Tag: acc baseball

Did Duke baseball do enough at the ACC Tournament to host a regional?

Duke outscored its final three ACC Tournament opponents 32-7 en route to its second title in program history, but was it enough for a top-16 seed?

The Duke Blue Devils did all they needed to do this week in Charlotte.

After a 6-7 close to the regular season left Duke outside of the top 16 seeds in most postseason projections, the Blue Devils swept their way through the ACC Tournament for the second title in program history.

Not only did Duke win, but head coach Chris Pollard’s team dominated. The Blue Devils scored 43 runs in four games and outscored its final three opponents 32-7.

Duke’s offense mashed 12 home runs over the four-game postseason run, including eight from the trio of Devin Obee, Ben Miller, and Zac Morris. Obee earned Tournament MVP honors after he hit a home run in each of the last three games.

The Blue Devils dropped down to a No. 2 seed in every projection after the clunky close to the regular season, but five ACC teams were considered safe bets to host a region before the tournament began. Duke emerging from one of the deepest conferences in the nation can’t be taken for granted, especially now that it means the Blue Devils sport a 39-18 record for the season.

The team certainly thinks it did enough, as evidenced by an amusing post from the team account on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

The selection show starts at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday with the 16 regional hosts announced.

If fans want the official Duke Wire prediction, I think the Blue Devils did enough to earn one of the spots. Expect them to be one of the last three seeds on the board, somewhere between 14th and 16th in the country, but expect postseason baseball in Durham.

Duke centerfielder Devin Obee named ACC Baseball Tournament MVP after three home runs

Obee hit a grand slam during Sunday’s dominant victory over Florida State, his third home run over the last three games en route to MVP honors.

Duke baseball took home its second ACC Tournament title in program history on Sunday with a 16-4 win over Florida State, and centerfielder Devin Obee earned Tournament MVP honors after he mashed three home runs over the Blue Devils’ final three games.

The junior outfielder finished Duke’s four-game tournament run with three home runs, seven hits, and eight RBIs after batting .500 for the week.

After one hit during an opening victory over Virginia Tech, he mashed a two-run home run in the sixth inning during Thursday’s winner-take-all game against NC State to advance out of pool play. The ball initially got ruled a double because it clanged off of some scaffolding right above the wall and back into the outfield, but in an amusing twist of fate, the UNC baseball team protested the call from the stands and prompted a video review that awarded Obee a home run.

He produced similar heroics against the Hurricanes during Saturday’s semifinal victory, another blowout in Duke’s favor. In the middle of a six-run eighth inning that busted the Blue Devils out of a tie game, Obee lofted his second two-run homer in two games.

His grand slam against the Seminoles on Sunday, his third home run in three games, busted the game apart to give Duke a 10-run lead.

Duke ended up winning its last three games of the tournament by 25 combined runs partially thanks to Obee’s offensive display, and the ACC recognized him as the best player of the week.

Duke baseball’s ACC tournament victory and celebration in photos

The Blue Devils offense blazed through Charlotte, culminating in a runaway win over Florida State in Sunday’s title game. Check out the week’s best photos here.

For the second time in four years, Duke baseball took home the ACC tournament title.

The Blue Devils absolutely burned their way through Truist Field in Charlotte, scoring 43 runs in four games. The effort culminated in a 16-4 blowout over Florida State on Sunday, a team that defeated Duke in a weekend series just weeks earlier. Ben Miller and Devin Obee both hit grand slams, the latter serving as Obee’s third home run in three days.

The Duke pitching staff did its part, too. After giving up eight runs during a narrow win over Virginia Tech to open pool play, they held NC State, Miami, and the Seminoles to seven combined runs over the final 27 innings. Duke outscored its last three opponents by more than eight runs per game.

Duke now awaits the selection show to see if they earned one of the 16 regional host spots for this postseason, but a conference crown gives them favorable odds.

Here are the best photos from the team’s statement weekend.

Duke baseball will play Florida State in Sunday’s ACC championship game

The Blue Devils, fresh off back-to-back offensive explosions, will play the Seminoles with a conference tournament title on the line.

Duke baseball, with an offense in full form, will battle Florida State in Sunday’s ACC championship game.

After winning a pool with NC State and Virginia Tech thanks to a six-run fifth inning against the Wolfpack on Thursday, the Blue Devils hung six runs on Miami in the eighth inning en route to a semifinal victory on Saturday.

Across its last 25 innings at the plate (no bottom of the ninth against Virginia Tech or the Hurricanes), the Blue Devils have raked in 27 runs and mashed nine home runs. Centerfielder Devin Obee and catcher Alex Stone each have two, with Obee cranking one in each of the last two games, and second baseman Zac Morris has already hit three.

A Sunday victory could be enough for Duke to host a regional in Durham, too. After a rocky end to the regular season saw Duke lose seven of its last 13 games and each of its last three conference series (including one to the Seminoles), D1Baseball and other projections dropped the Blue Devils down to a No. 2 seed. A tournament win over what has been the deepest conference in college baseball this season could vault Duke back into the top 16 spots.

Sunday’s first pitch is scheduled for noon Eastern time.

Four first-inning home runs lead UNC in ACC Baseball Championship rout of Pitt

Can the North Carolina Tar Heels ride their power hitting to a second ACC Baseball Championship title in three seasons?

All season long, the North Carolina Tar Heels’ baseball team has been defined by its strong hitting ability.

UNC entered its first ACC Baseball Championship clash – Thursday afternoon against Pitt – with a .310 team batting average that ranks 24th in Division I. Seven Diamond Heels are mashing .300, with Georgia transfer Parks Harber owning a team-best .358.

North Carolina also hits for power, as star center fielder Vance Honeycutt is one of five players with double-digit home runs (team-high 22), while five hitters have a minimum 50 RBIs.

That power was on display in full force during Thursday’s ACC Championship opener against Pitt, as Harber, Anthony Donofrio, Casey Cook and Alberto Osuna all mashed first-inning home runs en route to a 12-2 victory.

After blowing the game open early, UNC added a fifth run on Donofrio’s fourth-inning single. The Panthers closed their deficit to 5-2 in the bottom of the fourth, only for Cook to mash a 2-run homer in the sixth.

The Diamond Heels then added on to their lead with an Osuna groundout (sixth) and a Jackson Van De Brake single (ninth inning), capping their scoring later in the ninth on Cook’s 3-run bomb.

North Carolina also got a rockstar outing from freshman ace Jason DeCaro on the mound, as he pitched seven innings of 2-run, 5-hit baseball with six strikeouts. Connor Bovair and Kyle Percival finished the game and allowed just two hits.

UNC next lines up with Wake Forest on Friday, May 24 at 7 p.m. ET for a trip to the ACC Semifinals. The Demon Deacons, whom the Diamond Heels swept in Winston-Salem late March, dominated Pitt 8-1 on Wednesday.

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Duke baseball wins high-scoring opener against Virginia Tech in ACC tournament

The Duke baseball team defeated the Hokies 11-8 to win their first game of the ACC Championship after a sixth-run third inning and two home runs from Zac Morris.

The Duke baseball team won its first game of pool play in the ACC Championship on Tuesday night, an 11-8 victory over Virginia Tech powered by the bat of second baseman Zac Morris.

The Blue Devils trailed early after starting pitcher Ryan Higgins completely unraveled in the second inning. After four straight outs to start the game, including three strikeouts in a row after he fanned the leadoff batter in the second.

Higgins, then, walked the next batter. And the one after that. And the one after him, too. Then he walked a fourth straight Virginia Tech batter, bringing a run around without a single hit.

James Tallon came in to pitch from there, but bases loaded with one out is not an enviable starting spot. A sacrifice fly on his first batter made it a 2-0 game before Hokies third baseman Carson DeMartini mashed a ball over the wall for a three-run homer.

The Blue Devils roared back in the third with six runs of their own. A leadoff triple from Devin Obee and a Wallace Clark walk put runners on the corners for Morris, who lofted his first home run of the evening to cut the lead to 5-3.

The run continued with RBI singles from Logan Bravo and Chase Krewson, the latter bringing home a pair with his two-out poke into the outfield.

The lead stayed at one run for a while, but a solo shot from catcher Alex Stone in the fifth doubled it. Morris put the game out of reach for good when he blasted his second home run of the day, a two-run shot giving him five RBIs and giving Duke a 9-5 lead.

Virginia Tech tried to claw back with a run of their own in the seventh, but the Blue Devils threw on two more in the bottom of the frame to make matters worse.

First Team All-ACC closer Charlie Beilenson came in for the final nine outs, and although he coughed up a two-run homer in the eighth, it proved to mean nothing for the outcome. He struck out two batters in the ninth, a three-up, three-down inning to put a stamp on his 12th save of the season.

Duke now waits for NC State, the top seed in their pool, on Thursday. The game will effectively control Duke’s chances to reach the semifinals, as the Wolfpack hold the tiebreaker over the Blue Devils as the higher seed. Duke either needs to win both games or needs NC State to lose both games.

The second game of pool play will start at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

UNC baseball locker room explodes as Scott Forbes named ACC Coach of the Year

Does head coach Scott Forbes help lead the UNC baseball team to its first College World Series title this season?

Scott Forbes had some major shoes to fill when taking over as the UNC baseball program’s head coach.

He replaced longtime North Carolina head coach Mike Fox months after the 2020 season, which COVID ended early. Forbes, a longtime Fox assistant, led the Diamond Heels to NCAA Tournament appearances in each of his first three head coaching campaigns.

This year, however, Forbes is arguably overseeing his most talented group of players.

UNC won its first ACC Regular Season Title since 2018, going 41-12 (22-8). North Carolina is a Top-25 hitting team in the nation, with seven players hitting a minimum .300. Forbes brought in the ACC’s top recruiting class, headlined by Georgia transfer Parks Harber and freshman catcher Luke Stevenson.

The most impressive thing that I think Forbes is doing this year? Helping the Diamond Heels play this well with – essentially – an entirely brand new pitching staff.

With all the success Forbes helped UNC to in the regular season, it’s no surprise he was named the ACC Coach of the Year.

Look how much North Carolina players love their head coach, as evident by Monday’s locker room celebration:

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Forbes played his announcement perfectly: taking congratulations from his guys, then essentially telling them to lock in for the postseason.

The Diamond Heels begin their quest for the ACC Championship on Thursday afternoon, facing Pitt at 3 p.m. ET. UNC then turns around to battle Wake Forest, the country’s preseason number one team, on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.

After the ACC Baseball Championship ends, I have no doubt North Carolina will set its sights one the first College World Series title in program history.

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UNC baseball star Vance Honeycutt named ACC Defensive Player of The Year…again!

Vance Honeycutt’s all-star fielding skills earned him ACC honors on Monday afternoon.

The North Carolina Tar Heels sport one of the most dangerous offenses in college baseball – and a lot of it has to do with star center fielder Vance Honeycutt.

Since missing UNC’s entire postseason in 2023, which ended with an NCAA Regional loss to Iowa in the Terre Haute regional, Honeycutt is putting together a historic offensive campaign.

He’s hitting .319, making him one of seven Diamond Heels with a .300 batting average, hit a team-high 22 home runs and stole a team-best 28 bases in the regular seasons.

Honeycutt also broke the North Carolina program record for home runs, plus he is now the only player in ACC baseball history with 50 career home runs and 70 career stolen bases.

As much offensive attention that Honeycutt gets, he’s arguably an even better defensive outfielder.

Not only was Honeycutt recognized Monday afternoon as a member of the All-ACC First Team, but as the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Year– for the second season in a row.

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If you think you saw Vance Honeycutt’s defensive highlights on television, you are correct. He’s made the SportsCenter Top 10 in the past, plus he consistently climbs the wall for home run-robbing catches.

Honeycutt’s numbers solidify his defensive prowess. He is second on UNC with 148 putouts and carries a .987 fielding percentage. Errors are hard to come by for Honeycutt, as he has just two on the year.

If opposing hitters start rocking Diamond Heels pitchers this postseason, you can count on Honeycutt being a magnet with his glove in center.

Being named ACC Defensive Player of the Year once is impressive, but consecutive seasons is practically unheard of.

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Vance Honeycutt headlines nine UNC baseball players with All-ACC Honors

Can the UNC baseball team’s nine All-ACC honorees lead it to a College World Series title?

After a disappointing exit early in the NCAA Regionals last year, the UNC baseball team improved in virtually every aspect this offseason.

North Carolina nabbed several transfers that are now in the starting lineup, highlighted by starting first baseman Parks Harber (Georgia) and starting right fielder Anthony Donofrio (Quinnipiac). The Diamond Heels also entered the 2024 regular season with the ACC’s best recruiting class, which included now-starting catcher Luke Stevenson.

UNC’s recruits played a major role in team success this team, with North Carolina capturing its first ACC Regular Season Championship since 2018, but it was a pair of returners who anchored the Diamond Heels’ success.

Starting center fielder Vance Honeycutt and starting left fielder Casey Cook, who respectively lead UNC in home runs (22) and RBIs (73), were the lone two Diamond Heels to earn All-ACC First Team honors.

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Not only is Honeycutt hitting .319, one of seven on North Carolina players doing so, but he achieved two records during the regular season: becoming the program’s all-time home run record-holder, plus the only player in ACC history with 50 home runs and 70 stolen bases. When UNC’s season is over, Honeycutt will likely be a first-round selection in July’s MLB Draft.

Cook earned All-ACC Freshman honors last year, ranking second amongst conference rookies with 66 hits, but he elevated his game to another level this year. Cook is third on the Diamond Heels in batting average (.341) and home runs (16), plus he drove in a team-high 73 runs during the regular season.

Honeycutt and Cook were just two of 10 North Carolina teammates with All-ACC Honors, though.

Stevenson, starting third baseman Gavin Gallagher and starting pitcher Jason DeCaro were named to the All-ACC Freshman Team.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C7M8gWvRhLY/?img_index=1

Gallagher is currently second on UNC with a .351 batting average, Stevenson is hitting .290 and one of five Diamond Heels with double-digit home run totals (13), while DeCaro is 4-1 on the mound and leads North Carolina’s rotation with a 3.91 earned run average.

DeCaro, Harber and Elon transfer Shea Sprague made the All-ACC Second Team.

Rounding out UNC’s list of All-ACC selections are Stevenson, star closer Dalton Pence (six saves) and NCAA wins co-leader Matthew Matthijs.

Not every team lives up to its preseason hype. The Diamond Heels exceeded that hype, as they’re the ACC Baseball Championship’s top seed and look for a second title in three seasons.

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Aidan Knaak, Blake Wright, Cam Cannarella earn ACC honors

Aidan Knaak, Blake Wright, and Cam Cannarella were recognized by the ACC Monday.

Three Clemson Tigers baseball players received All-Conference Team recognition by the ACC Monday.

Right-hander Aidan Knaak was named a First Team All-ACC selection, as well as being named to the All-ACC Freshman Team for his performance during the regular season. Knaak wrapped up a stellar freshman season by going 5-1 with a 2.96 ERA in a team-best 13 starts.

Second baseman Blake Wright received Second Team All-ACC honors. Wright led the Tigers in batting average (.341), home runs (21) and RBIs (70) during the regular season. He was the only Tigers player to play in all 53 games. Wright was recently named a semifinalist for both the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award.

Centerfielder Cam Cannarella was received Third Team All-ACC recognition. After a sensational freshman season in 2023, Cannarella followed it up with a strong 2024 campaign in which he batted .332 with nine home runs, 16 doubles, 51 RBIs, and a .411 on-base percentage in 51 games. Cannarella’s .332 average was second-best on the team.

Of the major individual awards announced by the ACC Monday, Florida State’s James Tibbs III took home Player of the Year honors. Wake Forest’s Chase Burns, the NCAA Division I strikeout leader (169 strikeouts in 89 innings pitched), was named Pitcher of the Year.

Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress was named Freshman of the Year, and North Carolina outfielder Vance Honeycutt earned Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row.

North Carolina’s Scott Forbes was named Coach of the Year. The Tar Heels won the ACC regular-season championship and are the No. 1 seed in this week’s ACC Tournament. Clemson is the No. 2 seed and will face Miami in the Tigers’ tournament opener Thursday in Charlotte.