A Seminole attack is on the way-time to circle the wagons.
Perennial powerhouse Florida State, currently ranked second in the nation, will pay a visit to historic Jack Coombs Field March 21 for a three-game series that will cap a furious spring break for the baseball team.
First, though, Duke (17-5, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) must put its perfect home record on the line against North Carolina State (13-5, 0-0). The Blue Devils are 15-0 at Jack Coombs this year, but have yet to host an ACC club. In between this weekend's three game set and next weekend's clash with FSU, Duke will travel to Spartanburg, S.C. for a pair against Wofford-making a total of eight games in ten days.
"We've got our work cut out for us," Duke coach Steve Traylor said. "We'll have to work on our execution, but we can play with [N.C. State and Florida State]."
The Wolfpack will come out gunning, led by ace right hander Brett Black, when the series opens today at 3 p.m. Black, the third winningest pitcher in the ACC last year, was also the leader in fewest walks. The senior All-ACC selection has faced a total of 130 batters this year-without issuing a single base on balls.
"Without question, he is the top pitcher in our conference," Traylor said. "He's probably one of the greatest pitchers in the history of the conference."
Black has not been the only dominating starter for the Wolfpack this year. Redshirt sophomore Bubba Scarce-known for his wildness as a freshman-has taken a cue from Black. Entering this week, Scarce (3-1, 2.64 ERA) had faced 58 consecutive hitters without issuing a walk. The one-two punch of Black and Scarce have carried the Pack thus far, but the rest of the rotation remains a mystery.
Right hander Dustin Baker would likely be the No. 3 man in the rotation-were he not also the starting shortstop. As a result, Baker has been used sporadically on the mound.
Duke will counter today with junior Clayton Connor, followed by Chris Capuano on Saturday and Richard Dishman on Sunday.
The Blue Devils continue to fight the injury bug, one that has caused Traylor to shift both his starting rotation and his lineup. Starting catcher and cleanup hitter Gregg Maluchnik (.423, 26 RBI) is the latest casualty; the junior from Raleigh, N.C. fractured a bone in his left wrist in last weekend's series against Wake Forest, and is listed as day-to-day. Although the bone is broken, Maluchnik will try to test the injury in practice and may or may not play this weekend.
"If he can stand the pain, he can play," Traylor said. "He's a hard swinger and doesn't get cheated up there, so it may hurt a bit... He'll try to take BP on Friday to test it."
With Maluchnik out, freshman Ed Conrey was pressed into action for the first time on Wednesday. In his first defensive appearance, Conrey was solid, allowing no passed balls and keeping a speedy Ball State team in check on the basepaths.
Meanwhile, first baseman Michael Fletcher moved to right field, replacing the injured Jordan Litrownik, and making room for John Benik on the infield. All Benik did in his debut was drive in the winning run with two out in the bottom of the ninth.
Duke will have one more week to test out its new lineup before FSU comes knocking on the door.
The Seminoles (17-5, 2-1) own a 27-9 lead in the all-time series with the Blue Devils, and once again come to Durham as the ACC's top dog. All-America center fielder Jason Drew continues his assault on ACC pitchers, and he was most recently named the conference's Player of the Week.
Drew hit .583 with 11 RBI for the week, including a grand slam. He also tripled and drove in four runs as the Noles took two of three games against Virginia in their ACC opener.
Florida State began the year ranked number one by Collegiate Baseball and Baseball Weekly, although the Noles have "slipped" to No. 2 in both polls. Of their five losses, four have come against ranked opponents. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils have not yet beaten a ranked team, having dropped decisions to Louisiana State and Tulane.
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