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Duke Baseball: 2020 Season in Review
3/26/2020 1:47:00 PM | Baseball
DURHAM, N.C. – Ranked in the preseason for the third consecutive season and just the third time in program history, the 2020 Duke baseball team entered the season as a consensus top-15 team. The Blue Devils lived up to the early season hype, tallying a 12-4 overall record throughout the first four weeks of the season, while breaking into the top 10 in multiple national polls before the campaign came to an unexpected end.
"Anyone who followed this program, not just over the first 16 games of the 2020 season but over the last 10 months, knew that this team was on the cusp of something really special," said head coach Chris Pollard. "It wasn't about the talent, but there was plenty of that. It was about the love that these guys had for one another. It was about their own belief in themselves and what they were capable of accomplishing."
Duke returned a wealth of experience from 2019's NCAA Super Regional roster, headlined by the junior right-handed duo of Bryce Jarvis and Thomas Girard, who were both named Preseason All-Americans. They were each selected to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Third Team, while D1Baseball recognized Jarvis as a second-team Preseason All-American and Girard as a third-team Preseason All-American.
On the mound, the Blue Devil pitching staff ranked among the best nationally in multiple statistical categories. The staff was led by its Friday night ace, Jarvis, who was listed as the No. 6 prospect in the ACC for the 2020 MLB Draft by D1Baseball while also serving as a member of the Golden Spikes Award Watch List. Jarvis sported a 0.67 ERA, which ranked third in the ACC and 25th in the nation.
The junior right-hander tallied a 3-1 record across his four starts, with 40 strikeouts while surrendering just two walks in 27.0 innings of work. Jarvis ranked third in the nation in WHIP with a mark of 0.48, while placing fifth in the ACC in hits allowed per nine innings (3.67), and sixth in the conference in total strikeouts.
The Franklin, Tenn., native etched his name in history on Feb. 21 in the series opener against Cornell, with a magical performance culminating in the program's first perfect game. Jarvis retired all 27 batters he faced, registering a career-high 15 strikeouts, 10 groundouts and two fly outs in his perfect outing. He punched out at least one batter in eight of his nine frames, while managing to work in just one three-ball count across 94 pitches of work.
The performance marked just the 31st perfect game in NCAA Division I history, and first since East Carolina's Jake Kuchmaner accomplished the feat on March 17, 2019. The outing also marked the seventh no-hitter in Duke history, and first since the Blue Devil's combined no-hit effort against Penn State on March 1, 2019.
Jarvis was joined by the sophomore right-handed duo of Cooper Stinson and Jack Carey to round out Duke's weekend rotation, while senior left-hander Bill Chillari assumed midweek starting duties. Stinson was off to an impressive start as the team's Saturday starter, highlighted by 19.2 consecutive scoreless innings pitched to begin the campaign. The Norcross, Ga., native carried a 3-0 record on the season, including a 0.42 ERA, which ranked first in the ACC and 15th in the nation.
Carey rounded out the weekend starters, transitioning into a starting role in year two after serving as a middle relief arm in the bullpen his freshman campaign. Carey owned a 1-1 mark through three starts, while Chillari tallied a 3-0 record across four midweek starts.
Closer Thomas Girard, a member of the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award Watch List, anchored the Duke bullpen with a team-high four saves. Girard ranked third in the conference in saves, and is currently tied for second all-time in Duke history for most career saves with 13. The trio of redshirt freshman Jimmy Loper, junior Matt Dockman and senior Eli Herrick each tied for second on the squad in appearances with eight apiece.
Overall, the Blue Devil pitching staff ranked led the conference in ERA and was 14th in the nation at 2.39, allowing 38 earned runs through 143.1 innings of work. Duke owned a WHIP of 1.03, which led the conference and ranked 11th the country. The Blue Devils also led the league in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.16), while ranking second in walks allowed per nine innings (2.76) and fourth hits allowed per nine (6.53)—ranking among the top 20 in the nation in all three statistical categories.
No team in the nation had more than Duke's six shutouts. The Blue Devils registered a span of four straight shutouts throughout the second week of the season, which served as the longest streak in program history. Duke's six shutouts in the shortened campaign tied for the fourth-most in a single season in program history, matching last season's overall total.
Offensively, the Blue Devils returned seven of nine positional starters from a season ago. The Duke lineup boasted one of the toughest three-four combos in the league, with three-hole hitter Matt Mervis and cleanup man Michael Rothenberg. The duo ranked first and second on the team in multiple offensive categories, and each had reached base safely in every game.
Mervis, a senior co-captain, led the team in hits (17), home runs (3) and total bases (33), while ranking second in RBI (15). Rothenberg, a member of the Buster Posey Award Watch List, boasted a team-high .551 on-base percentage to lead the ACC, while ranking first on the team in RBI with 17. The junior backstop owned a reached-base streak of 24 games, dating back to the final eight contests of the 2019 campaign.
The Duke defense fielded exceptionally, ranking fourth in the nation leading the ACC in fielding percentage. The Blue Devils committed only seven errors in 588 chances for a fielding mark of .988. Three of Duke's seven fielding errors came from players in new positions—freshman Grant Norris (second base), sophomore Rudy Maxwell (left field) and junior Joey Loperfido (center field).
After dropping the season opener to Army West Point in a tight one-run contest, the Blue Devils carried a nine-game winning streak throughout the remainder of February, resulting in the best start under head coach Chris Pollard. Duke rallied to a 9-8 walkoff victory in game two over Army, behind a grand slam from Mervis to erase a six-run deficit and complete the comeback before claiming a 7-0 shutout win on Sunday to take the series on opening weekend.
The Blue Devils went on to win their next five games at home, including midweek wins over William & Mary and Air Force and a series sweep over Cornell, before departing for the team's first road trip to compete in the 2020 CambriaCollegeClassic at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.
Duke defeated Purdue, 5-1, in game one of the weekend, before rallying to beat Minnesota in an extra-innings affair on Saturday evening in game two. The Blue Devils dropped their final contest of the tournament, falling to Iowa as four late-inning runs proved to be the difference. The loss ended Duke's nine-game winning streak, which tied for the second-longest streak in the Pollard era.
The Blue Devils bounced back from their second loss of the season with a 5-0 midweek win over in-state foe Campbell before heading into the first weekend of ACC play with a top-15 home matchup with Florida State. Duke took two of three from then-No. 11 FSU, claiming the first two games of the three-game set to clinch the series, marking their third consecutive series win over Florida State.
The Blue Devils notched a 2-1 victory in Friday's series opener behind an impressive outing on the mound from Jarvis, who carried a perfect game through 6.2 innings of work. Duke secured a series win on Saturday afternoon with a 4-3 victory over the Seminoles, before falling in the weekend finale, 10-2. The loss ended a 10-game home winning streak for the Blue Devils, in what would be their final home matchup of 2020.
With the win over FSU, Duke rose in five of the six national polls, while moving into the top 10 in both the Baseball America and D1Baseball polls. The Blue Devils dropped their final contest of the season, falling to Davidson on the road in a ninth-inning walk off to close the season with a 12-4 overall record and a 2-1 mark in ACC play.
"Everybody around Duke baseball is committed to not feeling any self-pity about what could've been," Pollard added. "We choose gratitude. Gratitude for our seniors who've accomplished so much in their four years at Duke with two regional championships and two super regional appearances. These guys have put Duke baseball on the cusp of Omaha, and we appreciate their sacrifice, hard work and commitment to Duke baseball."
#GoDuke
"Anyone who followed this program, not just over the first 16 games of the 2020 season but over the last 10 months, knew that this team was on the cusp of something really special," said head coach Chris Pollard. "It wasn't about the talent, but there was plenty of that. It was about the love that these guys had for one another. It was about their own belief in themselves and what they were capable of accomplishing."
Duke returned a wealth of experience from 2019's NCAA Super Regional roster, headlined by the junior right-handed duo of Bryce Jarvis and Thomas Girard, who were both named Preseason All-Americans. They were each selected to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Third Team, while D1Baseball recognized Jarvis as a second-team Preseason All-American and Girard as a third-team Preseason All-American.
Another preseason honor for the pitching duo ??@BryceJarvis28 and @thomas_girard8 were both named to the @NCBWA Preseason All-American Team ????
— Duke Baseball (@DukeBASE) February 6, 2020
??: https://t.co/hPmQFsMQyi#BlueCollar | #GoDuke ?????? pic.twitter.com/fFlKsvXd3b
On the mound, the Blue Devil pitching staff ranked among the best nationally in multiple statistical categories. The staff was led by its Friday night ace, Jarvis, who was listed as the No. 6 prospect in the ACC for the 2020 MLB Draft by D1Baseball while also serving as a member of the Golden Spikes Award Watch List. Jarvis sported a 0.67 ERA, which ranked third in the ACC and 25th in the nation.
Another honor for @BryceJarvis28 ?? adding his name to the @USAGoldenSpikes Preseason Watch List ??
— Duke Baseball (@DukeBASE) February 13, 2020
??: https://t.co/ozDlDGIlBo#BlueCollar | #GoDuke ?????? pic.twitter.com/gtBu5kyMIh
The junior right-hander tallied a 3-1 record across his four starts, with 40 strikeouts while surrendering just two walks in 27.0 innings of work. Jarvis ranked third in the nation in WHIP with a mark of 0.48, while placing fifth in the ACC in hits allowed per nine innings (3.67), and sixth in the conference in total strikeouts.
The Franklin, Tenn., native etched his name in history on Feb. 21 in the series opener against Cornell, with a magical performance culminating in the program's first perfect game. Jarvis retired all 27 batters he faced, registering a career-high 15 strikeouts, 10 groundouts and two fly outs in his perfect outing. He punched out at least one batter in eight of his nine frames, while managing to work in just one three-ball count across 94 pitches of work.
PERFECTION ??@BryceJarvis28 | #GoDuke ?????? pic.twitter.com/tv8iQwIlUn
— Duke Baseball (@DukeBASE) February 21, 2020
The performance marked just the 31st perfect game in NCAA Division I history, and first since East Carolina's Jake Kuchmaner accomplished the feat on March 17, 2019. The outing also marked the seventh no-hitter in Duke history, and first since the Blue Devil's combined no-hit effort against Penn State on March 1, 2019.
????????????
— Duke Baseball (@DukeBASE) February 22, 2020
First perfect game in school history ??@BryceJarvis28 | #GoDuke ?????? pic.twitter.com/iNZ9uWbror
?????? NO. 1?? ??????@BryceJarvis PERFECT at the Top Spot on #SCTop10 ?? ??
— Duke Baseball (@DukeBASE) February 22, 2020
Welcome to the exclusive club ?? pic.twitter.com/0qbeu9LWn3
Jarvis was joined by the sophomore right-handed duo of Cooper Stinson and Jack Carey to round out Duke's weekend rotation, while senior left-hander Bill Chillari assumed midweek starting duties. Stinson was off to an impressive start as the team's Saturday starter, highlighted by 19.2 consecutive scoreless innings pitched to begin the campaign. The Norcross, Ga., native carried a 3-0 record on the season, including a 0.42 ERA, which ranked first in the ACC and 15th in the nation.
Carey rounded out the weekend starters, transitioning into a starting role in year two after serving as a middle relief arm in the bullpen his freshman campaign. Carey owned a 1-1 mark through three starts, while Chillari tallied a 3-0 record across four midweek starts.
Closer Thomas Girard, a member of the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award Watch List, anchored the Duke bullpen with a team-high four saves. Girard ranked third in the conference in saves, and is currently tied for second all-time in Duke history for most career saves with 13. The trio of redshirt freshman Jimmy Loper, junior Matt Dockman and senior Eli Herrick each tied for second on the squad in appearances with eight apiece.
Overall, the Blue Devil pitching staff ranked led the conference in ERA and was 14th in the nation at 2.39, allowing 38 earned runs through 143.1 innings of work. Duke owned a WHIP of 1.03, which led the conference and ranked 11th the country. The Blue Devils also led the league in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.16), while ranking second in walks allowed per nine innings (2.76) and fourth hits allowed per nine (6.53)—ranking among the top 20 in the nation in all three statistical categories.
?? PITCHING STAFF ON FIRE ??#BlueCollar | #GoDuke ?????? pic.twitter.com/MrT5IivlCf
— Duke Baseball (@DukeBASE) February 22, 2020
No team in the nation had more than Duke's six shutouts. The Blue Devils registered a span of four straight shutouts throughout the second week of the season, which served as the longest streak in program history. Duke's six shutouts in the shortened campaign tied for the fourth-most in a single season in program history, matching last season's overall total.
Offensively, the Blue Devils returned seven of nine positional starters from a season ago. The Duke lineup boasted one of the toughest three-four combos in the league, with three-hole hitter Matt Mervis and cleanup man Michael Rothenberg. The duo ranked first and second on the team in multiple offensive categories, and each had reached base safely in every game.
Mervis, a senior co-captain, led the team in hits (17), home runs (3) and total bases (33), while ranking second in RBI (15). Rothenberg, a member of the Buster Posey Award Watch List, boasted a team-high .551 on-base percentage to lead the ACC, while ranking first on the team in RBI with 17. The junior backstop owned a reached-base streak of 24 games, dating back to the final eight contests of the 2019 campaign.
The Duke defense fielded exceptionally, ranking fourth in the nation leading the ACC in fielding percentage. The Blue Devils committed only seven errors in 588 chances for a fielding mark of .988. Three of Duke's seven fielding errors came from players in new positions—freshman Grant Norris (second base), sophomore Rudy Maxwell (left field) and junior Joey Loperfido (center field).
After dropping the season opener to Army West Point in a tight one-run contest, the Blue Devils carried a nine-game winning streak throughout the remainder of February, resulting in the best start under head coach Chris Pollard. Duke rallied to a 9-8 walkoff victory in game two over Army, behind a grand slam from Mervis to erase a six-run deficit and complete the comeback before claiming a 7-0 shutout win on Sunday to take the series on opening weekend.
GRAND SLAM ????@mmervis12 launches one into deep right for his first homer of the season #BlueCollar | #GoDuke ?????? pic.twitter.com/YabCUUZxt3
— Duke Baseball (@DukeBASE) February 15, 2020
LET'S GOOOOOOO ??????#BlueCollar | #GoDuke ?????? pic.twitter.com/wYWaWjIdMa
— Duke Baseball (@DukeBASE) February 15, 2020
The Blue Devils went on to win their next five games at home, including midweek wins over William & Mary and Air Force and a series sweep over Cornell, before departing for the team's first road trip to compete in the 2020 CambriaCollegeClassic at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.
SERIES SWEEP ??#BlueCollar | #GoDuke ?????? pic.twitter.com/SiI2VeJg3g
— Duke Baseball (@DukeBASE) February 23, 2020
Change of scenery.
— Duke Baseball (@DukeBASE) February 27, 2020
?? U.S. Bank Stadium #BlueCollar | #GoDuke?????? pic.twitter.com/XRJhHG2F3B
Duke defeated Purdue, 5-1, in game one of the weekend, before rallying to beat Minnesota in an extra-innings affair on Saturday evening in game two. The Blue Devils dropped their final contest of the tournament, falling to Iowa as four late-inning runs proved to be the difference. The loss ended Duke's nine-game winning streak, which tied for the second-longest streak in the Pollard era.
Sweet victory ????#BlueCollar | #GoDuke ?????? pic.twitter.com/iQxi6kgRR4
— Duke Baseball (@DukeBASE) March 1, 2020
The Blue Devils bounced back from their second loss of the season with a 5-0 midweek win over in-state foe Campbell before heading into the first weekend of ACC play with a top-15 home matchup with Florida State. Duke took two of three from then-No. 11 FSU, claiming the first two games of the three-game set to clinch the series, marking their third consecutive series win over Florida State.
ACC SZN ??#BlueCollar | #GoDuke ?????? pic.twitter.com/34Dmu9JUNs
— Duke Baseball (@DukeBASE) March 6, 2020
The Blue Devils notched a 2-1 victory in Friday's series opener behind an impressive outing on the mound from Jarvis, who carried a perfect game through 6.2 innings of work. Duke secured a series win on Saturday afternoon with a 4-3 victory over the Seminoles, before falling in the weekend finale, 10-2. The loss ended a 10-game home winning streak for the Blue Devils, in what would be their final home matchup of 2020.
THREE STRAIGHT SERIES WINS OVER FLORIDA STATE ??#BlueCollar | #GoDuke ?????? pic.twitter.com/A8iBzT7A3R
— Duke Baseball (@DukeBASE) March 7, 2020
With the win over FSU, Duke rose in five of the six national polls, while moving into the top 10 in both the Baseball America and D1Baseball polls. The Blue Devils dropped their final contest of the season, falling to Davidson on the road in a ninth-inning walk off to close the season with a 12-4 overall record and a 2-1 mark in ACC play.
Top 10 vibes ??#BluCollar | #GoDuke ?????? pic.twitter.com/U6feVAqvEj
— Duke Baseball (@DukeBASE) March 9, 2020
"Everybody around Duke baseball is committed to not feeling any self-pity about what could've been," Pollard added. "We choose gratitude. Gratitude for our seniors who've accomplished so much in their four years at Duke with two regional championships and two super regional appearances. These guys have put Duke baseball on the cusp of Omaha, and we appreciate their sacrifice, hard work and commitment to Duke baseball."
#GoDuke
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