Duke baseball’s Friday rivalry game against North Carolina pushed back for weather

The Blue Devils’ Friday baseball battle against North Carolina will begin at 2 p.m., pushed up four hours to avoid weather.

The Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels will meet on the diamond a little earlier than expected on Friday.

Duke baseball announced through social media on Thursday that the second game of the series would start at 2 p.m. It was initially scheduled for a 6 p.m. first pitch.

The team said fans who already purchased tickets to the Friday evening game will still be able to attend the matinee.

Duke needs a closing flurry for the postseason. D1Baseball dropped the Blue Devils out of their top 16 seeds in this week’s projected bracket, meaning Duke would not host a regional in Durham.

North Carolina, on the other hand, moved to the highest-ranked ACC team in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll at No. 5.

A series victory over the Tar Heels wouldn’t just mean in-state bragging rights for the Blue Devils, but it could also push Duke back in line to host some postseason baseball at Jack Coombs Field.

Thursday’s series opener starts at 7 p.m. on Thursday.