Photo courtesy of University of Virginia Athletics
It is the final weekend of the regular season as ACC play winds down for the 2024 season. Every single series has some sort of postseason dreams attached to it. Teams are fighting for their ACC tournament hopes, national seeds, hosting opportunities, and just to get into the NCAA Tournament. Last weekend saw only one favored team win in ACC play. Will we have another weekend of chaos and upsets to end the year?
It should be noted that there is weather moving through most of the conference this weekend so teams may scramble to change start times and get games in.
Boston College 22-28 (8-19) #3Â Clemson 37-13 (17-10)
G1 Thursday 6:00 PM:Â RHP John West (1-4, 5.00 ERA) vs LHP Ethan Darden (5-3, 4.24 ERA)
G2 Friday 6:00 PM:Â LHP AJ Colarusso (3-7, 7.04 ERA) vs LHP Tristan Smith (2-0, 4.14 ERA)
G3 Saturday 12:00 PM:Â TBA vs RHP Aidan Knaak (4-1, 3.22 ERA)
Boston College is currently on the outside of the ACC Tournament looking in. They'll likely need to win this series and get some help just to make it to Charlotte. Clemson, on the other hand, is coming off a sweep at Wake Forest and is looking to solidify their Top 8 National Seed status.
Georgia Tech 30-19 (14-13) at #10Â Florida State 36-10 (14-9)
G1 Thursday 7:00 PM:Â RHP Aeden Finateri (5-2, 5.89 ERA) vs LHP Jamie Arnold (8-3, 2.27 ERA)
G2 Friday 6:00 PM:Â LHP Cam Jones (3-1, 5.04 ERA) vs LHP Carson Dorsey (4-3, 4.28 ERA)
G3 Saturday 2:00 PM:Â RHP Tate McKee (4-4, 6.86 ERA) vs TBA
Florida State was stunned by Pittsburgh last week and now sees their Top 8 Seed hopes hanging in the balance. While in Pennsylvania, Dick Howser Stadium suffered damage from a storm and will see a temporary fence in their outfield as ace Jamie Arnold hopes to impress voters one last time as he chases ACC Pitcher of the Year honors. Georgia Tech had their latest signature win over Duke last time out but now head on the road for their third straight Top 10 series in a row. They're looking good for the tournament, but another win or two will make them much more comfortable.
Virginia Tech 32-17 (14-13) at #18Â Virginia 37-14 (15-12)
G1 Thursday 7:00 PM:Â RHP Brett Renfrow (6-2, 3.88 ERA) vs LHP Evan Blanco (5-3, 4.21 ERA)
G2 Friday 6:00 PM:Â TBA vs TBA
G3 Saturday 3:00 PM: TBA vs TBA
This could be the biggest series of the weekend in terms of postseason dreams. For Virginia, they've been a projected host site all season until this week when some publications (ours and some others) have them as a 2-seed. Virginia Tech, on the other hand, started April in the hosting conversation but now sees themselves on the firmly on the bubble with many projections having them out of the tournament. Both teams desperately need this series for postseason positioning.
The pitchers for Friday and Saturday are TBA, but expect Virginia to go with Joe Savino and Owen Coady while the Hokies counter with Jeremy Neff and Griffin Stieg. This series, like much of the conference, could also be affected by weather.
Notre Dame 27-22 (9-18) at Louisville 29-22 (13-14)
G1 Thursday 2:00 PM:Â RHP Matt Bedford (3-6, 4.63 ERA) vs LHP Sebastian Gongora (5-4, 6.51 ERA)
G2 Thursday 6:00 PM:Â RHP Jack Radel (4-2, 4.10 ERA) vs LHP Evan Webster (4-2, 3.73 ERA)
G3 Friday 6:00 PM:Â RHP Rory Fox (2-2, 6.08 ERA) vs TBA
Another massive series that will likely be the first to finish up this weekend as weather have forced the two teams to play a double header on Thursday. Notre Dame is on the bubble for both the NCAA Tournament and the ACC Tournament but are 0-12 on the road in ACC play. They'll need at least one win to feel good about getting to Charlotte and likely a sweep to be in the conversation for the NCAAs.
Louisville's NCAA hopes took a massive hit following after being swept at UNC last weekend. They'll be looking to dominate this series to get back in the conversation otherwise they'll need a miracle at the ACC Tournament to return to a Regional for the first time since 2022.
G1 Thursday 7:00 PM:Â RHP Jason DeCaro (4-1, 3.98 ERA) vs LHP Kyle Johnson (3-1, 4.46 ERA)
G2 Friday 6:00 PM:Â LHP Shea Sprague (3-1, 3.81 ERA) vs TBA
G3 Saturday 1:00 PM: RHP Aidan Haugh (4-1, 3.95 ERA) vs TBA
Rivalry week continues as the Coastal Division Champs North Carolina take on cross-town rivals in Duke at Jack Coombs Field. The Blue Devils are currently projected as a high two seed in the NCAAs, but a home series win at UNC could vault them back into the hosting conversation. The Tar Heels are playing for a Top 8 National Seed. With Jonathan Santucci out for Duke until likely the regionals, expect them to employ the opener system in Games 2 and 3 with Ryan Higgins and Andrew Healy likely in the starting roles.
G1 Thursday 7:00 PM:Â RHP David Falco Jr (2-3, 5.45 ERA) vs RHP Sam Highfill (5-1, 5.01 ERA)
G2 Friday 7:00 PM:Â RHP Chase Burns (10-1, 2.85 ERA) vs LHP Dominic Fritton (3-5, 7.41 ERA)
G3 Saturday 3:00 PM: LHP Josh Hartle (6-2, 5.32 ERA) vs TBA
If you haven't read our piece from Nick Dioli today, here's your chance. He breaks down what both teams mean to him and the series itself. Both teams are currently fighting for a hosting spot and the winner will likely earn one with the loser being a high two seed. Logan Whitaker is back for NC State and I would be surprised to see him get the ball on Sunday, but he could also be utilized out of the bullpen should they need him sooner.
Pittsburgh 24-26 (8-19) at Miami 24-27 (10-17)
G1 Thursday 7:00 PM:Â RHP Ryan Andrade (2-4, 7.35 ERA) vs RHP Gage Ziehl (3-3, 3.93 ERA)
G2 Friday 7:00 PM:Â RHP Jack Sokol (6-3, 5.43 ERA) vs LHP Rafe Schlesinger (4-4, 5.70 ERA)
G3 Saturday 1:00 PM:Â TBA vs LHP Herick Hernandez (3-7, 6.64 ERA)
While neither of these teams have a realistic shot at the NCAA Tournament, both are fighting for a chance to make it to Charlotte. A Pittsburgh sweep at Miami guarantees them entry, while two wins and some help might get them past Notre Dame. Either way, it'll be a tall task against this starting pitching staff and the magic of Mark Light. But who knows, Ryan Andrade has sparked up quite a bit of magic himself over his last two outings.
Staff Picks
ACC Standings
Atlantic
Coastal
Projected ACC Tournament Pods
(courtesy of FQACC)
Note: The Projected Pods were updated 5/13/2024.
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