Duke Prepped for NC Central on Tuesday

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke returns to action on Tuesday, hosting North Carolina Central at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in downtown Durham, N.C.

FIRST PITCH

Duke (6-6, 3-3 ACC) hosts North Carolina Central (8-5) on Tuesday at the DBAP. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
The Blue Devils return to the field for the first time in a week after an unforeseen postponement of the NC State series last weekend.
The Blue Devils currently rank second nationally in doubles per game (3.08) and fifth in doubles (37). Senior Michael Rothenberg ranks second in the ACC with six doubles so far this season.
Duke boasts 122 hits so far this season and are averaging 10.16 hits per game, the highest per game under head coach Chris Pollard.
The Blue Devils and Eagles meet for the 26th time in the two programs' histories. Duke is undefeated against the Eagles, 25-0. Pollard is 16-0 all-time against NC Central, with 15 wins coming from his time at Duke.

HOW TO FOLLOW
Fans can find the game on ACC Network Extra. In addition, Chris Edwards has the call on the Blue Devil Sports Network from IMG College and will be available on GoDuke.com or the TuneIn app.

Tuesday, 4 p.m. – TuneIn – Live Stats

SERIES HISTORY
Duke and NC Central take the field for the 26th time in the two programs' history, dating back to 2008. Duke currently leads the all-time series, 25-0, including a 21-0 mark at home. The two teams' first meeting came in 2008 and have competed at least once a year since then. In their last meeting, Duke topped NC Central at home, 6-2, on April 23, 2019. Head coach Chris Pollard owns a 16-0 career record against NC Central, including a 15-0 record against the Eagles while at Duke.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES
NC Central holds an 8-5 record through the start of the 2021 campaign. Although having played 13 games so far this season, the Eagles have only faced four opponents. NC Central played Norfolk State in back-to-back weekends, dropping the first series, 2-1, before bouncing back and sweeping the second series. Most recently, the Eagles dropped a three-game series, 2-1, to East Tennessee State. NC Central is led by Tristan Shea and Luis DeLeon. Shea is batting .400 to lead the team while DeLeon leads the team in hits (16), triples (3), RBIs (15), on-base percentage (.508) and slugging percentage (.545).

A COMMON FOE
Duke has taken the field against NC Central 25 times through 12 seasons (2008-2019) to be one of the Blue Devils most common non-conference opponents in recent years. The two teams are scheduled to face each other twice this season, the first meeting on Tuesday, March 16 and the second on Tuesday, April 6.

On Feb. 11, NC Central announced that it will discontinue the sport of baseball at the conclusion of the 2021 season.

SCHRECK OFF TO A HOT START
Junior RJ Schreck leads the Blue Devils offensively this season as he's batting .415 with 17 hits, including three doubles and a team-leading three home runs. In addition, Schreck totals 14 RBIs, including eight from the Boston College series. He ranks in the top-10 in the league in batting average, hits per game, total bases and RBIs. Coming into the season, Schreck had a career batting average of .172 (15-for-87). The Los Angeles, Calif., native's three solo home runs this season are the first of his career. Schreck leads the team with five multi-hit games and four multi-RBIs games.

ROTHENBERG NAMED TO BUSTER POSEY WATCH LIST
Senior Michael Rothenberg, out of Boca Raton, Fla., earned recognition on the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award Watch List for the second consecutive season. In the shortened 2020 season, Rothenberg batted .349 with an ACC-leading .551 on-base percentage. He also topped the team with 17 RBIs, 15 walks and eight HBP.

NOT AN EASY ROAD
According to WarrenNolan.com, the Blue Devils have played the seventh toughest strength of schedule in the country so far this season. Duke's opponents this season currently combine for an 99-38 record.

HITTING ITS WAY INTO THE RECORD BOOKS
Duke has totaled 122 hits through its first 12 games to rank second in the conference. The Blue Devils are on pace to rival some of the strongest offensive seasons in program history. In addition, Duke's 10.16 hits per game are the most per game in a single season under Duke head coach Chris Pollard.

Duke Total Season Hits
Rank Total       Hits/G     Season
1.    652       11.24       1998
2.    623       10.74       1997
3.    610       11.51       1994
4.    606       9.62 2018
5.    605       10.25       2009
      122       10.16       2021

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