ACC Weekend Preview for April 6th-8th

FSU at NC State

The Florida State Seminoles head to Raleigh NC to take on the Wolfpack. Florida State is coming off a 16-7 loss to Florida on Wednesday. The Seminoles have a 29-3 record and 8-1 in the ACC. The Seminoles starting pitchers have been fantastic this year with Bryan Henry leading the staff with a record of 7-0 and an ERA of 2.44. Ryan Strauss and Michael Hyde complete the staff. Strauss has a 7-0 record with an ERA of 2.08. Michael Hyde got the first loss for the staff last Saturday against Duke. He has an 8-1 record and an ERA of 2.79.

The NC State Wolfpack picked up a come from behind victory over East Carolina on Wednesday by a 3-2 scoreline. They enter the series with Florida State sporting a 23-8 overall record and 8-4 record in the ACC. NC State completed a sweep over the Boston College Eagles last weekend and outscored the Eagles by a score of 40-7 over series. NC State top pitching prospect is Andrew Brackman who pitched seven innings last weekend while only allowing 1 run and four hits. He hit 97 on one of the radar guns that was around me. He has an overall record of 5-2 with a 3.42 ERA.

The College Baseball Blog predicts NC State takes two out of three games this weekend.

Probable Pitchers
Friday: Bryan Henry (7-0, 2.44 ERA) vs Eric Surkamp (3-1, 3.00 ERA)
Saturday: Michael Hyde (8-1 2.79 ERA) vs Andrew Brackman (5-2, 3.42 ERA)
Sunday: Ryan Strauss (7-0, 2.08) vs Jimmy Gillheeney (3-1, 2.06 ERA)

FSU Game Notes
NC State Game Notes

Clemson at Virginia Tech

The Clemson Tigers will head to Virginia Tech for a three game set this weekend. They have an overall record of 20-9 but an average 5-4 mark in the ACC. The Tigers picked up two big OOC victories over SEC foe Georgia. The Tigers pitching has been suspect so they will have potential All-American closer Daniel Moskos making his first career start on Friday. The top hitter for the Tigers is Brad Chalk who is hitting .408. Andy D'Alessio is questionable for the weekend with a pulled groin he suffered last weekend against Miami.

Virginia Tech enters with 16-14 overall record and 4-8 in the ACC under first year head coach Peter Hughes. The Hokies knocked off VMI on Wednesday but were swept at home by the Virginia Cavaliers. They have had some pitching problems this season as the staff has the second highest ERA in the conference at 5.94 which is only behind the BC Eagles. Adam Redd is the top pitcher with a 2-2 record and ERA of 2.89. Sean O'Brien is the top hitter for the Hokies with a .345 average while driving in 18 runs. Nate Parks has become a pest on the base paths as he has 24 stolen bases in 28 attempts.

The College Baseball Blog predicts that Clemson sweeps the Hokies.

Probable Pitchers
Friday: Daniel Moskos (2-2, 2.49 ERA) vs Greg Fryman (2-4, 6.80 ERA)
Saturday: David Kopp (3-2, 3.32 ERA) vs Andrew Wells (2-2, 5.49 ERA)
Sunday: Ryan Hinson (2-1, 2.04 ERA) vs Adam Redd (2-2, 2.89 ERA)

Clemson Game Notes
Virginia Tech Game Notes

Duke at Virginia

The Duke Blue Devils head to Charlottesville for an ACC series with the Virginia Cavaliers. The Blue Devils started the season with a 15-1 record but have struggled since then by losing 11 out of the next 17 to have an overall record of 21-11 but 2-10 in the ACC. The Blue Devils knocked off previously number 1 ranked Florida State behind top pitcher Tony Bajoczky. The Blue Devils are young and talented so the Cavaliers better take them seriously. The Cavaliers lost on Wednesday night at VMI but enter with a solid 27-6 record and tied for first place in the coastal division with an 8-4 mark. Jacob Thompson has become the ace of the staff with a 7-0 record and an ERA of 1.75. He is the leading candidate for ACC Pitcher of the Year if he can continue these numbers. The top hitter is Brandon Guyer who is hitting an outstanding .443 on the season.

The Virginia Cavaliers will take two out of three games according to The College Baseball Blog.

Probable Pitchers
Friday: Jacob Thompson (7-0, 1.75 ERA) vs Alexander Hassan (2-1, 2.86 ERA)
Saturday: Matt Packer (3-1, 3.12 ERA) vs Tony Bajoczky (5-2, 2.63 ERA)
Sunday: Sean Doolittle (5-2, 2.74 ERA) vs TBA

Virginia Game Notes
Duke Game Notes

Georgia Tech at Miami

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets enter Coral Gables with a very respectable 20-11 mark and tied for first place in the Coastal Division of the ACC at 8-4. The Yellow Jackets pitching is still suspect with David Duncan leading the staff with a 4-2 record and 3.54 ERA. The Yellow Jackets offense is still loaded with Danny Payne hitting .409 in the leadoff role and Matt Wieters continuing his great career with a .325 average and six homers on the season.

Miami is coming in with a 18-13 record and only 5-7 in the ACC. The Hurricanes have played some of the top teams in the ACC early in the season thus the reason for the slow start. They will start playing some easier games in the coming weeks to get themselves eligible for the conference tournament. Eric Erickson has been far the best pitcher on the staff with a solid 4-3 record and a minuscule ERA of 1.96. Yonder Alonso leads the team in batting average at a .383 clip.

The College Baseball Blog predicts that Miami wins two out of three games this weekend.

Probable Pitchers
Friday: David Duncan (4-2, 3.54 ERA) vs Erik Erickson (4-3, 1.96 ERA)
Saturday: John Goodman (1-1, 4.18 ERA) vs Scott Maine (2-5, 4.42 ERA)
Sunday: Ryan Turner (3-3, 3.57 ERA) vs Enrique Garcia (2-2, 2.91 ERA)

Miami Game Notes
GT Game Notes

Wake Forest at Maryland

Wake Forest and Maryland both enter this must win series looking to knock each other farther back from the eighth spot in the ACC standings. Wake Forest enters with an overall record of 15-16 and 4-8 in the ACC. They have had some starting pitching struggles with a staff ERA of 5.26. They are led by All-American candidate Allan Dykstra who leads the team with 12 homers. Wake Forest will be without Willy Fox who is out with a leg injury.

Maryland enters with a record of 19-12 and 5-7 in the ACC. They have been receiving great play from Freshman AJ Casario who leads the team in hitting at .327. The top pitcher in the rotation for the Terps has been Ryan Moorer who is 3-1 with a 3.43 ERA.

The College Baseball Blog predicts that Wake Forest sweeps the Terps with their powerful offense.

Probable Pitchers
Friday: Brad Kledzik (2-2, 4.81 ERA) vs Casey Baron (3-1, 3.60 ERA)
Saturday: Garrett Bullock (2-1, 5.31 ERA) vs Ryan Moorer (3-1 3.43 ERA)
Sunday: Charlie Mellies (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs Kevin Biringer (2-5, 4.75 ERA)

Maryland Game Notes
Wake Forest Game Notes

I previewed the UNC at Boston College yesterday and it can be read here.