Last May, the Blue Devils waited with bated breath to see if their 35-24 record would be good enough to earn them an NCAA regional berth. While Duke wound up being left out of the mix, being in a position to potentially earn a bid represents the great progress the team has made under head coach Sean McNally’s tutelage the last four years.
“Our one team goal is to go to an [NCAA] regional—we were probably a game or two away from that last year,” McNally said. “We’d like to make the ACC tournament and also take that next step and be a regional team.”
Duke will need to make large strides this year to meet McNally’s goals after losing six seniors to graduation, including two of the Blue Devils’ top hitters, Nate Freiman and Matt Williams, and Andrew Walcott, a weekend starter. Add to that the departure of junior Alex Hassan, a statistical leader both at the plate and on the mound, and it’s clear that Duke has some holes to fill.
“[Freiman, Williams and Wolcott] were our three best, but the key that we’re focusing on is the way they became key players—they got the chance to play. They grew into that,” McNally said. “As upperclassmen they grew every year, and we’re going to replace those guys with some younger guys who are talented, but are not proven.”
Two of those younger guys will be freshmen Marcus Stroman and Eric Brady. Both have earned starting positions in the infield, with Stroman at second and Brady at third. The Washington Nationals selected Stroman in the 18th round of last year’s MLB Draft, while Brady carried a .512 batting average in his senior year of high school. McNally keeps their inexperience in mind, though, despite the gaudy statistics.
“Freshmen are tough to read. It’s such a grind, the 56-game schedule,” McNally said. “Generally there are a few guys who surprise you, and a few guys that maybe don’t achieve as well as you’d like. But you never know until you get started.”
Even with the new additions, the loss of Freiman may sting all year. Last season, the 6-foot-8, 245-pound senior led the team in batting average at .352 while mashing 20 home runs, almost three times more than his nearest teammate.
“Do we have a guy who will hit 20 home runs like Nate? No.” McNally said. “On offense, there are a lot of ways to score and we’re going to have to really execute and do the little things, run a little bit more, find other ways to score.”
However, the lack of offensive firepower is not necessarily indicative of disaster to come. The cornerstone of McNally’s Duke teams has been pitching and defense. Over the last two years the Blue Devils have ranked first and fourth nationally in error percentage, and this year’s team may be the best of all.
“That’s what we hang our hat on. It’s our ability to throw strikes, pound the zone and play good defense,” McNally said. “We’ve got the best defensive outfield that we’ve ever had, potentially, going into the season, looking at the athletes we’ll have out in the outfield.”
The pitching staff is filled with a mix of veteran talent and leadership, including five seniors, the most in school history. The pitching class of 2010 is led by weekend starter Christopher Manno and bullpen anchor Michael Ness. Sophomore lefty Eric Pfisterer will return to his place as weekend starter as well. Will Currier, Jeremy Gould, Jonathan Foreman and Michael Seander will provide relief from the bullpen.
“Our pitching staff is deeper than we’ve ever been,” McNally said. “Our pitching and defense will be solid in the end.”
In stark contrast to last year, when Duke opened with series against weak opponents like La Salle and Dartmouth, it will be tested early and often. Including an opening weekend against traditional powers Baylor and Georgia, the Blue Devils will go on to play seven teams in the Associated Press preseason Top 25, three of whom are ranked in the top 10.
“This year will be really challenging,” McNally said. “We’ve taken on a little bit of a different start to this season, playing two elite teams to better get us ready for conference play.”
Duke will face many of these top-tier opponents at its new home away from home, the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The Blue Devils will play 18 of their regular season games downtown, including series against premier programs North Carolina, Miami and Virginia.
“We like to think that we do a lot of outreach into our community, and this is just an extension of that,” McNally said. “Plus, it’s a great opportunity for our kids.”
The pieces are in place for a breakthrough season: an experience-laden pitching staff, a top-ranked defense, a professionally maintained field and a fully-returning coaching staff. But without Freiman and other mashers who can hit left field’s bull in Duke’s new stomping grounds, only time will tell if the pieces really matter.
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