After a disappointing loss Tuesday, the Blue Devils will look to return to the same form they found last weekend against North Carolina.
Duke will return to conference play this weekend as the Blue Devils head to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech for a three-game set at Russ Chandler Stadium. The opener will start at 7 p.m. Friday, with the second game set for 4 p.m. Saturday and first pitch of the series finale scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday.
The road has been rough for the Blue Devils so far this season. Duke (17-13, 7-5 in the ACC) is 1-6 in road games with four of those losses decided by just one run. Head coach Chris Pollard remains optimistic, though, that his team will find a way to win some close games away from home.
“[If] you put yourself in those types of positions consistently enough, you’re eventually going to come out on the right side,” Pollard said. “In baseball the averages tend to win out and [if you play] close ballgames consistently you’re going to come out on the right side of them your fair share of the time.”
Part of the reason for these close losses is a Duke offense that has been inconsistent all season and plagued by a lack of clutch hitting with runners on base and in scoring position. The Blue Devils left nine men on base in Tuesday's 4-3 loss at Liberty.
“We need to continue to build on the adjustments we made offensively over the weekend,” Pollard said. “We’re still capable of scoring more runs…. We have to make sure that when opportunities are there to score runs, we take advantage of them.”
The offense could potentially be aided by the return of injured third baseman Jordan Betts. The senior has been sidelined since injuring a muscle in his lower back against Pittsburgh March 21. The Blue Devil coaching staff has been cautious with Betts but Pollard said that Betts had a good workout before Tuesday’s game against Liberty and that he is hopeful Betts will return to the lineup this weekend.
Georgia Tech (15-13, 5-7) has struggled of late, losing its last four games. Despite this recent skid, the Yellow Jackets boast solid young talent, particularly sophomore left fielder Matt Gonzalez. Gonzalez leads his team in hits, is tied for the team lead in RBIs and extra-base hits, and is second in batting average.
“They’re a different style of team than they were last year,” Pollard said. “Last year they really sat back and played for the three-run home run. This year they’re more athletic—they’ll try to play a little more small baseball. The best way to defend against a guy like Gonzalez is to pitch to him with nobody on base.”
The Blue Devils' strength this season has been on the mound, where they have posted a 2.86 ERA this season, good for third in the ACC. Duke will send reigning National Player of the Week Drew Van Orden, junior Trent Swart, and sophomore Michael Matuella to the mound this weekend against the Yellow Jackets. The trio sport 3.57, 1.42 and 1.29 ERAs, respectively.
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