Duke Opens Postseason Play Tuesday Morning in Charlotte

Tuesday, May 19

Charlotte, N.C.

9 a.m.

Duke University

NC State

Duke Opens Postseason Play Tuesday Morning in Charlotte

5/18/2026 4:59:00 PM | Baseball

Watch (ACCN)Live Stats ACC Tournament Bracket Duke Notes (PDF)

DURHAM, N.C. - Duke enters the postseason as the No. 16-seed in the ACC Baseball Championship and will take on No. 9-seed NC State at 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning. First pitch at Truist Field in Charlotte, North Carolina, is scheduled for 9 a.m., and fans can watch live on ACC Network, with Wes Durham and Bobby Moranda on the call.

The Blue Devils (25-30, 10-20 ACC) and Wolfpack (32-21, 14-16 ACC) met in Raleight during the regular season in mid-April, with Duke taking the final game of the three-game set after dropping the first two. Kaden Smith rocketed a go-ahead homer in the top of the ninth in the series finale, giving Duke the 3-2 road victory.

Duke took one of three from Wake Forest in the regular-season finale, defeating the Demon Deacons, 7-3, on Senior Day at Jack Coombs Field. Duke scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth, highlighted by a three-run homer by Coltin Quagliano, his first long ball of the season, an opposite-field blast that traveled 413 feet.

TUESDAY (5/19)
No. 16 Duke vs. No. 9 NC State
9 a.m. (ET) – Truist Field – Charlotte, N.C.
VIDEO – ACC Network
Duke – RHP – Peter Lemke
NC State – RHP – Heath Andrews

QUICK HITS

INF Coltin Quagliano ranks as the top infielder in the country for defensive runs saved (DRS), at 18.14. Quagliano is the lone position players in top five nationally for DRS and has made several highlight plays on defense, including a jump throw from the third-base foul territory to get the batter at first base at NC State. The graduate has played and started at the hot corner in all but one game this season.
INF/OF RJ Hamilton has been a steady starter at both second base and in right field, while consistently batting second in Duke's lineup. The transfer from Vanderbilt is slashing .329/.433/.538 and is tied for second on the team with 38 RBI. The speedster was the first Blue Devil to 20 stolen bases and is 25-for-30 on the basepaths.
Hamilton had a hitting streak reach 15 games with a base knock in the first game of the doubleheader at Boston College, but after having his streak snapped in the nightcap against the Eagles, he has logged at least one hit in all but three game sinces, good for a stretch of at least one hit in 25 of his last 29 games.
C Matthew Strand leads the team with 14 homers and 42 RBI. Strand has started at catcher in all but two games since February 28, after both Cider Canon and Nolan Johnson suffered early injuries this season. Catcher was a position of strength entering the season, but Strand has taken on the bulk role in stride.
Overall, the third-string catcher has evolved into one of Duke's most dangerous bats, with a .319 average and a 1.028 OPS. 12 of his 14 homers have come against conference competition, tied for the second most by any player in the ACC during league play. The Samford transfer led the team at the plate in March and hit seven of his home runs, with 22 RBI.
INF Collin Anderson, the only freshman starting in Duke's infield, has stepped into a consistent role for Duke. Across the last five games, Anderson has the fifth-best average at the plate and has two homers alongside six RBI. On defense, Anderson has made several highlight plays at both second base and shortstop, while committing just six errors all season. At NC State during the regular season, Anderson flashed the leather in the Sunday finale, with a diving stop at second to end a threat in the late innings.
DH Kaden Smith connected on a three-run homer in the first game of the Georgia Tech series, drawing the Blue Devils within one run and giving the graduate his 11th long ball of the season. Smith arrived in Durham in the spring from Charleston Southern and is tied for second on team in RBI, with 39, after leading the nation in RBI per game last season.
Duke currently sits at 145 stolen bases this season, tied for eighth in the country.
The Blue Devils set a new program record for stolen bases in a season on March 31, with a double steal in the first inning against Davidson that moved the Blue Devils' season total to 108, surpassing the previous record of 106.
OF Tyler Albright has worked 46 walks this season, inside the top 25 nationally. The senior missed four games while in concussion protocol but through 48 appearances, Albright has surpassed his previous season-high of 45 free passes, set last year in 62 games. Albright has also absorbed seven hit-by-pitches, and has the best on-base percentage of his career (.440).