Completed Event: Baseball versus Murray State on June 9, 2025 , Loss , 4, to, 5
/
Final
Baseball
4
vs Murray State
5
Thursday, May 20
Clemson, S.C.
6 P.M.
Duke University
at
Clemson
Duke Concludes Regular Season With ACC Series at Clemson
5/19/2021 8:34:00 PM | Baseball
DURHAM – The Duke baseball team wraps up the regular season with a three-game series at Clemson Thursday-Saturday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
Â
FIRST PITCH
HOW TO FOLLOW
All three games of the series will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra with Ron Smith and Pete Yanity on the call. Chris Edwards also has the call for the game on the Blue Devil Sports Network from Learfield IMG College and will be available on GoDuke.com or the TuneIn app.
Thursday, 6 p.m. – TuneIn – Live Stats – Watch
Friday, 6 p.m. – TuneIn – Live Stats – Watch
Saturday, 1 p.m. – TuneIn – Live Stats – Watch
Â
SERIES HISTORY
Duke and Clemson meet for the 203rd time in the two programs' histories, dating back to 1904. Duke trails the series, 72-130, and the Tigers hold a 66-24 advantage on games played in Clemson. In recent years, Duke has won the previous five meetings and six of the last seven, including two series wins and an ACC Tournament victory. In 2019, the Blue Devils stunned 16th-ranked Clemson by sweeping the series, twice securing the win in the ninth inning. Head coach Chris Pollard is 6-6 against Clemson all-time, with all 12 meetings coming while he has been at Duke.
Â
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
The Tigers have experienced a year of ups and downs, riding a season of streaks to an overall record of 24-23 and 16-17 in conference play. Since April, Clemson lost seven straight before righting the ship and winning seven in a row, including a series sweep over No. 4 Louisville. Following the winning streak, the Tigers got swept by Georgia Tech before most recently dropping a rubber game and the series to No. 10 Florida State. Clemson boasts some power hitters, ranking fifth in the ACC in home runs this season with 58. The Tigers are also not afraid to play small ball as they're second in the conference in sacrifice bunts (22) and lead the league in hit by pitch (70). Freshman Caden Grice leads the team at the plate, ranking fourth in the ACC in RBI (49) and seventh in home runs (13).
Â
LOPERFIDO NAMED ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior Joey Loperfido was named ACC Player of the Week on May 10 after a stellar week in the batter's box. Loperfido batted 10-for-15 through four games as the Blue Devils went 2-2. The Haddonfield, N.J., native went 2-for-4 against William & Mary in a midweek contest before leading the Blue Devils at No. 15 Louisville, going 8-for-11 (.727) with four runs, two doubles and a home run.
Â
CIRCLING THE PILLOWS IN STYLE
Duke hit eight home runs in the three-game series at Virginia, the most in a single three-game series under head coach Chris Pollard. In addition, senior Michael Rothenberg hit longballs in back-to-back at bats during Friday's game to become the first Blue Devil to do so in a single game since Kennie Taylor accomplished the task at Georgia Tech on May 17, 2018. Just two games after Rothenberg accomplished the feat, teammate graduate student Peter Matt also hit home runs in back-to-back at bats on Sunday at Virginia.
Â
JOHNSON AND FOX STELLAR IN APRIL
Sophomore Marcus Johnson and freshman Luke Fox were stellar on the bump for the Blue Devils in the month of April. Johnson (1.15) and Fox (1.20) ranked first and second in the ACC in ERA for the month, both holding opposing batters to a sub-.200 batting average. The duo combined to allow just four earned runs on 16 hits and five walks while striking out 41 batters in 30.2 innings of work in the month of April.
Â
CRABTREE'S BIG DAY VS. VIRGINIA TECH
Senior Chris Crabtree boasted a five-hit day against Virginia Tech to lead the Blue Devils to capture game one of a crucial ACC series. Crabtree's five hits were the most by a Blue Devil since Zack Kone at Miami on April 16, 2016. Crabtree was locked in, recording two triples and a home run to be a double-shy of the cycle. His four runs in the game were a career-high and became the second Blue Devil this season to hit two triples in a single game.
Â
WELCOME TO K-VILLE
The Blue Devil pitching staff has ascended to new heights over the past three seasons, shattering the school's single-season strikeout record in 2018 and 2019. This season, Duke is continuing to strike out batters at record rates, fanning 430 batters in just 334.2 innings pitched.
Â
Duke season strikeout totals (Team records)
Rank     K/9       Strikeouts        Season  Â
1.          9.72          598               2019
2.          9.12          575               2018
             11.51       183               2020*
             9.80          430               2021
*Season cut short due to COVID-19 pandemic
Â
JOHNSON CLOSING FOR DUKE
Sophomore Marcus Johnson has emerged as Duke's go-to closer during the 2021 season. The Fontana, Calif., native has shown excellent control and pounded the strike zone, totaling 44 strikeouts to just eight walks in 41.2 innings pitched for a team-leading strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5.50. From April 13 to May 4, Johnson picked up two wins while allowing just four hits and two walks and fanning 17 batters in 11 scoreless innings pitched. In addition, he held batters to a .111 batting average.
Â
TRIPLING INTO THE NCAA RECORD BOOKS
Junior Ethan Murray tripled twice in the fourth inning against Campbell on April 13. Murray's pair of triples in a single inning was just the ninth time that has happened in Division I NCAA history, and the first time since 2008. In addition, Duke's three triples against Campbell were the most in a single game since 2017.
Â
UTILIZING THE LONGBALL
The Duke offense erupted over a month span of April 11 to May 11, hitting 32 home runs over the past 14 games. Graduate student Peter Matt and junior RJ Schreck have led the way, blasting a combined 15 home runs in the span. The Blue Devils have hit a home run in 11 consecutive games. Duke's 53 home runs on the season rank seventh all-time in a single season in Duke history and are the second most in a single season under head coach Chris Pollard.
Â
DUKE CONTINUES K'S 4 KIDS' CANCER
Duke baseball announced the renewal of the K's 4 Kids' Cancer campaign, which is now in its third season with the team. Fans can help Duke baseball strikeout children's cancer by making a pledge for every strikeout that Blue Devil pitchers rack up this season. In just two years, the campaign has raised over $25,000 and all funds go directly to support cancer research and patient care at Duke Children's Hospital.
Â
#GoDuke
Â
Â
Â
Â
FIRST PITCH
- Duke (25-20, 13-17 ACC) travels to Clemson (24-23, 16-17 ACC) for a three-game series to wrap up the regular season. Game times are set for 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and 1 p.m. on Sunday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
- Following the weekend, the Blue Devils will await the announcement of the groups for the ACC Tournament. Duke clinched an ACC Tournament berth with its sweep of Virginia Tech last weekend.
- Duke is coming off an 18-2 win over Davidson on Tuesday, in which the Blue Devils recorded a season-high 18 runs. The team's 13 runs in the fifth inning were the most in a single inning in the past 16 seasons.
- The Blue Devils have hit 53 home runs this season, the second-most in a single season under head coach Chris Pollard. Duke has recorded 33 home runs since April 12.
- Duke and Clemson meet for the first time since 2019, when the Blue Devils swept the Tigers in Clemson. Clemson leads the all-time series, 130-72.
HOW TO FOLLOW
All three games of the series will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra with Ron Smith and Pete Yanity on the call. Chris Edwards also has the call for the game on the Blue Devil Sports Network from Learfield IMG College and will be available on GoDuke.com or the TuneIn app.
Thursday, 6 p.m. – TuneIn – Live Stats – Watch
Friday, 6 p.m. – TuneIn – Live Stats – Watch
Saturday, 1 p.m. – TuneIn – Live Stats – Watch
Â
SERIES HISTORY
Duke and Clemson meet for the 203rd time in the two programs' histories, dating back to 1904. Duke trails the series, 72-130, and the Tigers hold a 66-24 advantage on games played in Clemson. In recent years, Duke has won the previous five meetings and six of the last seven, including two series wins and an ACC Tournament victory. In 2019, the Blue Devils stunned 16th-ranked Clemson by sweeping the series, twice securing the win in the ninth inning. Head coach Chris Pollard is 6-6 against Clemson all-time, with all 12 meetings coming while he has been at Duke.
Â
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
The Tigers have experienced a year of ups and downs, riding a season of streaks to an overall record of 24-23 and 16-17 in conference play. Since April, Clemson lost seven straight before righting the ship and winning seven in a row, including a series sweep over No. 4 Louisville. Following the winning streak, the Tigers got swept by Georgia Tech before most recently dropping a rubber game and the series to No. 10 Florida State. Clemson boasts some power hitters, ranking fifth in the ACC in home runs this season with 58. The Tigers are also not afraid to play small ball as they're second in the conference in sacrifice bunts (22) and lead the league in hit by pitch (70). Freshman Caden Grice leads the team at the plate, ranking fourth in the ACC in RBI (49) and seventh in home runs (13).
Â
LOPERFIDO NAMED ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior Joey Loperfido was named ACC Player of the Week on May 10 after a stellar week in the batter's box. Loperfido batted 10-for-15 through four games as the Blue Devils went 2-2. The Haddonfield, N.J., native went 2-for-4 against William & Mary in a midweek contest before leading the Blue Devils at No. 15 Louisville, going 8-for-11 (.727) with four runs, two doubles and a home run.
Â
CIRCLING THE PILLOWS IN STYLE
Duke hit eight home runs in the three-game series at Virginia, the most in a single three-game series under head coach Chris Pollard. In addition, senior Michael Rothenberg hit longballs in back-to-back at bats during Friday's game to become the first Blue Devil to do so in a single game since Kennie Taylor accomplished the task at Georgia Tech on May 17, 2018. Just two games after Rothenberg accomplished the feat, teammate graduate student Peter Matt also hit home runs in back-to-back at bats on Sunday at Virginia.
Â
JOHNSON AND FOX STELLAR IN APRIL
Sophomore Marcus Johnson and freshman Luke Fox were stellar on the bump for the Blue Devils in the month of April. Johnson (1.15) and Fox (1.20) ranked first and second in the ACC in ERA for the month, both holding opposing batters to a sub-.200 batting average. The duo combined to allow just four earned runs on 16 hits and five walks while striking out 41 batters in 30.2 innings of work in the month of April.
Â
CRABTREE'S BIG DAY VS. VIRGINIA TECH
Senior Chris Crabtree boasted a five-hit day against Virginia Tech to lead the Blue Devils to capture game one of a crucial ACC series. Crabtree's five hits were the most by a Blue Devil since Zack Kone at Miami on April 16, 2016. Crabtree was locked in, recording two triples and a home run to be a double-shy of the cycle. His four runs in the game were a career-high and became the second Blue Devil this season to hit two triples in a single game.
Â
WELCOME TO K-VILLE
The Blue Devil pitching staff has ascended to new heights over the past three seasons, shattering the school's single-season strikeout record in 2018 and 2019. This season, Duke is continuing to strike out batters at record rates, fanning 430 batters in just 334.2 innings pitched.
Â
Duke season strikeout totals (Team records)
Rank     K/9       Strikeouts        Season  Â
1.          9.72          598               2019
2.          9.12          575               2018
             11.51       183               2020*
             9.80          430               2021
*Season cut short due to COVID-19 pandemic
Â
JOHNSON CLOSING FOR DUKE
Sophomore Marcus Johnson has emerged as Duke's go-to closer during the 2021 season. The Fontana, Calif., native has shown excellent control and pounded the strike zone, totaling 44 strikeouts to just eight walks in 41.2 innings pitched for a team-leading strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5.50. From April 13 to May 4, Johnson picked up two wins while allowing just four hits and two walks and fanning 17 batters in 11 scoreless innings pitched. In addition, he held batters to a .111 batting average.
Â
TRIPLING INTO THE NCAA RECORD BOOKS
Junior Ethan Murray tripled twice in the fourth inning against Campbell on April 13. Murray's pair of triples in a single inning was just the ninth time that has happened in Division I NCAA history, and the first time since 2008. In addition, Duke's three triples against Campbell were the most in a single game since 2017.
Â
UTILIZING THE LONGBALL
The Duke offense erupted over a month span of April 11 to May 11, hitting 32 home runs over the past 14 games. Graduate student Peter Matt and junior RJ Schreck have led the way, blasting a combined 15 home runs in the span. The Blue Devils have hit a home run in 11 consecutive games. Duke's 53 home runs on the season rank seventh all-time in a single season in Duke history and are the second most in a single season under head coach Chris Pollard.
Â
DUKE CONTINUES K'S 4 KIDS' CANCER
Duke baseball announced the renewal of the K's 4 Kids' Cancer campaign, which is now in its third season with the team. Fans can help Duke baseball strikeout children's cancer by making a pledge for every strikeout that Blue Devil pitchers rack up this season. In just two years, the campaign has raised over $25,000 and all funds go directly to support cancer research and patient care at Duke Children's Hospital.
Â
#GoDuke
Â
Â
Â
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF/OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballDuke Baseball - Corey Muscara Opening Press Conference
Friday, June 27
Press Conference: Corey Muscara Introduction
Wednesday, June 25
Press Conference: Durham Super Regional Sunday
Sunday, June 08
Press Conference: Durham Super Regional Saturday
Saturday, June 07
