The baseball team will face some of its toughest competition to date when it opens the Atlantic Coast Conference season with a three-game series this weekend against No. 6 Clemson and another against No. 24 North Carolina State on Mar. 17-19.
"We know that coming out of the blocks in the conference, we're playing the three best teams the first nine games," said head coach Steve Traylor, whose team will face No. 3 Florida State in two weeks. "It's just the way the schedule fell, and I think that we're absolutely ready to play."
At first glance, it would appear that the Blue Devils have picked the perfect time to face the Tigers. Duke stands at 16-2 overall and is riding a school-record 16-game winning streak. The squad's health is good as well, with pitchers Scott Schoeneweis and Craig Starman recovered from early-season injuries.
And Duke will need them against Clemson. Winner of the 1994 ACC tournament, the Tigers have showcased what could be the nation's best pitching staff in winning their last 11 games.
"Their pitching staff is what knocks your socks off," Traylor said. "They have great arms, great depth, and they've all been through this before. Most of the scouts that I've talked to compare them to a Double-A pitching staff, so that's pretty high praise.
"There is certainly no pressure on us going down there. If there is any pressure on anybody, I'd think it'd be on Clemson."
Maybe that's because the Tigers remember 1993, the last time the Blue Devils visited. Like this year, Duke was expected to get swept in three straight games. Instead, the Blue Devils shocked Clemson by winning two out of three games in a series which catapulted the team into the national baseball spotlight.
Traylor said that he hoped an early-season trip to powerhouse Arizona State prepared the team to play against ACC teams such as Clemson. But due in part to the noisy crowds cheering on the already-tough Tigers, Traylor said, "You really can't prepare for going into Clemson."
The Duke pitching staff is certainly well-prepared after the return of Schoeneweis and Starman. They will be used as a combined starter on Sunday, both throwing on lower pitch counts.
After facing Clemson, the Blue Devils will have the formidable task of taking on the Wolfpack. N.C. State has been in and out of the Top 25 this season.
"We're facing some of the best baseball players in America over the next two weeks," Traylor said. "I don't think we have to beat those teams two out of three to feel like we have a good baseball team."
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