"We've got to get ahead 0-1. They take a lot of pitches," Pollard said. "If you fall behind, they can really grind out at-bats and run up pitch counts. They take their walks, hit by pitches, any way they can—they get on base and generate offense."
Pollard will juggle the Blue Devil starting rotation this weekend to put his team in an optimal position for next weekend's ACC tournament. Junior Andrew Istler will take the ball in Thursday's series opener, and Drew Van Orden—the usual series-opener starter—will toe the rubber in Friday's 6 p.m. contest. Istler will be opposed by Florida State's Luke Weaver—a power arm and likely first-round draft pick this summer—and Van Orden will match up against sinkerball pitcher Mike Compton.
On the mound, the Seminoles boast a collective 3.01 ERA, tied with Duke for fourth in the ACC. Leading the way is closer Jameis Winston, whose 1.33 ERA is best on the team among pitchers with more than 15 innings of work. Earlier this year, Winston quarterbacked the Florida State football team to the national championship and won the Heisman Trophy, but he has had off-the-field issues in recent weeks. After serving a three-game suspension from the baseball team, Winston has been reinstated and is eligible to pitch against Duke this weekend.
"He's got a good arm, 92-93 miles per hour—got a good slider. His numbers are good," Pollard said. "Obviously [he's] a tremendous competitor; you can see that in what he accomplished on the football field."
Starting pitchers for Saturday's 1 p.m. series finale have not been announced, as both squads will evaluate the first two games of the series—and the other games played across the ACC landscape—before making final decisions for the regular season closer. Pollard said every member of the Blue Devil pitching staff was available to throw if called upon after Duke used five pitchers in Wednesday's 10-3 win against Richmond. The Seminoles will be jockeying with Virginia and Miami for position as the tournament's top three seeds.
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