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Duke Set for ACC Road Matchup at UNC
3/28/2019 5:41:00 PM | Baseball
| THE SERIES | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke at No. 9 North Carolina | ||||||||||||
| When: March 29-31 | ||||||||||||
| Where: Chapel Hill, N.C. | ||||||||||||
| Listen Live: The Duke Sports Network | ||||||||||||
DURHAM, N.C. – Fresh off a midweek road win at Davidson, the Blue Devils continue their road slate, making the short trip over to Chapel Hill for the Tobacco Road rivalry.
Duke and North Carolina are set for a three-game conference series this weekend at Boshamer Stadium. The two in-state rivals are set for a 6 p.m. first pitch for Friday's series opener, while game two is slated for a 3 p.m. start Saturday afternoon. The series finale between the Blue Devils and the Tar Heels is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Duke will turn to graduate student Ben Gross for the start in Friday's series opener, while sophomore Bryce Jarvis is set to toe the mound in game two of the series. Junior left-hander Bill Chillari will get the start in Sunday's series finale.
Series History
Duke and North Carolina will meet for the 295th time in program history when the two in-state foes square off in Friday's series opener at Boshamer Stadium to renew the Tobacco Road rivalry. The Tar Heels hold the overall series advantage, 187-104-3, including a 82-35 mark over the Blue Devils in Chapel Hill, N.C. Most recently, Duke welcomed North Carolina to Durham Bulls Athletic Park for a three-game series a season ago, claiming the first two games to secure a series win before the Tar Heels salvaged the series with a win in the series finale. Head coach Chris Pollard owns a 6-15 career record against North Carolina, including a 6-9 mark during his time at Duke.
Trending for Duke
After a tough stretch, the Blue Devils look to build off Tuesday's 7-2 victory at Davidson and carry momentum into the series with the Tar Heels. Last weekend, Duke dropped a home conference series this past weekend to Wake Forest. The Blue Devil offense exploded in the series opener, resulting in a 16-2 Duke victory. Wake Forest went on to claim the final two games of the series by a one-run margin, including a 5-4 win in a 12-inning affair in the series finale. The Blue Devils are 4-3 in midweek games, with wins over Davidson, Richmond and then-No. 14 East Carolina, and losses to Penn, twice, and Campbell.
Welcome to K-Ville
The Blue Devil pitching staff has been impressive through the first 25 games, recording 276 strikeouts to lead the ACC, 11 more than any other school in the conference, while tying for third in the nation. The Blue Devils are currently fifth in the country in strikeouts per nine innings with 10.8, while also leading the league in that category. A total of 11 Duke pitchers have recorded double-digit strikeout totals so far this season, freshman Cooper Stinson leading the way with 39 strikeouts, while sophomore Bryce Jarvis is second with 37 punchouts.
Mashin' Merv
After making his first start of the season in game two of the series at Virginia, junior Matt Mervis has become the everyday third baseman for the Blue Devils, starting each of the last 11 contests. This season, Mervis is batting .342 (13-38), with one double, three home runs and 11 RBI, while owning an on-base percentage of .519 and slugging .605. Mervis is currently riding an eight-game reached base streak, and has been red hot as of late. Over the last four games, Mervis is batting .667 (8-12), with one double, one home run, four RBI, five walks and five runs scored, including a .800 on-base percentage.
On Deck for Duke
Following this weekend, the Blue Devils are set to compete in the “Battle in the Bull City” in an exhibition matchup with the Durham Bulls Tuesday evening at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Duke will then hit the road, traveling to Greenville, N.C., Wednesday afternoon, to face off with East Carolina for the second of a home-and-home series with the Pirates. The Blue Devils return home next weekend for a home ACC series with Pittsburgh at the DBAP, April 5-7.
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