hughes welcomes the North Carolina Tar Heels to Blacksburg for a coastal division showdown. Virginia Tech enters the series with an overall record of 14-8 and 3-3 in the ACC while UNC is 20-3 and 4-2 in the conference. The CBB predicts that UNC sweeps the road series.

Probable Starters
Friday: Robert Woodard (4-0, 2.30 ERA) vs. Greg Fryman (2-2, 6.37 ERA)
Saturday: Alex White (3-0, 1.69 ERA) vs. Andrew Wells (1-1, 5.27 ERA)
Sunday: Luke Putkonen (4-0, 4.10 ERA) vs Adam Redd (2-0, 0.96 ERA)

UNC Game Notes
VA Tech Game Notes

Clemson at Maryland

Clemson will head to College Park this weekend with a 14-5 overall record and a conference record of 3-0. Clemson dropped a mid-week game to Western Carolina on Tuesday but should be able to bounce back strong this weekend. Maryland is 14-7 and 3-3 in the conference. Maryland picked up a 17-2 victory over VCU this week on Wednesday. The CBB predicts that Clemson will sweep the series.

Probable Starters
Friday: Casey Baron (3-1, 4.41 ERA) vs P.J. Zocchi (3-0, 2.00 ERA)
Saturday: Ryan Moorer (2-0, 2.78 ERA) vs Ryan Hinson (1-0, 2.00 ERA)
Sunday: Kevin Biringer (2-3, 4.68 ERA) vs David Kopp (2-2, 4.40 ERA)

Maryland Game Notes
Clemson Game Notes

Miami at Virginia

The Miami Hurricanes head to Charlottesville to take on the Virginia Cavaliers for a big ACC series. Both teams are expected to compete for the Coastal division crown so this could make or break the division for both of these teams. The CBB predicts that UVA takes 2 out of 3 games this weekend.

Probable Starters
Friday: Jacob Thompson (5-0, 1.98 ERA) vs Eric Erickson (3-2, 1.52 ERA)
Saturday: Matt Packer (2-1, 3.48 ERA) vs Scott Maine (2-3, 5.00 ERA)
Sunday: Sean Doolittle (4-1, 3.28 ERA) vs Enrique Garcia (1-2, 2.55 ERA)

NC State at Wake Forest

The NC State Wolfpack will head to Winston-Salem for a three game set with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. The Wolfpack enter with an impressive 16-7 record but a 3-3 record in the ACC. The Deacons have a 12-10 mark and a 2-4 record with two tough series already under their belt with FSU and Virginia. The CBB predicts that Wake Forest sweeps the weekend series.

Probable Starters
Friday: Brad Kledzik (2-1, 5.20) vs Eric Surkamp (2-1, 2.53)
Saturday: Garrett Bullock (1-1, 5.54) vs Andrew Brackman (4-1, 2.97)
Sunday: Eric Niesen (2-2, 5.12) vs Jimmy Gilheeney (1-1, 1.90)

NC State Game Notes
Wake Forest Game Notes

Georgia Tech at Duke
The Yellow Jackets head to Durham NC for a three game set with the Duke Blue Devils. Georgia Tech is coming off a mid-week victory over Georgia State 3-0 and took two out of three from Boston College last weekend for an overall record of 12-10 and 3-3 in the ACC. Duke enters the series with a pair of victories over Fairleigh Dickinson and were swept in their last ACC series by Clemson. They have a record of 17-7 but 0-6 in the ACC. The CBB has Georgia Tech winnign all three games.

Probable Starters
Friday: Alexander Hassan (2-0, 2.18 ERA) vs David Duncan (4-2, 3.79 ERA)
Saturday: Tony Bajoczky (3-2, 2.70 ERA) vs John Goodman (1-0, 4.50 ERA)
Sunday: TBA vs Ryan Turner (1-3, 4.32 ERA)

Georgia Tech Game Notes
Duke Game Notes

I would like to apologize for the brief preview this week but I have been extremely busy with my real job. If anyone would like to hire me and give me a 40 hour a week job in sports shoot me an email here.

 

Tags: ACC, ACC Weekend Preview, Boston College, Clemson, FSU, Maryland, NC State, UNC, UVA, VT, Wake Forest

Virginia at North Carolina

The Virginia Cavaliers head to Chapel Hill to face off against the Number 1 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels. The Cavaliers have a 17-3 record overall and a 1-2 record in the ACC. They are led by two-way player Sean Doolittle who has a .338 average at the plate and a 4-1 record with a 2.45 ERA. David Adams is leading the Cavaliers offense in average at .493. The Tar Heels enter with a perfect 3-0 record in the ACC and overall record of 17-1. Robert Woodard leads the staff with a 4-0 record and an ERA of 2.19. Dustin Ackley and Josh Horton are leading the Carolina offense by hitting over .400 through the first 18 games. The College Baseball Blog predicts UNC to take two out of three games.

Probable Pitchers
Friday: Robert Woodard (4-0, 2.19 ERA) vs. Jacob Thompson (5-0, 2.15 ERA)
Saturday: Alex White (3-0, 0.68 ERA) vs. Matt Packer (2-0, 2.67 ERA)
Sunday: Luke Putkonen (3-0, 3.48 ERA) vs. Sean Doolittle (4-1, 2.45 ERA)

UNC Game Notes
Virginia Season Stats
The Cavalier Daily Preview

Wake Forest at Florida State

The Demon Deacons head to Florida State after losing two midweek games to Ball State. Wake Forest enters the series with a 11-7 record overall but a 2-1 record in the ACC after taking two out of three from UVA last weekend. They are lead on offense by Willy Fox who is batting .357 with three homers on the season. Allan Dykstra is also a strong hitter with his .343 average and seven homers on the season. Brad Kledzik is the number one starter for the Deacons on the mound and he has a 2-1 record with a 4.57 ERA. The Seminoles have started the season 20-0 and open the ACC season this weekend. They are coming off a three game sweep of Indiana last weekend. The Seminoles are led by Friday starter Bryan Henry who has a 5-0 record with a minuscule ERA of 2.04. The Noles offense has been very good in this season as they are collectively hitting .401. The top hitter for the Noles is Tony Thomas Jr. who has an outstanding average of .537 (44-82). The College Baseball Blog predicts Wake Forest to take one of the games of the series to break up the undefeated season for the Seminoles.

Probable Pitchers
Friday: Brad Kledzik (2-1, 4.57 ERA) vs. Bryan Henry (5-0, 2.04 ERA)
Saturday: Eric Nielsen (2-1, 5.84 ERA) vs. Michael Hyde (6-0, 1.85 ERA)
Sunday: Garrett Bullock (1-0, 5.23 ERA) vs. Ryan Strauss (4-0, 1.97 ERA)

Florida State Game Notes
Tallahassee Democrat Preview
Wake Forest Game Notes

Duke at Clemson

The Clemson Tigers will welcome the Duke Blue Devils to Doug Kingsmore Stadium for the ACC opener for the Tigers. Clemson is coming into the series with an overall record of 11-4. They knocked off Georgia Southern on Wednesday to head into the series on a winning streak. The Clemson Tigers have been hitting the ball well with Brad Chaulk and Doug Hogan hitting over .400 on the season. The Blue Devils enter the series with a 17-4 record overall but a 0-3 mark in the ACC. The Devils are coming off a brief two game sweep of Fairleigh Dickinson in mid-week games. The Devils offense is led by Jimmy Gallagher who leads the team in average at .397. Tony Bajoczky is the top pitcher on the staff with a 3-1 record and a 1.47 ERA. The College Baseball Blog believes Clemson sweeps the Blue Devils.

Probable Pitchers
Friday: Tony Bajoczky (3-1, 1.47 ERA) vs. P.J. Zocchi (2-0, 2.70 ERA)
Saturday: Michael Ness (3-0, 1.69 ERA) vs. Ryan Hinson (0-0, 1.74 ERA)
Sunday: Alexander Hassan (2-0, 2.18 ERA) vs. Alan Farina (0-0, 3.48 ERA)

Clemson Game Notes
Duke Game Notes

Maryland at Miami (FL)

The Miami Hurricanes will be hoping to have a better weekend in Week 2 of ACC action. They were swept by the North Carolina Tar Heels last weekend but picked up wins this week on Tuesday over Maine and Wednesday over Rutgers. They enter with an overall record of 12-9 and 0-3 in the ACC. They are led by true freshman Mark Sobolewski who is hitting .379 on the year with 27 RBI. The Hurricane pitching has been atrocious on the weekends after Eric Erickson (2-2, 1.93 ERA) with Danny Gil with an ERA of 5.95 and Manny Miguelez at 0-1 with a 7.40 ERA in six starts. The Maryland Terps are coming in after splitting a pair of mid-week games with a loss to James Madison by a score of 13-6 and a blowout win over Coppin State 27-0. The Terps are led on the mound by All-American closer Brett Cecil who leads the team with five saves and has the second lowest ERA of 2.76. The top hitter for the Terps is AJ Casario who has an average of .344 on the season. The College Baseball Blog predicts Miami to win the series 2 games to 1.

Probable Pitchers
Friday: Eric Erickson (2-2, 1.93 ERA) vs. Casey Baron (3-0, 3.52 ERA)
Saturday: LHP Scott Maine (2-3, 5.57 ERA) vs. Ryan Moorer (2-0, 2.81 ERA)
Sunday: RHP Enrique Garcia (1-1, 3.38 ERA) vs. Kevin Biringer (1-3, 5.30 ERA)

Miami Game Notes
Maryland Game Notes

Boston College at Georgia Tech

The Boston College Eagles visit Russ Chandler Stadium on Friday for the first time in school history. They are coming off a three game sweep of the Duke Blue Devils last weekend where they outscored them 23-8 over the three games. The Eagles enter the series with a 5-6-1 record. They are led on offense by Johnny Ayers who is hitting .444 in the first twelve games of the season. Ayers is also the punter on the Eagle football team. Kevin Boggan is continuing his dominance on the mound with a 2-0 record and a 2.12 ERA. The Eagles are still trying to get back Terry Doyle who was named the CCBL Co-Pitcher of the Year this past summer. He ended up closing out two games in the Duke series and might start a game in the Georgia Tech series if possible. The Yellow Jackets enter with a 9-9 record after losing two out of three games last weekend to Virginia Tech. The Yellow Jackets also picked up a mid-week loss to Kennesaw State by a score of 6-4. The Yellow Jacket pitching has been a major concern as they have a staff ERA of 5.68. They still have on of the best pro prospects in Matt Wieters who has a batting average of .364 and five homers on the season. Danny Payne is the catalyst for the Jackets offense with his .574 on base percentage. The College Baseball Blog believes that the Eagles will get swept this week by the Yellow Jackets.

Probable Pitchers
Friday: David Duncan (3-2, 4.97) vs. Kevin Boggan (2-0, 2.12)
Saturday: John Goodman (0-0, 7.50) vs. TBA
Sunday: Ryan Turner (1-2, 4.55) vs. Nick Asselin (1-0, 5.50)

Georgia Tech Game Notes
BC Stats

Virginia Tech at NC State

The Virginia Tech Hokies head down to Raleigh to play each school’s second weekend of ACC action. Virginia Tech is coming off two mid-week victories over Marist and Liberty. They also took two out of three last weekend at Georgia Tech. The Hokies are led by pitcher David Cross (1-2, 2.89 ERA) who picked up a no decision his last time out against Georgia Tech. He pitched well over the 6.1 innings of work while only giving up two runs. The Hokie offense is led by Sean O’Brien who is hitting .343 on the season. The NC State Wolf Pack looks to bounce back with a strong weekend after dropping two games over the weekend to Maryland. They are led on offense by Ryan Pond who is hitting .350 on the season. Ramon Carona is struggling early in the season with a very poor average of .227. Andrew Brackman is the Friday starter for the Wolf Pack but has a 3-1 record and a 2.87 ERA. He gave up six runs in his last outing against Maryland in which he lasted all nine innings to get the complete game. The College Baseball Blog predicts the NC State Wolf Pack to bounce back with three victories this weekend.

Probable Pitchers
Friday: Andrew Brackman (3-1, 2.87 ERA) vs. Greg Fryman (2-1, 4.62 ERA)
Saturday: Eric Surkamp (2-1, 2.49 ERA) vs. Andrew Wells (1-1, 5.73 ERA)
Sunday: Jeff Stallings (2-0, 3.38 ERA) vs. David Cross (1-2, 2.89 ERA)

NC State Game Notes
NC State Scout.com Preview
Virginia Tech Game Notes

 

Tags: ACC, ACC Weekend Preview, Boston College, Clemson, Duke, FSU, Maryland, NC State, UNC, UVA, VT, Wake Forest

The ACC will be opening their conference season this weekend with many interesting match-ups with Miami visiting Chapel Hill being the marquee event.

Miami at UNC

The UNC Tar Heels will enter the ACC portion of their schedule with a 12-1 record. The only loss was to Penn State last weekend in extra innings when they lost 3-2. They have also been getting tremendous pitching on the season in which they have only given up more than 4 runs once. UNC starting pitchers of Robert Woodard and Alex White both have an ERA of less than 1.00 while third starter Luke Putkonen has a 1.08 ERA. Josh Horton is leading the Tar Heels at the plate with a .421 average. Miami enters with a slightly poor record of 10-6 this season. They had some tough series losses to Mercer and Florida. They also lost a single game to St. Bonaventure this week by a score of 5-2. Miami is led at the plate by Yonder Alonso who is hitting .453. Miami’s pitching staff has been weak this season after Eric Erickson who has a 2-1 record with 2.14 ERA. Scott Maine is suppose to be the ace of the staff but has a 2-2 record with a 5.00 ERA. Manny Miguelez is 0-0 with a 5.48 ERA in his five starts. The Hurricanes need to improve these numbers this weekend or the Tar Heels will roll easily. The College Baseball Blog predicts UNC to sweep the Hurricanes.

Expected Pitching Match-ups

Friday: Scott Maine (2-2, 5.00 ERA) faces Robert Woodard (3-0, 0.92 ERA)
Saturday: Eric Erickson (2-1, 2.14 ERA) faces Alex White (2-0, 0.95 ERA)
Sunday: Manny Miguelez (0-0, 5.48 ERA) faces Luke Putkonen (3-0, 1.08 ERA)

UNC Game Notes
Rivals article on the Tar Heels
Miami Game Notes

Virginia at Wake Forest

The Virginia Cavaliers visit Winston-Salem this weekend to take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons to open up the ACC slate for both schools. The Cavs enter with a 15-1 record with the only loss to Coastal Carolina which is not that bad of a loss now. Brandon Marsh has been clutch over the last two games with game winning hits against Delaware and James Madison. David Adams, Greg Miclat, Jeremy Farrell, and Brandon Guyer are all batting over .400 this season. All-American pitcher/first baseman Sean Doolittle is the seventh best hitter on the team with a hefty .333 batting average. Doolittle also leads the team on the mound with his minuscule ERA of 1.17 with a 4-0 record. Jacob Thompson is the number 2 starter also has a 4-0 record with a 0.75 ERA and third starter Matt Packer has a 2-0 record with a 2.57 ERA. Wake Forest is coming into the weekend series with a 9-4 record. They knocked off High Point and Gardner-Webb this week after taking two out of three over last weekend against UNC-Wilmington. Wake Forest is led on offense by Allan Dykstra who leads the team with a .347 batting average. The Deacons use an effective but not potent pitching staff with Brad Kledzik as the Friday starter. He has a 1-1 record with a 4.32 ERA. Eric Nielsen has landed in the number 2 hole with his 2-0 record and a 3.10 ERA. The third starter is Garrett Bullock who enters the weekend with a 1-0 record and a 5.74 ERA. The College Baseball Blog predicts that the Cavs take two out of the three games of the series.

Expected Pitching Match-ups

Friday: Sean Doolittle (4-0, 1.17 ERA) against Brad Kledzik (1-1, 4.32 ERA)
Saturday: Jacob Thompson (4-0, 0.75 ERA) against Eric Nielsen (2-0, 3.10 ERA)
Sunday: Matt Packer (2-0, 2.57 ERA) against Garrett Bullock (1-0, 5.74 ERA)

Virginia Game Notes
Wake Forest Game Notes

Maryland visits NC State

The North Carolina State Wolf Pack welcome the Maryland Terrapins to Raleigh to open the conference schedule for each school. The Wolf Pack has an 11-4 record and are coming off a victory over North Carolina A & T on Wednesday by a score of 6-2. They also lost to UNC-Greensboro 10-8 on Tuesday. NC State is led on offense by Ryan Pond who is hitting .333 on the season with 3 homers and 16 RBI. Andrew Brackman who decided to focus on baseball this year over joining the basketball team is the number 1 starter and he has a 3-0 record with a 2.01 ERA. The second starter’s spot is filled by Eric Surkamp who has a 2-1 record with 2.45 ERA and to fill out the weekend rotation is Jeff Stallings who has a 2-0 record with a 3.44 ERA. The closer role for the Wolf Pack is filled by Eryk McConnell who is 1-0 with four saves and an ERA of 0.00 in his seven appearances. Maryland has jumped out to a surprising mark of 9-3 to begin the season. The Terps are coming off a series with the Lafayette Leopards in which the Terps won two out of the three games. They are led on offense by catcher Chad Durakis who is batting .341 on the season and AJ Cesario who is batting .340. The Terps pitching staff has been very average this season which is led by staff ace Casey Baron who only is 2-0 with a 4.50 ERA on the season. Ryan Moorer who started against Boston College last year when the College Baseball Blog saw him last is expected to be the number two starter for the Terps. He seemed to have a decent fastball last year but had to develop another pitch to become more successful in the ACC. He enters with a 2-0 record and a 3.15 ERA. Kevin Biringer finishes out the Terps pitching staff with his 1-2 record and a 5.52 ERA. The Terps also have Stopper of the Year candidate Brett Cecil in the bullpen. He has a 2-1 record with 3 saves and an ERA of 3.09. The College Baseball Blog believes the Wolf Pack will sweep the Terps this weekend.

Expected Pitching Match-ups
Friday: Casey Baron (2-0, 4.50 ERA) against Andrew Brackman (3-0, 2.01 ERA)
Saturday: Ryan Moorer (2-0, 3.15 ERA) against Eric Surkamp (2-1, 2.45 ERA)
Sunday: Kevin Biringer (1-2, 5.52 ERA) against Jeff Stallings (2-0, 3.44 ERA)

NC State Game Notes
Maryland Game Notes

Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech

Danny Hall welcomes Peter Hughes and his Hokies to Atlanta to open each schools ACC slate of games. The Yellow Jackets had some major issues with the Peter Hughes system of baseball when they visited Hughes last season at Boston College. BC actually took the final two games of the series to wake up the Yellow Jackets before their big run to the College World Series in 2006. The Yellow Jackets enter this weekend series with an 8-5 record. They have won last weekend’s series with Rutgers by taking two out of the three games. The Rambling Wreck have some major issues with their pitching staff which is led by David Duncan. The tall lefty enters the series with a 3-1 record and a 4.91 ERA. He had a shaky start last season at Boston College when The College Baseball Blog saw him. He gave up five runs in his five innings of work. The Yellow Jackets other starting pitchers are John Goodman who has a 0-0 record with a 4.50 ERA and Ryan Turner who is 1-2 with a 4.76 ERA. All three starters need to step up for the Yellow Jackets to have a successful season that ends in Omaha. The Yellow Jackets still are loaded on the offensive side of things with Matt Wieters and Danny Payne. Wieters is hitting .350 with 3 homers on the young season and is one of the top prospects for the 2007 MLB Draft. Danny Payne is batting .404 in the lead off role for the Yellow Jackets. The Hokies of Virginia Tech enter the series with an 8-5 record overall also. The Hokies are in a transition year with Peter Hughes taking over the program this season. They will play more small ball under Hughes who brought his style over from Boston College. The Hokies offensive leader is Joe Cueto who is hitting .325 for the season. Greg Fryman is the ace of the staff with his 1-1 record and a 5.79 ERA. Andrew Wells will be taking the number 2 starter’s role with his 1-0 record and 4.76 ERA. David Cross finishes out the weekend conference rotation with a 1-2 record and a 3.00 ERA. The College Baseball Blog predicts that Georgia Tech will sweep the Hokies.

Expected Pitching Match-ups

Friday: Greg Fryman (1-1, 5.79 ERA) against David Duncan (3-1, 4.79 ERA)
Saturday: Andrew Wells (1-0, 4.76 ERA) against John Goodman (0-0, 4.50 ERA)
Sunday: David Cross (1-2, 3.00 ERA) against Ryan Turner (1-2, 4.76 ERA)

Virginia Tech Game Notes
Georgia Tech Game Notes

Boston College at Duke

The Duke Blue Devils will welcome the Boston College Eagles to Durham this weekend for the conference openers for each team. The Duke Blue Devils have been the surprise of the ACC this season by starting the season 15-1. The Blue Devils have been led on offense by Jonathan Anderson who has a .417 batting average while stealing seven bases. Tony Bajoczky leads the pitching staff with a 3-0 record and a 1.16 ERA in his four starts. The other two weekend starters in Andrew Walcott and Jeremy Gould have been atrocious this season. Walcott has a 2-0 record but has a very high ERA of 5.50. Jeremy Gould has a 0-1 record with an 8.74 ERA. The Boston College Eagles enter after knocking off Villanova in the bottom of the ninth on Wednesday with a 2-6 record. They are led on offense by freshman Michael Belfiore who is hitting .440 in the first eight games of this career. Tony Sanchez, Johnny Ayers and Ryan Hutchinson are all hitting above .300 this season. The problem with the weak start from the Eagles has been their terrible closing of games. BC closer Dan Houston has pitched in five games this season and has a 0-3 record with one save and an ERA of 16.62 in his 4.1 innings of work. The Boston College starting pitching has been average with Kevin Boggan taking over the Friday starter role in the absence of Terry Doyle. Boggan has a 1-0 record with a 3.60 ERA in his two starts. Adam Crabtree has taken over the number 2 role in the rotation and has been terrible with a 0-2 record with an ERA of 9.72. The third weekend starter role has been going to Nick Asselin in the early part of the season. He has a 0-0 record with a 7.36 ERA. He did pitch extremely well against Vanderbilt in his first start of the season. The College Baseball Blog expects the Eagles to compete hard this weekend but they will get swept by the Blue Devils.

Expected Pitching Match-ups are unavailable at press time.

Duke Game Notes
BC Game Notes (I wonder if I will get some)

Non-Conference ACC Action

Clemson hosts Memphis

The Clemson Tigers will host Memphis this weekend for a three game set. The Clemson Tigers enter the series with an 8-3 record. They were swept by South Carolina last weekend in the two game set but picked up a win over Coastal Carolina in a mid-week contest. Memphis has a 7-3 record and has a record of 0-3 on the road. The College Baseball Blog predicts that Clemson sweeps the Memphis Tigers.

Expected Pitching Match-ups
Friday: Scott McGregor (0-1, 27.00 ERA) against David Kopp (1-1, 4.11 ERA)
Saturday: Marc Ashley (0-0, 2.61 ERA) against Ryan Hinson (0-0, 1.20 ERA)
Sunday: Lance Scoggins (0-0, 1.42 ERA) against TBA

Clemson Game Notes
Memphis Game Notes

Indiana at Florida State

The Florida State Seminoles host the Indiana Hoosiers for a three game set that starts on Friday. The Seminoles will try to increase their record start of 17-0. They are led by hot hitting Tony Thomas Jr. who leads the team with a .527 batting average. He was named the ACC Player of the Week for the second time this season this week. Bryan Henry leads the Seminole pitching staff with a 4-0 record and a 2.63 ERA. Micheal Hyde has been holding down the Saturday spot in the rotation with a solid 5-0 record and a 2.17 ERA. The Seminoles have been having some problems filling the third spot in the rotation but it looks like Ryan Strauss might be there for good as he has a 3-0 record and a 2.62 ERA. Indiana enters with a 4-4 record on the season. They have the typi