Measuring 6-foot-8 and weighing 245 pounds, Nate Freiman would be an intimidating presence in the paint at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Now imagine Freiman with a large, metal bat between his hands, putting every pound of his massive frame into sending a small white ball rocketing back at you, and that menacing image becomes downright frightening.
It is on these broad shoulders that Duke's best hope in decades for success on the baseball diamond lies.
As the Blue Devils open their 2009 campaign, expectations are high that they can not only make the ACC tournament for the first time in head coach Sean McNally's tenure, but also reach the NCAA tournament for the first time in almost half a century.
"We expect to make the ACC tournament," said McNally, who took over the program in the summer of 2005. "We know we have to play really well to make that happen, but without question we're not afraid to say the ACC tournament's in Durham [at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park] and we want to be playing in it."
Much of the pressure of meeting McNally's goals rests on Freiman's ability to be a consistent producer in the middle of the lineup.
After hitting at a .381 clip with 11 home runs and 46 RBI in 39 games last season, Freiman was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 28th round of the 2008 MLB Draft, but chose to return to Duke for his senior season.
"It's sort of a standing expectation to just get better every season, to be better than the year before, and so far we've done that," Freiman said. "So everybody's expecting for us to be better this year. It's not just going to happen that way, though."
In Duke's opening four-game series against La Salle this weekend, Freiman showed why that choice may help raise his draft stock this year: The first baseman hit two home runs and drove in seven runs while recording a hit in 5-of-13 at-bats.
But the Blue Devils' offense will be far from a one-man show this season.
Returning upperclassmen Alex Hassan, Jeremy Gould and Matt Williams all batted over .330 last season, combining for 101 RBI. The veteran presence in the heart of the order should prove crucial to maintaining a consistent level of run production throughout the long season.
"We've got more of a sense of where we are because we've finally got some experienced guys that have played in our system for a few years and had success," McNally said.
As any good baseball fan knows, however, offensive prowess can be for naught without a solid pitching staff.
And on that front, Duke returns 12 pitchers from last year's staff, including its top four starters in Jonathan Foreman, Christopher Manno, Andrew Wolcott and Will Currier. Manno and Currier lead the Blue Devils with six wins each last season. Manno, who led the team with 80 strikeouts last year, enjoyed a stellar summer in the Cape Cod Baseball League and was named to the premiere amateur baseball league's All-Star team.
Despite the veteran arms, though, the second half of Duke's battery may be the real key when the Blue Devils have nine players on the field. Williams is considered one of the best defensive catchers in the ACC. He led conference catchers in fielding percentage and tied for the lead in most runners thrown out. His experience behind the plate and camaraderie with the returning staff could prove invaluable to keeping opponents at bay this year.
Combine power and consistency at the heart of the order with an experienced battery, and Duke might just be have its best team in recent memory.
"The level of expectation around our program is different," McNally said. "It's something we've embraced. We want to continue to get better."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.