After almost nine months off, Duke will hit the diamond to open up its 2015 campaign this weekend.
The Blue Devils will travel to Berkeley, Calif., to face California for the first time in program history. Duke is 1-11 all-time against teams currently in the Pac-12 but has never competed against the Golden Bears. Friday’s first pitch at Evans Diamond is slated for 10 p.m. and will pit No. 2 overall MLB prospect Michael Matuella against California’s ace Daulton Jefferies. Saturday’s game is set to begin at 9 p.m., and Sunday’s series finale will start at 4 p.m.
“We feel good,” head coach Chris Pollard said. “We’ve got a beautiful weather weekend out in California and we’re excited to take advantage of that and get away from the impending cold weather that we’ll get back home. It’s an exciting time for sure.”
Matuella, a junior, enters the season with several preseason accolades. In December, MLB.com rated him the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2015 MLB draft just behind high school senior and Florida State commit Brendan Rodgers. In February, Matuella was named first team preseason All America by Baseball America and was named to the 50-player preseason watch list for the Golden Spikes Award—given to the nation’s best amateur baseball player—by USA Baseball.
He and senior Andrew Istler will bear the brunt of carrying the team, especially early in the season, as the Blue Devils break in a very young lineup.
Duke brought in a freshmen class of 13 players this offseason and three of them will be starting this weekend against the Golden Bears.
Freshman Justin Bellinger, the No. 5 high school prospect out of Massachusetts, will get the start at first base, Jack Labosky, who grew up just three hours down the road from Berkeley in Clovis, Calif., will start at third base and Evan Dougherty, who hit .440 with 24 stolen bases his senior year at Bishop Verot high school, will start in centerfield.
Freshmen Peter Zyla and Michael Smiciklas will also see some playing time this weekend either as designated hitters, outfielders or pinch hitters. Pitchers Mitch Stallings and Chris McGrath will likely throw out of the bullpen this weekend as well, Pollard said.
“[The freshmen] are, like everybody else, looking forward to playing but they don’t know what to expect yet,” Pollard said. “We’re looking for guys to compete [and] do the little things well. We’re looking for guys who can stay focused on their process, not get outside themselves and try to do too much.”
The Blue Devils will be using this series and their subsequent non-conference games as a chance to feel out their best starting lineup, Pollard said. Duke will use a number of different lineups during the weekend as it looks to find one or two that it is comfortable with when ACC play begins against North Carolina March 6.
Istler will be the starter for Saturday’s game against California and sophomore Bailey Clark will get the nod to start in the series finale Sunday. Clark appeared in just six games during his freshman campaign, allowing two earned runs over 3.2 innings of work.
Despite his lack of experience on the mound, he was the clear choice to take the ball Sunday, Pollard said.
“He’s earned it,” Pollard said. “He’s been clearly one of the top three guys in terms of making a bid to be a weekend rotation guy. Right now he’s getting better every time he takes the mound and he’s got a great chance of being very successful in the role.”
The Blue Devils are looking to start this season strong against the Golden Bears, following a 2014 campaign that saw Duke finish with an overall record above .500 for the first time since 2010 and a conference record above .500 for the first time since 1994.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.