When UNC Greensboro visits Jack Coombs Field Tuesday evening, the Spartans will be going up against a Duke team playing with renewed confidence.
The reason for that swagger: the team’s pitching. The Blue Devil staff rose to the occasion over the weekend, shutting out a potent Georgia Tech offense twice and limiting the Yellow Jackets to just two runs during the three-game series in Durham.
“[Our pitchers] feel really good about the way they pitched, and they should,” head coach Chris Pollard said.
Freshman right-hander Michael Matuella—who has a 2-2 record and 2.49 ERA this season—will take the hill for the Blue Devils Tuesday and look to deliver another strong performance by a Duke starting pitcher. Duke starters have given up just ten earned runs during the last eight contests, dating back to a March 27 win against North Carolina A&T. During the weekend, the starting trio of Trent Swart, Drew Van Orden and Robert Huber combined to allow just 15 hits in 23 innings of work.
“The thing the guys have done well is use the fastball to their advantage, pitching ahead in the count,” Pollard said. “And with Michael, the fastball is his strength.” The Spartans (16-16) will counter with junior southpaw Dylan Hathcock who has a 2-2 record, 5.79 ERA and three saves on the year. Pollard is familiar with the lefty, dating back to Pollard’s time as skipper at Appalachian State. He said Hathcock will try to force Blue Devil hitters into weak contact early in the count.
“He won’t get tons of swings and misses,” Pollard said. “He’s going to rely on you to get yourself out, so you really need to take what he gives you and have a patient approach [at the plate].”
After an explosive five-game stretch during which it scored 50 runs, the Duke offense could only provide its pitchers minimal run support during the weekend, scoring just six runs in the series. The stellar pitching, though, enabled the Blue Devils to take two out of three from the then-No. 15 Yellow Jackets, putting Duke (19-14) just a game back of Georgia Tech in the ACC standings.
One offensive bright spot for the Blue Devils during the weekend was second baseman Andy Perez. The Roswell, Ga. native notched five hits and twice extended doubles into triples, exhibiting hustle Pollard said has become routine for the sophomore.
“All year he’s been driving the ball the other way and really been a spark plug for the offense,” Pollard said. “He’s aggressive, always looking to take the extra base.”
Pollard said the Blue Devil bullpen will be short-handed against the Spartans. Freshman righty James Marvel and redshirt junior Chase Bebout will both be unavailable due to arm tenderness. The holes left by the two pitchers, who have seen lots of work during midweek games this season, mean lesser-used relievers will get chances to make an impact.
Offensively, UNC Greensboro is led by senior infielder/designated hitter Trevor Edwards, who has clubbed nine home runs and driven home 32 runs for the Spartans while maintaining a .308 batting average.
Pollard saw plenty of the powerful Edwards during Southern Conference games between the Spartans and Pollard’s Mountaineers.
“[Edwards] has strong hands and a lot of power,” Pollard said. “The best way to pitch him is with no runners on base.”
Pollard said his pitchers will commit to their game plan rather than focus specifically on pitching to Edwards’ weaknesses at the plate. A similar strategy worked to perfection against Georgia Tech.
“One of the biggest takeaways from this weekend’s series is that just because a team’s numbers or a player’s numbers are gaudy shouldn’t change the way you pitch,” Pollard said.
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