To say that North Carolina has Duke's number on the baseball diamond is an understatement. The Tar Heels are 11-1 at Jack Coombs Field since 1998-the lone Duke victory coming in 2004. UNC is 23-3 overall against the Blue Devils in that eight-year span.
Many of those games haven't been particularly close, as the Tar Heels have scored in double-digits against Duke 12 times in the last six seasons.
This weekend, Duke (14-30, 6-15 in the ACC) will look to alter that history against the nation's top-ranked Tar Heels (34-8, 15-6).
"I don't think any of that [history] is relevant," manager Sean McNally said. "All we can do is focus on this year's team, play to our strength, be aggressive and get ready to play well."
Duke hopes to carry over the momentum from its series win at Virginia Tech. It was the second consecutive road series victory in conference for the Blue Devils, who failed to win a single road game last season. After its previous road series win at Boston College earlier in the season, however, Duke couldn't sustain the momentum and was swept at home by Wake Forest.
The Blue Devils will go for their third straight road win Wednesday at Davidson. Clutch hitting helped Duke dismantle the Wildcats, 11-5, in the only other meeting this season between the two April 12 in Durham.
Duke will need its bats to stay hot if it is to compete with North Carolina's dynamic starting rotation. The Blue Devils scored 25 runs in their last two games at Virginia Tech behind junior lead-off man Jimmy Gallagher and senior Adam Murray. The two combined for 10 hits, eight runs scored and three home runs in the final two games of the series.
Virginia Tech's staff, however, doesn't possess nearly the same quality and depth as that of North Carolina, which boasts some of the best pitchers in the nation.
UNC's rotation is anchored by southpaw Andrew Miller, Friday night's starter. Miller, who most Major League scouts agree will be the top pick in the upcoming draft, has compiled a 9-0 record with a 1.56 ERA in 10 starts this season. The Tar Heels have yet to lose a game started by the junior.
Robert Woodard (4-1) and Daniel Bard (5-2) will likely fill out the weekend rotation for UNC. Woodard was the preseason ACC pitcher of the year in some publications while Bard is coming off a shutout of N.C. State Sunday and hasn't allowed a run in his last 16 innings. Bard also figures to be a first-round pick in this year's draft.
Duke's Danny Otero (5-4) will try to halt a personal two-game losing streak Friday night and hand Miller his first loss of the season. Despite the consecutive losses, the junior ace still has the sixth-best ERA in the ACC at 2.32. He has been victimized by 15 unearned runs this season, including six in the last two games.
Otero will face a Tar Heel lineup spearheaded by left fielder Jay Cox, who leads the ACC with a .399 average, and Josh Horton, who is fourth in the conference at .394.
Duke will also try to forget its history against No. 1 teams this season, having been swept at then top-ranked Florida State in March. The Blue Devils lost the three games by a combined 23 runs.
Freshman designated hitter Nate Freiman can't contain his excitement at getting another shot against No. 1.
"I can't wait. I absolutely can't wait," Freiman said. "That'll be really exciting-to get a chance to step in against the best team in college baseball. This is why we play-to get a chance to play against the best."
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