Duke faces another elite ACC opponent this weekend as it travels to Atlanta to take on No. 3 Georgia Tech. After being swept by fellow ACC power Miami two weekends ago, the Blue Devils (16-9, 3-6 in the ACC) will need a solid performance to avoid a similar fate.
The Yellow Jackets (22-3, 8-1) feature one of the most prodigious offenses in the land. Senior Tony Plagman heads a lineup heavy on left-handed hitters that has mashed the second-most home runs in the nation. While a short right-field fence helps Georgia Tech’s home statistics, six players have hit five or more home runs already, and the team boasts a .333 batting average.
“[Georgia Tech]’s a complete club,” Duke head coach Sean McNally said. “Offensively they’re designed to suit their ballpark. They’ve got a lot of quality left-handed hitters and there’s a short porch in right field.”
In contrast, Duke’s offense has experienced its share of struggles. The Blue Devils rank no higher than tenth in the ACC in all major offensive categories, including batting average, runs, hits and slugging percentage. In fact, the lineup has produced fewer doubles than the Yellow Jackets have home runs.
“If our pitching and defense can be consistent, we’ll be in every game,” McNally said. “Offense will come and go, and lately we haven’t been as productive with the bats. We’re capable of better and our guys know that.”
Friday’s starter Deck McGuire, complemented by weekend hurlers Brandon Cumpton and Jed Bradley, will provide an enormous obstacle for the reeling Duke offense. An ace that McNally considers to be the best starter in the conference and a sure top-five pick in the draft, McGuire mixes a mid-90s fastball with a slider, curveball and changeup. It has even been reported that he will be considered by the Washington Nationals as the No. 1 pick in June’s First-Year Player Draft.
“It’s an opportunity for us to face some of the best arms that we’ll see,” McNally said. “We’ll have to be ready to hit. They’re not going to walk a lot of guys so we’ll have to be aggressive at the plate. That’s our key for the weekend.”
Christopher Manno will take the hill Friday afternoon against McGuire. He sports an earned run average of 1.74 and records almost one strikeout per inning pitched. Eric Pfisterer and Dennis O’Grady round out the weekend staff, and the two will have to be on their game to keep the Blue Devils close.
“We’ll start with two lefties out of the box, hopefully counteract some of their left-handed hitting,” McNally said. “Dennis [O’Grady] has been a terrific stabilizer for us on Sunday.”
This series is the third three-game set against a top-25 opponent for Duke this season. And though the first half of the season has been tough, this series against Georgia Tech will provide a good indicator for how the rest of the season will go for the Blue Devils—considering they have nine more games against top-15 teams.
“What attracts people to this program and to this league is, to develop your ability and talent, you want to play against the best,” McNally said. “There’s a gauntlet of excellent teams in our league and that excites our guys.”
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