Coming off a 5-1 defeat to High Point in their season-opener Wednesday, the Blue Devils are ready to get into the swing of things.
Duke will take the diamond at Jack Coombs Field again this afternoon at 3 p.m. for the first of three games against Seton Hall. The Blue Devils (0-1) will finish up the series Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. and noon, respectively.
After getting off to a bad start in Sean McNally's head coaching debut, the Blue Devils are eager for their three-game stretch against the Big East opponent.
"More than anything else we've just got to get on the field and play games," McNally said. "I think that's the best teacher. That's what's fun about baseball, college baseball. You get so many chances. We don't have to wait a week to play again. We get right back out on Friday and play three games. That's the best thing for us."
With only one game under its belt, Duke has already played more than Seton Hall, which will open the season with today's road game.
And with the first-game jitters out of the way for his team, McNally is focusing on improving and gaining experience, rather than worrying about securing his first win as the Blue Devils's head coach.
"In professional baseball, I lost my first one, then we won the second one, and then we lost five in a row," McNally said. "So you never know what's going to happen. We'd like to get our first win, but we want to build and get better and better. That's the biggest thing. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Fifty-six games is a long time."
The Blue Devils struggled both on the mound and at the plate against High Point Wednesday, hitting only .205 as a team. Duke's only run of the game was driven in by a single to left field by designated hitter Javier Socorro in the fourth inning.
The Blue Devils made no errors in their home opener, however, despite sporting a roster that included three freshman starters.
"There are some things we can do better," McNally said. "I feel good about the way we're playing. I feel a lot of positive things happened... I was happy with the way we caught the ball and we did a lot of good things.
"We play each game at a time. Seton Hall is a good opponent. I'm excited about playing them this weekend."
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