Duke baseball hosts No. 5 N.C. State in elimination series

Duke needs a good deal of help to secure the ACC Tournament’s eighth and final spot—but first, the team needs to close the regular season with three wins against a dangerous N.C. State squad.

The Blue Devils (26-26, 9-18 in the ACC) would need to sweep the No. 5 Wolfpack (39-13, 16-10) this weekend at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park to keep their postseason hopes alive. 

For Duke to secure the last spot in the ACC Tournament field, Miami must also be swept by Georgia Tech, Wake Forest must lose at least one game to Virginia Tech and Maryland must lose at least one game to a cellar-dwelling Boston College squad that boasts a 3-23 ACC record.

Duke’s three tilts with N.C. State are scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday.

“Each game is an elimination game,” Duke head coach Chris Pollard said. “If we lose, we are not going to make the tournament. Therefore, we have to look at each game as a must-win and we’re going to do what we have to do to get to the next game.”

The Blue Devils are fresh off a 12-2 victory against UNC-Greensboro Tuesday in which the team pounded out 17 hits. Pollard said his team has solved some of its issues at the plate, and Duke’s ability to put runs on the board will be crucial in a must-win series.

“We did a very, very good job with our situational offense against UNC-Greensboro,” Pollard said. “I feel good about the way we swung the bat the last four games.”

But the Wolfpack have one of the deepest pitching staffs in the ACC. It is headlined by sophomore lefty Carlos Rodon, who is 7-2 with a 3.84 ERA on the season and leads Division I with 13.39 strikeouts per nine innings.

N.C. State has a number of weapons out of the bullpen as well, including senior Chris Overman, who has not allowed an earned run in 16 appearances this season, and fifth-year senior Grant Sasser, who is 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA in 27 games.

“Their bullpen has compensated for the fact that they’ve gotten some short starts over the last few weeks, and they’ve been able to hold the games close and give their offense a chance to get back in it,” Pollard said. “They’ve got several relievers that are tough to score on, so I think it’s important to score early.”

The Wolfpack also pack some pop at the plate. Shortstop Trea Turner ranks in the top 15 in the country with a .400 batting average and has driven in 36 runs this season. First baseman Tarran Senay leads N.C. State with 48 RBIs on the year.

Pollard said Robert Huber will take the mound Thursday for the Blue Devils to open the series. Huber started Duke’s game against Virginia last Sunday, but allowed five runs in 1.1 innings and threw just 40 pitches.

Starting Huber Thursday night will allow staff ace Trent Swart to pitch in his usual Friday night slot. Swart allowed just two earned runs in eight innings of work against the Cavaliers in his last start and will have the task of dueling Rodon.

Freshman Michael Matuella will wrap up the series Saturday for Duke, though Pollard alluded to the fact that Matuella could be utilized in relief Thursday or Friday if the Blue Devils are in a tight spot.

In addition to an outside shot at the ACC Tournament, this weekend presents the Blue Devils with an opportunity to clinch a winning record in Pollard’s first season at the helm.

If Duke takes at least two of three games from N.C. State, it will finish with a winning record for the first time since 2010.

“We all feel like this program has taken a huge step in the right direction this year, and I think a winning record would help validate that,” Pollard said. “But if we win the games we need to win this weekend, our record will take care of itself.”