DUKE (34-25 OVERALL RECORD IN 2009, 18-12 ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE)
The Blue Devils qualified for last year’s ACC tournament in eighth place. Despite being the lowest seeded team, they managed to defeat Clemson. This year, Duke could see a drop off in production and in the standings. It lost three big bats in the lineup, which could be devastating considering it was seventh in batting average last season.
Duke will rely on good pitching from Christopher Manno and Eric Pfisterer. Manno was drafted in the 38th round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Washington Nationals. Pfisterer pitched exceptionally in the revered Cape Cod League over the summer, going 3-1 with a 3.32 earned run average.
Losing that offense might be too much for the pitching staff to overcome, though, and without some unexpected success, the Blue Devils could miss the ACC tournament.
PROJECTED ACC COASTAL FINISH: 6TH
GEORGIA TECH (38-19 OVERALL, 17-10-1 ACC)
Baseball America ranks the Yellow Jackets sixth in the nation. That ranking comes from the fact that Georgia Tech enters the season boasting a All-American pitcher Deck McGuire and a powerful offense. Last year, the Jackets hosted a regional but failed to advance to the College World Series.
Much is expected of this team in 2010, and they are the only real threat to the University of Virginia in this division.
Senior first baseman Tony Plagman hit .354 last year with 16 home runs and 73 runs batted in. Junior shortstop Derek Dietrich emerged as a top prospect and looks to continue his success.
McGuire is what makes this team great, however. He collected various accolades for his 2009 performance. The junior went 11-2 with a 3.50 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 16 starts. Georgia Tech has to find secondary pitching to challenge UVa.
PROJECTED ACC COASTAL FINISH: 2ND
MIAMI (38-22 OVERALL, 18-12 ACC)
Miami went to a regional last year where it went 2-2. The Hurricanes stock is dropping this year, though. They basically have one great pitcher and one great hitter.
Junior pitcher Chris Hernandez suffered a sophomore slump in 2009, going 7-5 with a 4.76 ERA. The Canes lost a dominant closer to the MLB draft in Kyle Bellamy. Both the bullpen and
the remaining starting spots are a concern.
Miami’s offense finished fourth in the conference with 68 home runs last year but only managed to finish ninth in average. Junior catcher Yasmani Grandal will have to put up big number. He hit .299 with 16 homers and 45 RBI in the Canes’ 2009 campaign.
PROJECTED ACC COASTAL FINISH: 5TH
NORTH CAROLINA (47-17 OVERALL, 19-10 ACC)
UNC made it to the College World Series last season before bowing out with two losses to Arizona State.
Entering this season, the offense is losing four of its top five hitters. Junior outfielder Ben Bunting is the best returning hitter. He batted .327 and hit two home runs in 2009. Because UNC is such a baseball juggernaut, its young players are as talented as any in the ACC.
Two weekend starters from last year are gone, leaving only junior Matt Harvey. Harvey certainly has the potential to be great, but a 2009 ERA of 5.35 won’t cut it this season. If he can find his stuff, though, UNC will be a threat come postseason time.
The Tar Heels lost outstanding closer Brian Moran to the MLB Draft. In 35 appearances, he went 7-1 with a 2.20 ERA.
PROJECTED ACC COASTAL FINISH: 3RD
VIRGINIA (49-15-1 OVERALL, 16-11-1 ACC)
Many see the Cavaliers as national title contenders, and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be there right at the end.
The Cavs return all nine position players — a group that batted .327 last year, which was tops in the ACC and 33rd in the country. Baseball America ranks them No. 2 in the nation.
Cavs’ sophomore Danny Hultzen ranks among the best pitchers in the conference and possibly the country. Going 9-1 with a sparkling 2.17 ERA, as he did in 2009, will get you that kind of respect. UVa also retains its starter Robert Morey and closer Kevin Arico.
PROJECTED ACC COASTAL FINISH: 1ST
VIRGINIA TECH (32-21 OVERALL, 12-17 ACC)
If ever there were a dark horse this season, it would be the Hokies.
Tech’s 32-21 mark last season was its best since 1999, and it even took two out of three games from the Cavaliers. The offense is among the conference’s best, and the pitching is talented.
Junior first baseman Austin Wates and redshirt senior outfielder Steve Domecus lead the offense. Domecus batted .406 in 2009, while Wates finished hitting .397. The Hokies must find their power swing to make it to the next level with only hit 52 homers in ’09, putting them 10th in the category.
Tech loses workhorse Rhett Ballard in the pitching department, but it will move top prospect Jesse Hahn out of the bullpen into a starting role. Hahn has so much untapped potential, so if he can reach it, the Hokies could find themselves in the ACC tournament for the first time ever and a regional.
PROJECTED ACC COASTAL FINISH: 4TH
ATLANTIC DIVISION
BOSTON COLLEGE (34-26 OVERALL, 14-15 ACC)
The Eagles made the ACC tournament for the first time in their history last year and made an appearance in the NCAA tournament. They would fall in 25 innings to Texas, which many consider to be the best college baseball game of the decade.
The Eagles return six position players, including senior outfielder Robbie Anston, who hit .344 and stole 15 bases last season. Junior infielder Mickey Wiswall hit 14 home runs in 2009.
BC’s No. 1 starter graduated, putting pressure on the pitching staff to make up for the loss. The Eagles also have to replace a closer.
PROJECTED ACC ATLANTIC FINISH: 3RD
CLEMSON (44-22 OVERALL, 19-11 ACC)
The Tigers, along with FSU, are the best in the Atlantic Division. Clemson advanced to a Super Regional before losing to Arizona State last season and it returns eight starters in the field, keeping its explosive offense alive.
Providing the power is junior outfielder Jeff Schaus, who jacked 13 home runs last year. Hitting for average is Wilson Boyd, who finished 2009 with a .341 batting average.
The concern for Clemson is the pitching staff. Three starters are gone, leaving a big hole to fill. Junior Casey Harman will have to shoulder much of the pressure, and last season’s stats prove he can do just that. He went 7-3 with a 3.95 ERA.
PROJECTED ACC ATLANTIC FINISH: 2ND
FLORIDA STATE (45-18 OVERALL, 19-9 ACC)
If the Seminoles are not in the College World Series, something terrible must have happened. They are ranked ninth by Baseball America, but they have the talent to be a No. 1 team. Like Clemson, they made it to a Super Regional before being swept by Arkansas in 2009.
The whole rotation is back for 2010, however. Sophomore Sean Gilmartin shines as the best. The lefty went 12-3 with a 3.49 ERA last season.
Junior outfielder Tyler Holt is the star of the offense. He hit .401 and stole 34 bases last season. Mike McGee hit 19 home runs while keeping a .379 average and driving home 78 runs. This team has everything in place and should only be challenged in the ACC by UVa.
PROJECTED ACC ATLANTIC FINISH: 1ST
MARYLAND (27-27 OVERALL, 10-20 ACC)
A new coach will lead the Terrapins into battle this season.
Not much went well for the Terps last year as both their team batting average and ERA finished 11th in the conference.
Infielder David Poutier is the best hitter in the lineup. The senior hit .321 and knocked in 29 runs in ’09.
The two top returning pitchers, Brett Harman and Matt Fullerton, couldn’t stay under a 5.93 ERA last season. Despite all this, Maryland isn’t the worst in the division.
PROJECTED ACC ATLANTIC FINISH: 5TH
NORTH CAROLINA STATE (25-31 OVERALL, 10-20)
There isn’t much good news entering 2010 for the Wolfpack, either. It finished last in batting average in 2009 with a miniscule .265 mark. Its pitching staff hovered around a dismal 5.00 ERA last year as well.
It has the talent to stay ahead of the bottom feeders such as Maryland and Wake Forest, though.
Junior outfielder Drew Poulk leads the offense, but he only hit .266 last
year.
NC State’s number one starter is gone and replacing a 3.86 ERA will be tough. The candidates to take over were a combined 3-11 last year.
PROJECTED ACC ATLANTIC FINISH: 4TH
WAKE FOREST (22-30 OVERALL, 6-24 ACC)
By far the worst team in the conference, the Demon Deacons probably wish the season would be over already. Wake replaced its coach, looking for a new direction prior to the start of the season.
The offense managed to hit .284 in 2009, and it returns three of its top four hitters.
Pitching is a different story. Wake’s pitchers served it up to opposing hitters and finished with a 7.30 ERA in 2009. While it returns most of its starters, that isn’t saying much.
PROJECTED ACC ATLANTIC FINISH: 6TH
