Blue Devils Open ACC Tournament Against Virginia Tech

DURHAM, N.C. – Looking to keep their impressive inaugural season rolling along, the No. 7 seed Duke Blue Devils (29-26) open their first appearance in the ACC Tournament Wednesday, May 9 against the No. 10 Virginia Tech Hokies (22-29) in Atlanta, Ga.

First pitch from Georgia Tech's Shirley Clements Mewborn Field is set for 3:30 p.m. ET. Fans can catch the action on Regional Sports Network and on ACC Network Extra, which can be accessed through WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app. Fans can also catch the action on the Fox Sports Go app.

The winner of Wednesday's first round matchup will advance to the ACC Tournament Quarterfinals to face the No. 2 seed Pitt Panthers, who captured the Coastal Division title with a 16-6 record in league play. That contest is set for a 5 p.m. first pitch Thursday, May 10 on RSN and ACC Network Extra.

Duke and Tech met earlier this season in Blacksburg, Va., where the Blue Devils took two of three to capture the series. This will be the first meeting between the two sides on neutral ground.

No. 7 Duke Blue Devils (29-26, 13-11 ACC)
Roster | Coaches | Statistics | Schedule & Results | Game Notes

No. 10 Virginia Tech Hokies (22-29, 7-16 ACC)
Roster | Coaches | Statistics | Schedule & Results

Game Day Info…

Wednesday, May 9
No. 7 Duke vs. No. 10 Virginia Tech – 3:30 p.m. ET
RSN
ACC Network Extra
Atlanta, Ga.
Shirley Clements Mewborn Field

2018 ACC Softball Tournament Schedule…

Wednesday, May 9 – First Round
Game 1 - No. 8 Louisville vs. No. 9 Syracuse – 1:00 p.m. ET (RSN)
Game 2 - No. 7 Duke vs. No. 10 Virginia Tech – 3:30 p.m. ET (RSN)

Thursday, May 10 – Quarterfinals
Game 3 – No. 1 Florida State vs. Winner Game 1 – 11:00 a.m. ET (RSN)
Game 4 – No. 4 Boston College vs. No. 5 Notre Dame – 1:30 p.m. ET (RSN)
Game 5 – No. 2 Pitt vs. Winner Game 2 – 5:00 p.m. ET (RSN)
Game 6 – No. 3 North Carolina vs. No. 6 Georgia Tech – 7:30 p.m. ET (RSN)

Friday, May 11 – Semifinals
Game 7 – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 – 1:00 p.m. ET (RSN)
Game 8 – Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 – 3:30 p.m. ET (RSN)

Saturday, May 12 – Championship
Game 9 – Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 – 12:00 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Live Broadcast…
Wednesday's contest between the Blue Devils and Hokies, along with all ACC Tournament games through the first three days will be televised on RSN. Saturday's championship contest will be nationally televised on ESPN. Fans can also watch through ACC Network Extra, which can be accessed through WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app. Fans can also catch the action on the Fox Sports Go app.

No. 7 Duke vs. No. 10 Virginia Tech ACC Network Extra (Wednesday, May 9)
No. 7 Duke/No. 10 Virginia Tech vs. No. 2 Pitt ACC Network Extra (Thursday, May 10)
ACC Tournament Semifinals Game Two (Friday, May 11)
ACC Tournament Championship (Saturday, May 12)

Live Stats…
The ACC will provide live stats for all games throughout the week. Fans can access them by clicking the link below.

2018 ACC Tournament Live Stats Home Page

Ticket Information…
Daily tickets for the 2018 ACC Softball Tournament are $5 each, while all-session books are $10. Admission is free for those 17 and younger. For more information, go to www.TheACC.com or click the link below.

2018 ACC Softball Tournament Ticket Information

Weather…

Wednesday, May 9 – High 83, Low 61; Mostly Sunny (10%)
Thursday, May 10 – High 88, Low 63; Thunderstorms Early (40%)
Friday, May 11 – High 90, Low 64; Mostly Sunny (20%)
Saturday, May 12 – High 90, Low 64; Mostly Sunny (0%)

Leading The Blue Devils…

Batting Average: Raine Wilson (.378)

Slugging Percentage: Raine Wilson (.604)

On-Base Percentage: Raine Wilson (.460)

Runs: Raine Wilson (35)

Hits: Raine Wilson (62)

RBI: Raine Wilson (35)

Doubles: Raine Wilson (15)

Triples: Jameson Kavel (5)

Home Runs: Raine Wilson (6)

Stolen Bases: Jameson Kavel (16)

ERA: Peyton St. George (1.81)

Wins: Amelia Wiercioch (11)

Strikeouts: Peyton St. George (95)

Opposing Batting Average: Peyton St. George (.226)

Innings Pitched: Amelia Wiercioch (149.2)

Last Time Out…
The Blue Devils wrapped up their first regular season with a Saturday doubleheader on the road at Longwood before closing out against Campbell at home on East Campus.

Saturday, May 5
Longwood def. Duke, 7-6 [9] (Recap, Stats)
Longwood def. Duke, 3-1 (Recap, Stats)

Sunday, May 6
Campbell def. Duke, 3-2 (Recap, Stats)

Need To Know…

Duke added another first Tuesday afternoon, as Raine Wilson, Peyton St. George and Rachel Abboud became the first players in program history to earn All-ACC honors. Wilson was tabbed All-ACC First Team, while St. George and Abboud both earned All-ACC Freshmen Team laurels.
It only took one year for the Blue Devils to reach their first ACC Tournament, as they enter the week as the league's No. 7 seed and will open against Virginia Tech. The winner will play No. 2 Pitt on Thursday at 5 p.m. ET.
Duke finished the season winning three-straight ACC series for the first time in program history and wrapped up conference play with four overall series wins, two of those being sweeps.
This will be the second meeting of the year against Virginia Tech for the Blue Devils, as they took two of three from the Hokies April 20-22 in Blacksburg.
Wilson has fueled the Blue Devil offense throughout year one, leading the team with a .378 average, 62 hits, 35 runs, 35 RBI, 15 doubles and six home runs. She is top five in the ACC in four of those categories.
Duke's pitching staff enters the week with a 2.03 ERA, which is second in the league. St. George is the staff's leader with a 1.81 ERA (5th ACC, 69th NCAA) and is second in the league with just 24 earned runs allowed. Amelia Wiercioch is the team leader with 11 victories in the circle.

A Year Of Firsts...
The Blue Devils' inaugural campaign will be filled with a number of statistical firsts as the year goes on. Here is a look at the firsts accomplished by Team One so far.

Game: Feb. 8, 2018 vs. FAU (Game 1)

Win (Team): Feb. 8, 2018 vs. FAU (Game 1), 4-3

Win (Individual): Katherine Huey vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

At-Bat: Jameson Kavel vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Pitch: Amelia Wiercioch vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Baserunner: Jameson Kavel (Walked, 1st Inning) vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Hit: Amelia Wiercioch (Double, 1st Inning) vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Single: Rachel Abboud (3rd Inning) vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Double: Amelia Wiercioch (1st Inning) vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Walk: Jameson Kavel (1st Inning) vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Hit By Pitch: Ashleigh Rodriguez (7th Inning) vs. FAU (Game 2), Feb. 8, 2018

Run Scored: Raine Wilson (1st Inning, Amelia Wiercioch 2 RBI Double) vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Run Batted In: Amelia Wiercioch (1st Inning) vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Sacrifice Hit: Jazmine Moreno (SAC Bunt, 1st Inning) vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Sacrifice Fly: Rachel Abboud (5th Inning) vs. FAU (Game 2), Feb. 8, 2018

Strikeout: Amelia Wiercioch (Strikeout Looking) vs. FAU (Game 1), Feb. 8, 2018

Stolen Base: Dominique Salinas (2nd Inning) vs. FAU (Game 2), Feb. 8, 2018

Complete Game: Katherine Huey vs. Michigan State, Feb. 9, 2018

Shutout: Katherine Huey vs. Michigan State, Feb. 9, 2018

Complete Game Shutout: Katherine Huey vs. Michigan State, Feb. 9, 2018

Extra Innings Game: Feb. 10, 2018 vs. Boston University (L, 7-4 [8])

Home Run: Katherine Huey (2-Run, 4th Inning) vs. Penn State, Feb. 16, 2018

Save: Amelia Wiercioch vs. Penn State, Feb. 16, 2018

Comeback Win: Feb. 16, 2018 vs. Penn State (Trailed 5-0 in T3, won 7-5)

Triple: Jameson Kavel (6th Inning) vs. Purdue, Feb. 16, 2018

One-Hitter: Amelia Wiercioch vs. Purdue, Feb. 16, 2018

Double Play Turned: 5-3 (Raine Wilson to Rachel Abboud) vs. Purdue, Feb. 17, 2018

Winning Streak: 5 Games (Feb. 16 vs. Penn State - Feb. 23 vs. Morgan State)

National POTW Honor: Katherine Huey (espnW), Feb. 21, 2018

Extra-Innings Win: March 2, 2018 vs. Yale (W, 4-3 [9])

Walk-Off Win: March 2, 2018 vs. Yale (W, 4-3 [9])

Grand Slam: Amelia Wiercioch (4th Inning) vs. Lehigh, March 3, 2018

Run-Rule Victory: March 4, 2018 vs. Kent State (W, 8-0 [5])

ACC Contest: March 9, 2018 at North Carolina (L, 2-1 [9])

Multi-Home Run Game: Raine Wilson at North Carolina (Game 1), March 10, 2018

Midweek Contest: March 14, 2018 at Charleston (W, 5-1)

ACC Victory: March 16, 2018 vs. Boston College (W, 4-3)

ACC Victory (Individual): Peyton St. Georgia vs. Boston College, March 16, 2018

Four-Hit Performance: Rachel Abboud vs. Boston College, March 17, 2018 (4-4)

ACC Series Victory: March 16-18, 2018 vs. Boston College

ACC Series Sweep: March 16-18, 2018 vs. Boston College

ACC Road Win: April 1, 2018 at Pitt (2-1)

ACC Double Play Turned: 4-6-3 (Kortney Dry to Jameson Kavel to Rachel Abboud vs. Georgia Tech (Game 1), April 6, 2018

ACC Series Rubber Match: April 8, 2018 vs. Georgia Tech (L, 5-3)

ACC Road Series Win: April 13-14, 2018 at Notre Dame

Inside-The-Park Home Run: Amelia Wiercioch (3rd Inning) at Notre Dame (Game 2); April 14, 2018

Multi-Double Play Game: Two at Virginia Tech; April 20, 2018

Back-to-Back ACC Series Wins: April 13-14, 2018 at Notre Dame & April 20-22, 2018 at Virginia Tech

ACC Run-Rule Win: April 28, 2018 vs. Virginia (W, 9-1 [5])

Three-Straight ACC Series Wins: April 13-14, 2018 at Notre Dame, April 20-22, 2018 at Virginia Tech & April 27-29 vs. Virginia

All-ACC Honorees: Raine Wilson (First Team), Peyton St. George (Freshmen) & Rachel Abboud (Freshmen); May 8, 2018

Scouting The Hokies...
Virginia Tech enters the 2018 ACC Tournament as the No. 10 seed and is 5-5 in its last 10 games. All-ACC Second Team member Carrie Eberle leads the Hokies with a 1.65 ERA and is second on the squad with a .272 average at the plate. She is also the team's leader in home runs with eight on the year. Emma Strouth leads VT with a .295 clip and 43 hits.

Duke Reels In Trio Of All-ACC Honors...
All-ACC awards were released on Tuesday and a trio of Blue Devils became the first in school history to earn a yearly conference honor. Raine Wilson, one of the league's top players at the plate and in the field, was tabbed All-ACC First Team. Rachel Abboud and Peyton St. George earned All-ACC Freshmen Team laurels.

Late Leads = Major Key...
One of the biggest deciding factors in a Duke victory has been where it stands on the scoreboard after the fifth and sixth innings. The Blue Devils are 20-3 when holding the lead after five innings of play and are a perfect 23-0 when leading after six. On the flip side, Duke is 3-20 when entering the sixth inning trailing and 0-18 when going into the seventh down.

New Program? No Problem...
Logic would state that a new athletics program will need time to build and grow before the winning comes. While that may be the case for most, don't tell that to Marissa Young and her squad...

The Blue Devils are 29-26 so far this year, marking one of the best first years by an ACC softball program. Of the 12 current softball schools in the conference, Duke's 29 first-year wins stand fifth, five behind Notre Dame's 31 wins in 1989 for fourth place.

First Year Record of Current ACC Programs

Florida State - 46-9 (1978)
Louisville - 36-26 (2000)
NC State - 32-27 (2004)
Notre Dame - 31-23 (1989)
Duke - 29-26 (2018)
Syracuse - 24-23-1 (2000)
Virginia - 19-14 (1980)
Virginia Tech - 16-32 (1996)
North Carolina - 13-18 (1977)
Georgia Tech - 6-27 (1987)
Boston College - 5-15 (1984)
Pitt - 0-12 (1998)

St. George Rolls Through ACC Play...
Freshman Peyton St. George has been nearly unstoppable in ACC play so far this year. The Mechanicsville, Va., native is a perfect 6-0 in ACC play with a 1.40 ERA and .193 opposing batting average. Her ERA stands third in the league, while her opposing BA is fifth and her 51 strikeouts are 12th.

More Runs The Merrier...
A majority of the Blue Devils' success in 2018 has been factored on number of runs scored and how many runs their pitching staff allows. When Duke scores four or more runs in a contest, they are 22-8 as opposed to a 7-18 record when going below that mark. Its opponents have found its success in doing the same, as Duke is 4-18 when allowing four or more runs, but going 25-8 when holding its foes to three or less.

Spreading The Scoring Love...
After finding a majority of its offensive firepower in the early innings to start the season, Duke has now shifted to scoring a bulk of its runs in the later frames of play. The Blue Devils have 206 total runs scored so far this season, with 87 (42%) of those coming in the first three frames, while 91 (44%) have come from the fourth to the sixth innings. Duke's 36 first inning runs are the most of any frame so far this season.

Double The Fun...
Duke has tallied 72 doubles so far this season, which is second in the ACC. The Blue Devils' 1.31 doubles per game average is third in the ACC and 84th nationally. Raine Wilson leads the Blue Devils with 15 doubles, a total that stands second amongst conference players. A total of 13 Blue Devils have recorded a double so far this season, with 12 having tallied multiple.

Making It Raine…
The Blue Devils' play at the plate has been driven by the bat of Raine Wilson, who tops the squad in nearly every offensive category as the inaugural season winds down. Wilson leads Duke with a .378 batting average, .604 slugging clip, .460 OBP, 62 hits, 35 RBI, 15 doubles and six home runs. Her doubles, hits, batting avg. and OBP are all top five in the league.

Wilson has also been a stud in ACC play, standing second in the league with 31 hits, third with a .419 clip, fourth with 20 RBI, tied for fourth with a .652 slugging clip and sixth with a .482 OBP.

Pitching Success...
Perhaps the strongest point of Duke's game through its first year of competition is its pitching unit. With a 2.03 ERA, the Blue Devils' staff stands second overall in the ACC in team pitching and enters the week ranked 25th in the nation. The staff also sports a 2.06 strikeout-to-walk ratio that is fifth in the ACC and 83rd nationally.

All-ACC Freshmen Team standout Peyton St. George leads the team with a 1.81 ERA (5th ACC, 69th NCAA), 95 strikeouts and is second in the ACC with just 24 earned runs allowed. Amelia Wiercioch is the team leader with 11 wins and her 1.96 ERA is good for sixth in the league.

Making Sacrifices...
Sometimes to be great, you've got to make some sacrifices. And for Rachel Abboud and Jazmine Moreno, they've been doing just that, excelling on the sacrifice fly/sac bunt front. Overall, the Blue Devils have tallied an ACC-leading 51 sacrifice bunts and scored 10 runs on sacrifice flies. Abboud is tied for second in the ACC and 38th nationally with four sac flies, while Moreno's 0.27 sac hits per game leads the ACC and is up to 14th in the NCAA. Moreno's 15 sac bunts are also tops in the league.

On Deck…
The winner of Wednesday's contest will move on to quarterfinal action to face the No. 2 seed Pitt Panthers. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET, with a live broadcast on RSN and a live stream on ACC Network Extra, which fans can access through WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app. Fans can also catch the action on the Fox Sports Go app.

Social Media…
For more information on Duke softball, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for “DukeSoftball”. You can also find all-access coverage of all Duke athletic programs on SnapChat by searching for “dukeathletics”.

#GoDuke

Blue Devils Open ACC Tournament Against Virginia Tech

Players Mentioned

Rachel Crabtree

Kortney Dry

Katherine Huey

Jameson Kavel

Jazmine Moreno

Ashleigh Rodriguez

Dominique Salinas

Peyton St. George

Amelia Wiercioch

Raine Wilson

Duke information

Blue Devils Open ACC Tournament Against Virginia Tech

Players Mentioned

Rachel Crabtree

Kortney Dry

Katherine Huey

Jameson Kavel

Jazmine Moreno

Ashleigh Rodriguez

Dominique Salinas

Peyton St. George

Amelia Wiercioch

Raine Wilson

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Duke information