Duke Hosts No. 17 Miami for ACC Series

DURHAM – The Duke baseball team welcomes No. 17 Miami to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park for a three-game series over the weekend.
 
LEADING OFF
Duke hosts No. 17 Miami for an ACC series this weekend. The Blue Devils hold an all-time record of 13-43 against the Hurricanes and are 4-14 all-time in games played in Durham. First pitch times are scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday and noon on Sunday. Head coach Chris Pollard, in his 10th season at Duke, has a 9-19 record against Miami. Duke most recently met Miami in the 2021 ACC Championship, as Duke won 3-2 in a walk-off home run. The game will air on ACC Network Extra with Daron Vaught and Scott Pose on the call. Chris Edwards will broadcast on the Varsity Network app. Following the series, Duke hosts midweek games against Davidson (Tuesday) and Longwood (Wednesday) at 6 p.m. at the DBAP.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW
Friday, 6 p.m. – Varsity Network App (radio) – Live Stats – Watch (ACCNX) – Tickets
Saturday, 3 p.m. – Varsity Network App (radio) – Live Stats – Watch (ACCNX) – Tickets
Sunday, 12 p.m. – Varsity Network App (radio) – Live Stats – Watch (ACCNX) – Tickets
 
PITCHING MATCHUP
Friday:
Duke – RHP Marcus Johnson (1-5, 4.81 ERA)
Miami – LHP Carson Palmquist (5-1, 3.56 ERA)
 
Saturday:
Duke – LHP Luke Fox (1-3, 7.82 ERA)
Miami – RHP Karson Ligon (3-1, 1.72 ERA)
 
Sunday:
Duke – RHP Billy Seidl (2-1, 3.07 ERA)
Miami – RHP Alejandro Rosario (0-1, 10.24 ERA)
 
DOUBLE DOWN
Duke holds 44 doubles this season. Junior Graham Pauley leads the team with nine, ranking tied for fifth in the conference. Junior Chad Knight recorded three doubles against UMass Lowell on March 9 to become the first Blue Devil to hit three in a single game since March 2016.
 
MARC MADNESS
Junior right-hander Marcus Johnson is beginning to settle into his role as the Friday night arm for the Blue Devils. After a rough opening day, Johnson was stellar on the hill against Bucknell. The Fontana, Calif., native boasted 12 strikeouts in six innings of work to earn the win. The 12 strikeouts were the most since Bryce Jarvis’ 15 Ks against Cornell in February of 2020. He holds 48 strikeouts on the year to rank tied for third in the ACC.
 
VET IN THE PEN
Graduate student RHP John Natoli has been strong out of the pen for the Blue Devils early this season. Natoli holds a 1.69 ERA in seven appearances, including a run of five consecutive scoreless appearances. Over the five-game stretch, Natoli allowed just three hits and four walks while striking out nine in 7.2 innings of work.
 
STORM’S A BREWIN’
Duke sophomore switch hitter Luke Storm has been a valuable addition to the lineup after redshirting in 2021. Storm has hit over .250 from both sides of the plate, while entering the lineup in multiple different positions. Recruited as a short stop, Storm has seen time at second base, first base and in the outfield so far this season.  Storm recently went 3-for-4 on March 27 at Florida State while celebrating his 21st birthday.
 
EYE, EYE CAPTAIN
Graduate student outfielder Chris Davis has been a spark plug for the Duke offense, finding ways to get on base and showing some pop. Davis put together back-to-back games against East Carolina and Bucknell in which he hit home runs on the first pitch of the at-bat. Also, Davis has been extremely effective in getting on base, boasting 20 walks. The outfielder also tallied his 100th career hit against UMass Lowell on March 8.
 
SEIDL’S STELLAR START
Junior right-hander Billy Seidl has been electric to open the 2022 season. After coming out of the bullpen throughout his career, the Wellesley, Mass., native has shifted into a starting role. Seidl opened the season without allowing a hit in the first 10.0 innings pitched. In addition, Seidl has tallied 34 strikeouts, and ranks second in the ACC in hits allowed per nine innings (4.91) and opponent batting average (.163).
 
WELCOME TO K-VILLE
The Blue Devil pitching staff has ascended to new heights over the past five seasons, shattering the school’s strikeout record in 2018, 2019 and 2022. Duke continues to be on pace for a record season, as Marcus Johnson leads the team with 48 K’s, third in the conference. Duke ranks in the top 15 in the country in strikeouts per nine innings this season.
 
Duke season strikeout totals (Team records)
Rank     K/9        Strikeouts           Season
1.           9.82       527                      2021
2.           9.72       598                      2019
3.           9.12       575                      2018
              11.12    273                      2022
 
CRABTREE & SCHRECK DINGERS
Graduate student Chris Crabtree and senior RJ Schreck have shown their power and look to continue it in the 2022 season. Schreck ranks tied for 14th in program history with 23 home runs while Crabtree sits tied for 18th with 20. Schreck leads the program with five this season.
 
K’S 4 KIDS’ CANCER
Duke has partnered with the Duke Children’s Hospital for the fourth consecutive season in the K’s 4 Kids’ Cancer campaign. Donors can pledge an amount of money to donate per strikeout that the Blue Devils pitching staff throws in 2022. The partnership has contributed over $30,000 in support of the Duke Children’s Hospital. Over the past four seasons, Duke has totaled 1,900+ strikeouts.
 
#GoDuke