Georgia Tech at Maryland
#21 Georgia Tech (27-10, 9-9 ACC) continues its road swing as it travels north to College Park to take on the Maryland Terrapins (22-17, 5-13 ACC).
Georgia Tech enters the series coming off a 14-8 victory at Georgia Southern on Wednesday. Junior Luke Murton, who hit 2 home runs in the Georgia Southern game, leads the team with a .355 batting average. Freshman shortstop Derek Dietrich leads the team with 11 home runs and 39 RBI. Tech’s top three relievers, Andrew Robinson, Brad Rulon and Chris Hicks, have combined for 55 appearances, a 5-3 record with 12 saves, and a 3.66 ERA.
Maryland enters the series coming off 13-run victories over both Maryland-Baltimore County and Maryland-Eastern Shore. The Terrapins are led by seniors Nick Jowers (.339, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 6 SB) and Chad Durakis (.333, 4 HR, 33 RBI). Junior Mike Murphy leads the team with 9 home runs. Freshman Matt Quinn (4-1, 4 saves, 2.70 ERA) and senior Brad Taylor (1-3, 3 saves, 2.84 ERA) lead the Terrapins’ bullpen.
Probable Starting Pitchers
Friday: GT LHP David Duncan (4-2, 4.26) vs. MD RHP Scott Swinson (3-3, 4.82)
Saturday: GT RHP Eddie Burns (4-3, 4.22) vs. MD RHP Brett Jones (1-0, 4.94)
Sunday: GT RHP Zach Von Tersch (4-2, 3.07) vs. MD RHP Kevin Biringer (3-2, 6.53)
GT Series Notes
UMD Series Notes
Brian’s Prediction: GT takes two out of three games with Swinson winning Game 1.
Vu’s Prediction: The Yellow Jackets sweep the Terrapins.
Boston College at North Carolina
The Boston College Eagles head to Cary NC to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels in a three game set. The Eagles have an overall record of 19-18 while being 5-13 in the ACC. They are led by freshman Matt Hamlet who leads the team with a .333 average while sophomore catcher Tony Sanchez is hitting .322 with seven homers on the year. The Eagles pitching has become better over the last few weekends with Dan Houston becoming the most reliable starter with a 2-1 record and a 4.37 ERA.
North Carolina enters the weekend with a 31-7 overall record while being 13-4 in the ACC. They are led by sophomore outfielder Tim Fedroff who is leading the team in hitting with a .405 average while Kyle Seager is second on the squad with a .386 average and Dustin Ackley with a .378 average is third. Alex White has been a rock in the rotation for the Tar Heels as he has a 6-2 record with a 1.67 ERA.
Probable Starting Pitchers
Friday: UNC-Alex White, RHP (So., 6-2, 1.67) vs BC-Terry Doyle, RHP (Sr., 3-4, 7.02)
Saturday: UNC-Adam Warren, RHP (Jr., 5-0, 4.50) vs BC-Dan Houston, RHP (Jr., 2-1, 4.37)
Sunday: UNC-Matt Harvey, RHP (Fr., 5-2, 2.51) vs. BC-James MacDonald, RHP (Jr., 3-5, 6.63)
Vu’s Prediction: The Tar Heels sweep the Eagles.
Brian’s Prediction: UNC cruises over the Eagles.
Wake Forest at UVA
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons head to the University of Virginia for a weekend series. The Deacons have an overall record of 14-22 while being 6-11 in the ACC. They are led by Allan Dykstra who is hitting .319 with nine homers on the year. The Deacons pitching staff has been a disaster as they have a staff ERA of 8.31. The top starter on the squad has been Garrett Bullock who is 3-3 with a 5.93 ERA.
The Virginia Cavaliers have a 29-10 overall record while being 11-7 in the ACC. Freshman Dan Grovatt leads the Cavs in hitting with a .364 average while Jeremy Farrell is second on the squad with a .346 average and leading the team with seven homers. Pat McAnaney is the top starting pitcher with a 4-1 record and a 2.01 ERA.
Probable Starting Pitchers
Friday: UVA LHP Pat McAnaney (4-1, 2.04 ERA) vs. WF LHP Garrett Bullock (3-3, 5.93)
Saturday: UVA RHP Jacob Thompson (4-1, 4.34) vs. WF RHP Charlie Mellies (0-4, 6.23)
Sunday: UVA RHP Andrew Carraway (3-2, 2.86) vs. WF RHP Ben Hunter (1-5, 6.34)
UVA Game Notes
Wake Forest Game Notes
Vu’s Prediction: The Cavaliers sweep the Demon Deacons at home
Brian’s Prediction: UVA will sweep the Deacons aside.
Clemson at Duke
The Clemson Tigers head to Durham NC to take on the Duke Blue Devils in a key ACC series for both teams. Clemson has an overall record of 18-19 and 6-12 in the ACC as they are in the midst of a rebuilding year. They are led by Ben Paulsen who is hitting .328 on the year. Duke comes into the series with a 26-12 overall record while being 5-12 in the ACC. The Devils have a three game winning streak which has been sparked with the return of Nate Freiman.
Probable Starting Pitchers
Friday: CU D.J. Mitchell (3-3, 3.15 ERA) vs DU Andrew Wolcott (3-2, 2.91 ERA)
Saturday: CU Graham Stoneburner (4-1, 3.06 ERA) vs DU TBA
Sunday: CU TBA vs DU TBA
Duke Series Notes
Clemson Series Notes
Vu’s Prediction: Duke takes 2 out of 3 games from the struggling Tigers.
Brian’s Prediction: Clemson takes 2 out of 3 games from the Blue Devils.
NC State at Virginia Tech
The NC State Wolfpack head to Blacksburg for a weekend series against Virginia Tech. The Wolfpack have an overall record of 25-11 record while being 10-7 in the ACC. VT enters with a 16-21 record while being 3-15 in the ACC.
Probable Starting Pitchers
Friday: NC State Clayton Shunick (3-4, 2.50) vs VT Rhett Ballard (2-3, 4.20)
Saturday: NC State Eric Surkamp (3-2, 4.72) vs VT TBA
Sunday: NC State Eryk McConnell (4-1, 5.22) vs VT TBA
VT Series Notes
NC State Series Notes
Vu’s Prediction: NC State takes two out of three games from the Hokies.
Brian’s Prediction: NC State sweeps the series.
Miami (FL) at FSU preview is available here.
Thanks to Vu Pham for writing the GT-Maryland preview and providing his predictions.
