The ACC has sent the second-most teams to the Men’s College World Series of any conference throughout its history, tied for second with the late Pac-12 and only trailing the SEC. And though the SEC has been showered with the most accolades and trophies, the ACC is no second-fiddle.
And the four teams ranked in D1Baseball’s top 25 proves that, with North Carolina and Georgia Tech each planted in the top three.
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This breeds a high-level of competition — the regular season isn’t run-of-the-mill, making it difficult for many teams to string together wins, a valuable skill come postseason time.
So, the ACC tournament has finally arrived, with games beginning on Tuesday, May 19. Ahead of that, here’s a breakdown of how certain teams are trending entering the six-day battle at Truist Field in Charlotte, NC.
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Florida State: Up
The outlook of Florida State’s season flipped on its head at the end of March when star Myles Bailey suffered a season-ending right leg injury.
The Seminoles’ biggest offensive producer had been wiped away. That would change any team’s perspective on the campaign, especially with hopes of making another deep ACC and NCAA tournament run.
But FSU didn’t waver. Instead, they used it as motivation. They went on to win five of their final seven conference series, and are currently riding a three-series win streak. That’s all been accomplished while trudging through the fifth-toughest schedule in the country and the hardest in the ACC.
The offense has continued to hold a steady pace without Bailey, but the pitching staff has been the trump card. Led by left-hander and ACC Pitcher of the Year Wes Mendes, Florida State holds the third-best ERA (4.55) in conference play. Between April and May, they’ve given up four or less runs in ACC matchups 13 times.
The Seminoles are in a good spot entering the postseason.
Boston College: Slightly down
May has been a rough month for Boston College.
Setting up shop in D1Baseball’s top 25 at the end of March and making themselves at home through the month of April, the Eagles fell out of the most recent rankings after consecutive series losses against Clemson and Georgia Tech, the ACC tournament’s top seed.
It was the first time they’d lost back-to-back series all year.
But there’s still positives. BC secured a double-bye in the ACC tournament, it has a lineup that features five players batting over .300 and a top-five pitching staff in the conference when it comes to ERA. They won three straight series before May.
It isn’t time to panic for Boston College just yet.
Virginia: Down
The Cavaliers kicked off ACC play with a bang. They collected top 25 ranked series victories over North Carolina and Wake Forest, while dismantling in-state foe Virginia Tech — all three seeded ahead of them in the ACC tournament.
But that high now feels like an eternity ago, as Virginia has lost its last three series to Pitt, California and Louisville, respectively. Coincidentally, each are seeded lower than UVA in the conference tournament.
That’s been the two tales of the season for first-year coach Chris Pollard’s crew, facing the many ebbs and flows that come with a 55-game season faltered by key injuries.
Although the tide hasn’t gone in their favor as of late, some success across the next few days, plus getting stars Eric Becker and AJ Garcia back in the lineup together, could provide a major morale boost entering the NCAA tournament.
California: Slightly up
Cal’s strong end to the regular season provides optimism heading into the ACC tournament, especially after its slow start.
They lost eight straight games to begin conference play, one win in their first four series, before earning back-to-back winning weekends in April.
The next time they secured consecutive ACC series wins? These past two weeks.
A deep run in the conference tournament won’t be easy with no bye — running out of arms, facing fresh arms and playing five games in six days are common themes. However, the Bears have Second Team All-ACC right-hander Gavin Eddy to rely on at the start of its rotation, and recent conference success could be enough motivation.
Miami: Neutral
It has been an up-and-down season for the Hurricanes.
Miami wasn’t able to win three consecutive series, but never lost three straight. It holds the eighth-best batting average (.280) and seventh-strongest ERA (5.69) in ACC play. The Hurricanes are 2-2 in the last four conference series.
Now, none of these statistics should be disappointing, considering the strength of the ACC. But, it doesn’t stick out as ‘trending upward.’ Not to mention, the bullpen has struggled down the stretch as well.
The Hurricanes have dealt with a multitude of injuries this season, the biggest being star Daniel Cuvet, a D1Baseball Preseason First Team All-American, who’s been sidelined with a stress fracture in his back since mid-April.
But, that should give Miami an extra battery in its pack, right? A top five seed in the ACC tournament without a fully healthy lineup — a good sign if they do get Cuvet back soon.
Wake Forest: Up
A pair of ACC series wins mixed with an out-of-conference sweep versus Western Carolina has the Demon Deacons trending in the right direction after falling to Georgia Tech in late April.
The offense has produced consistently, scoring six or more runs in nine of their last 12 series games, while the pitching staff has multiple starting and rotational arms to put on the bump. The group is spearheaded by right-hander Chris Levonas, who was named to the First Team All-ACC.
Getting swept by the Yellow Jackets was a bump in the road, but each game was a battle. They lost 6-5 twice and let a 10-0 lead slip away in the other.
Wake Forest hasn’t won the ACC tournament since 2001, but with momentum already on its side, a deep run is possible.
NC State: Down
The Wolfpack hold the third-best batting average (.289) in the ACC when it comes to conference play, putting the ball in play a lot and not striking out much. Four players received All-ACC honors.
The downside is the pitching staff hasn’t been as successful, wielding a 6.92 ERA, allowing six or more runs in 17 of 30 affairs.
These two sides of the coin played major roles in NC State’s 14-16 conference record, and more importantly, winning just one ACC series over the last month.
Even with the tough times, the Wolfpack ended the regular season with a 7-2 victory over North Carolina to avoid getting swept. A win against an in-state rival and the opportunity to build on it would be huge.
