For Duke to upset third-ranked North Carolina this weekend, the Blue Devils will rely yet again on the arm of their emerging ace, Tony Bajoczky.
Bajoczky is responsible for all three of Duke's ACC wins, including victories over then-No. 1 Florida State and then-No. 3 Virginia March 31 and April 7, respectively.
The Blue Devils (22-13, 3-12 in the ACC) head to Chapel Hill this weekend looking to upset another highly-ranked team in the Tar Heels (30-5, 11-4). Bajoczky is scheduled to face off against North Carolina's Alex White in Saturday's game.
"He's been incredible," catcher Matt Williams said. "He expects to get every single hitter out. That's the kind of player he is. He just expects to do well and he works hard for it-and it's really paying dividends for him."
Last year, Bajoczky was 2-8 with a 6.09 ERA. Opponents hit .331 against him, and he hit 25 batters in ninety-one and two-thirds innings pitched.
This season has been a completely different story. Bajoczky is first in the ACC with a .187 batting average against. He is 6-2 with a 3.04 ERA and has hit just six batters in fifty-six and one-third innings.
"His command is better, I think his arsenal is better," head coach Sean McNally said. "He throws four pitches for strikes. He can mix and match, and if one thing isn't working as well on a particular day, he's got something else to go to. But really, his command and location-especially with his fastball-is improved, and I think that's kind of been the key for him."
Bajoczky throws a fastball, cut fastball, changeup, and curveball-all of which he can locate for strikes. He said he's mostly been relying on fastballs to work hitters inside and out.
"That's really my bread and butter so far this year," he said. "But whenever I get in trouble or I need to get a strikeout or have them swing through something, I throw a lot of curveballs and cut fastballs-just something with a little more movement to it."
Bajoczky attributed his increased consistency this year to pitching in the Coastal Plains League last summer. In previous years, he had not played summer baseball.
"That got a lot of innings in for me-maybe just getting a feel for pitches and a little more maturity," he said. "And it's my fourth year here, so it's about time I started figuring things out."
Despite having the most successful season of his Duke career, Bajoczky is not content with his performance thus far-a reflection of his competitive nature.
"I'm never really satisfied," he said. "When I do start pitching good, I start expecting more out of myself."
Bajoczky's competitiveness is reflected in his aggressive pitching, as he routinely attacks hitters. Using that style, he has settled in as the Saturday starter for the Blue Devils. With the senior pitching on Satudays, McNally has the flexibility to pitch a two-way player on Fridays and use them later in weekend series.
Regardless of the day he is throwing, Bajoczky has established himself as Duke's ace.
"Every time Tony's on the mound, we know we have a chance to win," Williams said.
This weekend, Bajoczky and his teammates may be facing the most complete team they will see all season in North Carolina, McNally said.
"For us to beat them, we're just going to have to put it all together," Bajoczky said. "I guess we've sort of gotten used to [playing highly-ranked teams] at this point."
Just like they have gotten used to Bajoczky beating them.
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