When the Blue Devils take Jack Coombs Field at 6 p.m. tonight against High Point, the team in the opposing dugout won’t sport the No. 1 national ranking or a 39-2 record.
This will be a welcome change for Duke, which during the weekend was swept by No. 1 North Carolina and outscored 21-3 in the three games.
Duke head coach Chris Pollard, who has been around Division I baseball for 20 years, came away from the weekend feeling the Tar Heels might be the most complete team he has seen.
“They play defense well, they can hit the ball really well, and they’re really strong both in their starting pitching and their relief,” Pollard said. “They don’t really have a weakness.”
Runs were difficult to come by for Duke (22-20, 8-13 in the ACC) in Chapel Hill during the weekend, but third baseman Jordan Betts was a silver lining. The junior accounted for Duke’s lone run in two of the games, hitting home runs against a Tar Heel staff that stifled the rest of the lineup.
“He’s dialed in and hunting his fastball,” Pollard said. “He’s been a key RBI guy for us all season.”
Pollard said Betts’ home run in game two of the series, a second inning shot against Tar Heel starter Benton Moss, might have been the hardest hit ball he has seen all season.
Duke will send Michael Matuella to the hill Tuesday against the Panthers. The freshman has a 4-2 record and 2.84 ERA in 16 appearances this season. He pitched one and two-thirds innings of scoreless relief in Sunday’s series finale, notching a strikeout while only allowing one hit.
“[Matuella] and Sarkis Ohanian really did a nice job for us in relief,” Pollard said. Ohanian, a sophomore, pitched an inning in each of the final two games of the series, each time allowing no hits while striking out two.
Matuella will be on a pitch count of about 80 pitches because of the short turnaround between games, Pollard said.
High Point (22-20) has been a streaky team all season, but enters Tuesday’s game having won eight of its past nine contests.
Pollard is familiar with the Panthers, having played them year after year while coaching at Appalachian State.
“They always swing it well,” Pollard said. “I’ve always been impressed with their offensive approach.”
Senior Ryan Retz is a dual threat for the Panthers. He leads the team in batting average, runs scored, doubles, home runs, RBIs, total bases and total hits. Retz is also a force on the mound, posting a 4-2 record and 2.77 ERA.
Tuesday’s matchup is the first of a home-and-home between the two clubs. The Blue Devils and Panthers will reconvene Wednesday at High Point.
In that game, James Marvel will return to the mound for Duke. It will be Marvel’s first action since April 2, after he was forced to sit out due to arm tenderness. Pollard said that, like Matuella, Marvel will be limited to about 80 pitches.
Marvel had been stellar before his injury, winning his past four starts, but Pollard said those won’t be the expectations for the freshman on Wednesday.
“He wouldn’t be human if he didn’t have a little bit of rust,” Pollard said. “Having him back would be a real shot in the arm for our club.”
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