Division ‘A’ Bracket
Florida State enters the ACC Tournament with a 46-9 overall record and 24-6 in the ACC. They won the Atlantic Division title for the first time in their history. They are led by ACC Pitcher of the Year Bryan Henry who is the ace of the pitching staff with a 14-0 record and an ERA of 2.50. Tony Thomas Jr. who recently was named the ACC Player of the Year leads the team in hitting with a .439 average from his leadoff spot. He has also stolen 28 bases in 33 attempts. Both players were recently named as Semi-Finalists for the Dick Howser Award. The Seminoles will take on Wake Forest on Wednesday at 7:00 pm, Miami at 7:00 pm on Friday, and Clemson at 4:00 pm on Saturday.
FSU Tourney Notes
Tallahassee Democrat article about new format
Wake Forest heads down to Jacksonville after taking two out of three games from Virginia Tech to get the eighth seed in the tournament. The Deacons have an overall record of 31-25 and went 14-16 in the conference. They are squarely on the bubble for an NCAA Tournament bid as many projections across the country have the Deacons in the tournament but CBB does not believe they should be in the tournament without a good weekend. The top hitters on the team are Willy Fox and Allan Dykstra. Fox only played in 41 games this season as he got injured in an encounter with an intruder at his apartment. Fox was able to lead the team in hitting with a .359 average. Dykstra was named to the Second team in the ACC as he hit .325 with 17 homers and 55 RBI in 56 games this season. The Wake pitching staff has been a question mark all season as the team’s top weekend starter is Garrett Bullock who is only 4-1 with a 4.40 ERA. Josh Ellis has struggled recently also as he let up four runs in the ninth inning on Sunday against Virginia Tech. He enters the weekend with a 5-2 record and a 2.79 ERA with eight saves on the year. They will play FSU on Wednesday at 7 pm, Clemson at 4 pm on Friday, and Miami at 7 pm on Saturday.
Wake Forest Tourney Notes
Clemson enters the weekend with a 36-20 overall record and a conference record of 18-12. Clemson has been having problems all year with their starting pitchers. David Kopp has been the most consistent starter as he has made fifteen starts recording a 5-2 record and a 3.86 ERA. Jack Leggett has also moved Daniel Moskos to the rotation from a closing role and he now has a 3-5 record overall with an ERA of 3.07. D.J. Johnson has started in the back end of the rotation and has a perfect 4-0 record and 3.42 ERA. Doug Hogan who is in his junior season but his first year getting regular playing time is one of the top hitters on the team with a batting average of .333. Brad Chaulk will be returning to the lineup this weekend after recovering from a stress fracture in his back. He is still the leading hitter with a .407 average. Andy D’Alessio leads the team with 14 homers on the season. The Tigers will take on Miami on Wednesday at 4:00 pm, Wake Forest at 4 pm on Friday and Florida State at 4:00 pm on Saturday.
Clemson Tourney Notes
The State article about Chaulk
The State article about D’Alessio
Anderson Independent Mail preview of Clemson
Miami is entering the weekend with a 34-20 record and 16-13 record in the ACC. Miami swept the lowly Duke Blue Devils in Coral Gables to head into Jacksonville on a high note. Miami is led by Yonder Alonso who has hit 17 homers and batted at a .364 clip. The Hurricane starting pitchers are solid with Eric Erickson leading the team with a 9-3 overall record and an ERA of 1.85. Enrique Garcia (6-3, 2.87 ERA) and Scott Maine (5-5, 3.06 ERA) round out the rotation. The Hurricanes have been having problems throughout the year in the bullpen. Danny Gil leads the bullpen with five aves and a 4.05 ERA. Miami opens up against Clemson on Wednesday at 4 pm, Florida State at 7 pm, and Wake Forest at 7 pm in the final game of the round robin phase of the tournament.
Miami Tourney Notes
Palm Beach Post preview of the Hurricanes
The College Baseball Blog predicts that Clemson will win Division A and advance to the ACC Championship game.
Division ‘B’ Bracket
UNC (45-11) enters the weekend coming off a sweep over Maryland. UNC is led by Freshman sensation Dustin Ackley who is tied with Tony Thomas Jr. for the NCAA lead in hits with 101. He hit a solid .443 for the season with seven homers and 60 RBIs. The Carolina pitching staff is led by Robert Woodard who leads the starters with a 3.05 ERA and a solid record of 8-2. His stats have tailed off over his last five starts but he is still one of the top pitchers in the ACC. UNC opens on Wednesday against Georgia Tech at 1 pm. They will also play NC State on Thursday at 7 pm and Virginia on Saturday at 1 pm.
UNC Tourney Notes
Q & A with Mike Fox from Inside Carolina
Virginia (41-13) enters the weekend on a brief two game winning streak as they defeated Boston College twice in a rain-shortened series. The Cavaliers are led by Jacob Thompson who has a perfect record of 10-0 and an ERA of 1.46 ERA. He has tremendous control as the CBB witnessed last weekend when they attended one of the games versus Boston College. He never misses his spots and has a plus curveball. The Cavaliers also have one of the best lineups in the nation as there are no easy outs in the lineup. They are lead by First baseman/Pitcher Sean Doolittle who is hitting .318 at the plate with seven homers. Brandon Guyer is tied for the team lead in hitting with Greg Miclat at .376 but Miclat is out for the season with surgery on his torn labrum. Virginia opens the tournament on Wednesday at 10 am when they face NC State. They will take on Georgia Tech on Thursday at 4 pm and close out the round robin portion at 1 pm Saturday when they play North Carolina.
Virginia Tourney Notes
Daily Progress article about NC State/UVA matchup
Daily Progress article about the middle of UVA’s lineup
Georgia Tech (31-23) heads down to the ACC tournament on a three game losing streak thanks to a weekend sweep by the hands of Florida State in Atlanta. The Yellow Jackets are led by All-American candidates Matt Wieters and Danny Payne. Both players have seen time on the mound in addition to their regular fielding roles. Wieters has hit .366 this season with 10 homers and 56 RBI. Danny Payne leads the team in hitting with a solid .382 average with twenty stolen bases. The Georgia Tech pitching staff was lit up by the Florida State Seminoles for 44 runs in the weekend sweep. David Duncan has been the staff ace this season with a 6-4 record and a 3.84 ERA. GT will open the tourney at 1 pm on Wednesday against North Carolina. They will play Virginia on Thursday at 4 pm and close out the tourney on Saturday when they face NC State at 10 am.
GT Tourney Notes
Atlanta Journal-Constitution preview of GT
NC State (36-19) heads to the Conference tournament coming off a weekend series victory over Clemson when they won two out of three games. NC State is led by Ryan Pond at the plate as he is leading the team in hitting with a .339 average. Eric Surkamp is the ace of the starting pitchers but has not gotten the results this season as he only has a record of 4-3 and a 2.94 ERA. Eryk McConnell leads the team with eleven saves and a 1.29 ERA.
NC State Tourney Notes
NC State Scout.com Preview
The CBB predicts that Virginia wins Division ‘B’ and advance to the Championship Game.
The CBB also predicts that UVA will get the automatic bid for the conference.
Other previews of the tournament:
Rivals.com
