After finally snapping their seven-game losing streak Tuesday, the next step for the Blue Devils is to turn it around in ACC play.
Duke will play host to No. 5 Louisville for the first time in school history this weekend with a three-game set at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Friday’s first pitch is set for 6 p.m., with 1 p.m. contests Saturday and Sunday to close out the weekend. The Blue Devils won a pair of midweek games at the DBAP this week to break a winless two-week stretch that included back-to-back sweeps at the hands of conference opponents Boston College and then-No. 12 Miami.
The Cardinals (25-7, 14-1 in the ACC) currently sit atop the ACC standings and are playing some of their best baseball of the year. Louisville has lost just once in the past four weeks—a nonconference defeat to then-No. 19 Indiana—and has pulled off three consecutive weekend sweeps of conference foes. In the Cardinals’ most recent action, they went on the road and bludgeoned a quality No. 9 Virginia squad—which Duke is scheduled to play in early May—outscoring the Cavaliers 26-5 across the three games.
The strength of this Louisville squad lies on the mound, and the Cardinals' arms will certainly be tested by the hitter-friendly configurations of the DBAP. The Blue Devils (21-13, 4-11) have found a home away from home in downtown Durham this season, posting a 6-1 record at the DBAP and averaging 7.6 runs per game, more than two runs better than their overall season average.
The Cardinal staff sports a tidy 2.52 ERA that is good for eighth in the country and also ranks in the top 10 nationally in WHIP and strikeouts per nine inning. Junior Kyle Funkhouser leads the rotation and will get the nod in Friday’s series opener. The 6-foot-3 right-hander has followed up an All-American season a year ago by posting a 2.22 ERA and holding opposing hitters to a .202 batting average.
A pair of southpaws will take the ball for Louisville in the series’ final two games in freshman Brendan McKay and sophomore Josh Rogers. McKay passed up a 34th round selection by the San Diego Padres to play for head coach Dan McDonnell and has thrived thus far—leading the team in strikeouts and serving as a versatile weapon with four starts and a spotless 5-0 record to go along with four saves on the year. Rogers is coming off a strong postseason performance last year that garnered him a spot on the Regional All-Tournament Team and is the owner of a 5-1 ledger this season.
As if the rotation did not feature a bevy of talented hurlers, the Cardinals’ bullpen is home to one of the top relief aces in the country. Lefty Drew Harrington has emerged as a stud in his sophomore campaign, yielding just one earned run through 27.1 innings and fanning 13.2 batters per nine innings.
Redshirt senior Dillon Haviland will toe the rubber for Duke in Friday's series opener. The left-hander is sliding into ace Michael Matuella’s slot in the rotation after the junior was lost for the season due to elbow surgery. Friday will be Haviland’s third start of the season as he tries to help the Blue Devils climb out of the cellar of the ACC Coastal Division. Duke is currently tied for last with Pittsburgh in the Coastal and ranks 11th overall in the ACC.
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