ACC Weekend Preview for 4/20-4/22

UNC at FSU

The biggest series of the weekend in the country takes place in Tallahassee where the Seminoles take on the North Carolina Tar Heels. Each team leads their respective divisions in the ACC. Both schools also are in the top 5 in all major polls in the nation. North Carolina is led by Freshman sensation Dustin Ackley who leads the nation with a .474 batting average. Robert Woodard will take the ball on Friday night as he continues to be the ace of the staff. He leads the team with 7-0 record with an ERA of 1.98. Florida State is led by Tony Thomas Jr. who has the highest batting average on the team at .465. Bryan Henry is continuing to hold down the number 1 starter role as he is 9-0 with a 2.37 ERA. The CBB predicts that UNC sweeps the Seminoles in Tallahassee. (I am still not a fan of FSU pitching).
Probable Starters
Friday: Robert Woodard (7-0, 1.98 ERA) vs Bryan Henry (9-0, 2.37 ERA)
Saturday: Alex White (4-2, 3.04 ERA) vs Michael Hyde (8-2, 2.84 ERA)
Sunday: Luke Putkonen (5-1, 3.43 ERA) vs Ryan Strauss (8-0, 2.44 ERA)

UNC Game Notes
FSU Game Notes
Tallahassee Democrat Preview
SEBaseball Article on Woodard

Virginia at Clemson

The other big series this weekend is when Virginia heads down to Clemson for a three game set. The Cavaliers are ranked eighth in the nation and Clemson 13th by NCBWA. Virginia is led by one of the top pitchers in the country in Jacob Thompson who enters the weekend with an 8-0 record and 1.32 ERA. The Cavaliers are led by Brandon Guyer who currently has a 25 game hitting streak in which he is hitting .439 during that time. Greg Miclat also is hitting .404 on the season. The Cavs knocked off Richmond on Tuesday 12-5. The Tigers have moved closer Daniel Moskos to the starting the rotation the last two weekends where he has pitched 10 innings and only allowed two runs. Brad Chaulk leads the team with a .416 average and Marquez Smith leads the team with six homers on the season. The CBB predicts that Virginia takes 2 out of 3 games.

Probable Starters
Friday: Jacob Thompson (8-0, 1.32 ERA) vs Daniel Moskos (3-2, 2.27 ERA)
Saturday: Matt Packer (3-2, 3.75 ERA) vs David Kopp (4-2, 3.74 ERA)
Sunday: Sean Doolittle (6-2, 2.42 ERA) vs Ryan Hinson (3-1, 2.28 ERA)

Virginia Game Notes
Clemson Game Notes

NC State at Georgia Tech

The Wolfpack head down to Atlanta to take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in another key ACC showdown. NC State enters the series with a 27-11 overall record and 11-7 in the ACC. NC State is led by starting pitcher Eric Surkamp who is 3-1 with a 2.98 ERA. Andrew Brackman fills the Saturday starter role but has been up and down throughout the season as his record is 6-3 with a mediocre ERA of 3.67 ERA. Mike Roskopf continues his hot hitting as he has a .435 average over the last 12 games. NC State rolled past Davidson on Wednesday with a 14-3 victory. Georgia Tech enters with a 23-14 record and a solid 10-7 in the ACC. They have had suspect starting pitching this year with Eddie Burns leading the staff with a 3-1 record and 2.74 ERA. Matt Wieters (.336 BA) and Danny Payne (.379 BA) still are the heart and soul of the Yellow Jackets attack. The CBB predicts that NC State takes 2 out of 3 games.

Probable Starters
Friday: David Duncan (5-2, 3.29) vs Eric Surkamp (3-1, 2.98)
Saturday: Eddie Burns (3-1, 2.74) vs Andrew Brackman (6-3, 3.67)
Sunday: Ryan Turner (3-3, 3.74) vs. Jimmy Gillheeney (3-1, 3.40)

GA Tech Game Notes
NC State Game Notes

Maryland at Duke

The Maryland Terrapins and Duke Blue Devils will meet in Durham NC. Both schools will be looking to get back into the ACC Tournament hunt as Maryland is two games behind Wake Forest for the last spot while Duke is four games behind Wake Forest. Maryland is led by Dan Benick who leads the every day players with a .333 average. The top starting pitcher for the Terps has been Casey Baron who is 4-3 with a 3.64 ERA. Duke has been receiving tremendous pitching performances from Tony Bajoczky who has beaten FSU, UVA, and Georgia Tech on the season. His record is 7-2 with a solid 2.94 ERA. The CBB predicts that Duke takes 2 out of 3 games.

Probable Starters
Friday: Alexander Hassan (2-3, 3.43 ERA) vs Casey Baron (4-3, 3.64 ERA)
Saturday: Tony Bajoczky (7-2, 2.94 ERA) vs Ryan Moorer (3-2, 4.21 ERA)
Sunday: Jonathan Anderson (2-1, 2.05 ERA) vs Kevin Biringer (3-7, 5.95 ERA)

Maryland Game Notes
Duke Game Notes

Miami at Va Tech

This series took on special meaning this week after the tragedies at Virginia Tech this past week. The game on Friday night will be the first athletic event since the incident on Monday in which the Hokies will participate in. The Miami athletic department in a pre-game ceremony will present a check for 10,000 dollars to the fund for the victims of Monday's tragedies. The Hurricanes are led by Yonder Alonso who is hitting .373 average while the Hokies are led by Sean O'Brien at .340. The CBB predicts that Miami takes 2 out of 3 games.

Miami Game Notes
VT Game Notes

Wake Forest at Boston College

Wake Forest heads up north to take on the Boston College Eagles. Wake Forest enters the weekend with a 22-19 overall record and 8-10 ACC record. Wake Forest currently has a two game lead over Boston College who enters with a 13-21-1 record and 6-12. Boston College needs to sweep the Deacons this weekend to put themselves in position to make the ACC Tournament as the season is winding down. Wake Forest is led by All-American candidate Allan Dykstra who leads the team in average at .351 and homers at 15. The Deacons might be without their second best hitter Willy Fox who is suffering from an injury he got from confronting an intruder on April 2nd. Boston College has struggled throughout the season with the worst hitting team in the conference. They broke out last weekend against Maryland on Sunday in a 18-6 victory over the Terps. BC is led by freshman catcher Tony Sanchez who is hitting .344 average. The CBB will be in attendance for Saturday's game in Brockton and we predict that Wake Forest sweeps the Eagles.

Probable Starters
Friday: Brad Kledzik (3-3, 5.33 ERA) vs Kevin Boggan (3-4, 4.24 ERA)
Saturday: Garrett Bullock (3-1, 5.50 ERA) vs Terry Doyle (2-3, 6.50 ERA)
Sunday: Charlie Mellies (1-1, 5.40 ERA) vs Nate Jeanes (0-3, 5.13 ERA)

Wake Forest Game Notes