Duke baseball looks to sweep season series from N.C. Central

Redshirt senior catcher Mike Rosenfeld and the Blue Devils will play a doubleheader Sunday against the Eagles.
Redshirt senior catcher Mike Rosenfeld and the Blue Devils will play a doubleheader Sunday against the Eagles.

For the first time since February, Duke hits the field after a scheduled week off from game action. Standing in the opposite dugout, though, N.C. Central is just as well-rested, making this cross-town matchup all the more enticing.

Heads newly shaven in support of Vs. Cancer, the Blue Devils will go for the season sweep against the Eagles in a Sunday doubleheader at Jack Coombs Field. First pitch of game one is set for 1 p.m. with the second contest set to begin 45 minutes after the conclusion of the opener. Duke is 83-5 against MEAC teams all-time and undefeated in 15 games against N.C. Central.

The Blue Devils took Monday and Tuesday off to give players time to recover and allow for additional study time during finals week. The rest made a noticeable difference when the squad returned to the diamond for practice Wednesday.

“Watching guys move around, watching guys’ bats speeds…[those extra days] really helped,” Duke head coach Chris Pollard said. "The intensity level is lighter and...guys’ bodies are a little fresher.”

After playing 36 games in 58 days, the Blue Devils (24-19) will send their usual Friday and Saturday starters weekend starters—senior Andrew Istler and redshirt senior Dillon Haviland—to the mound in a split start in the first game and sophomore Bailey Clark to lead the way in the second matchup.

Pollard said his team could have used the week-long exam break a few weeks earlier, when Duke was dealing with several key injuries and mired in a seven-game losing skid. After taking Tuesday off and lighter practices Wednesday and Thursday, the Blue Devils scrimmaged against themselves rather than play a game Friday night.

Leadoff man Andy Perez has swiped 27 bases this season, helping set the table for the rest of the Duke offense, including freshman Peter Zyla, who has a hit in 27 of his 31 starts this season.

But the rest of the lineup has scuffled of late. Despite pushing across 13 runs in three games against Virginia Tech last weekend, Duke ranks last in the ACC in runs per game, slugging percentage and on-base percentage.

The N.C. Central pitching staff has been inconsistent this season but certainly has the potential to shut the Blue Devils down. The Eagles (19-25) have allowed at least 10 runs five times this season and has surrendered an average of 6.2 runs in its 25 losses. When the teams squared off Feb. 25, Duke came away with a 12-1 win. But N.C. Central has also had its share of strong outings as welll, shutting out NCAA tournament-bound UNC Wilmington for seven innings during an April 7 matchup.

“You look at their wins, they’ve pitched very well,” Pollard said. “They’ve got a lot of quality, non-conference wins.”

The Eagles enter Sunday's doubleheader even colder than a Duke team that has lost six of nine. N.C. Central has lost seven straight, falling from the top of the MEAC Southern Division to third.

Junior Christian Trippler hit two home runs against Florida A&M last weekend, both over the Green Monster when the teams squared off at Boston's Fenway Park. Trippler is slugging .468 with 17 extra base hits, placing him among the top power hitters in the MEAC this season.

For the Blue Devils, the season is waning and it has a chance to pounce again on a non-conference opponent at home. Pollard will decide Sunday whether to stick with his core or turn to his younger players, including members from a freshman class that has proved invaluable.

“There’s a balancing act there,” Pollard said. “You try to get a lot of guys some work on Sunday to get them back in the mix, but you’re also wanting to get reps for guys that need it the most.”

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