Boston College heads into the Atlantic Coast Conference baseball event from a place of power.
The No. 22 ranked Eagles (34-17, 16-14) drew the No. 6 seed and have been assigned to Pool C with No. 2 Clemson (39-17, 20-10) and No. 10 Virginia Tech (30-21, 12-17).
The Eagles will open the event as the house crew in opposition to Virginia Tech at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Durham Bull Athletic Park in Durham, N.C. Virginia Tech was ranked No. 10 within the nation when BC took two of three over a weekend collection in Blacksburg, Va., on March 10-11. BC recorded wins over two No. 2 ranked groups this season, Tennessee and Wake Forest.
“This team is tremendously confident right now,” mentioned BC coach Mike Gambino. “These kids here, they really believe they can win this tournament and they really believe we are going to Omaha.”
BC closed out the common season by sweeping a doubleheader in opposition to Notre Dame final Saturday. The Eagles matched this system’s finest file by way of 51 video games that was set in 2005, BC’s ultimate season within the Big East. BC additionally equaled its finest file in convention play since shifting to the ACC.
A very good exhibiting within the ACC event (a minimal of two wins) might present for a much bigger reward down the street. BC enters the event neck and neck with Duke to safe the ACC’s ultimate slot to host an NCAA Regional.
That can be uncommon incidence on this neck of the Northeast. The resurgent BC program would relish the chance to showcase its new facility as a recruiting software. The Eddie Pellagrini Diamond on the Harrington Athletic Village at Brighton Fields grew to become operational in March 2018.
“The cool thing is the path to hosting a regional is the same path of winning an ACC championship,” mentioned Gambino. “Yes, we need to host and the way in which to do this is to go about our enterprise the identical as we’ve got been doing all of it yr.
“We all want to host and we know the historical significance of it and these boys deserve it. It would be an amazing moment for our school. When you think about it, five years ago we didn’t have a baseball field and now we are legitimately in the host conversation.”
In Like Flynn
Staff ace Chris Flynn of Naugatuck, Conn., a right-handed graduate switch from Roger Williams College, was named to the All-ACC second crew on Monday.
Flynn has a 7-2 mark with two shutouts in 14 begins over 70.2 innings with a 3.82 ERA. He has allowed 34 runs, 30 earned, with 68 hits, 80 strikeouts and 32 walks. Flynn was 4-2 in 10 ACC begins over 51.2 innings with a 4.70 ERA, 31 runs and 27 earned. He recorded 50 strikeouts and 24 walks.
“I feel great,” mentioned Flynn. “I have a lot of innings right now but my pitch count has not been too high in any given game so it has been very manageable.”
Flynn was the pitcher of file within the Eagles 8-2 win over Virginia Tech on March 11. He went 5.2 innings and allowed three run, two earned, on six hits with 5 strikeouts.
Flynn picked up his final win of the season within the opener of the dual invoice in opposition to the Fighting Irish. Flynn allowed two runs and scattered six hits over seven innings with 5 strikeouts and no walks.
Flynn will doubtless get his fifteenth begin in opposition to Clemson on Friday. Gambino intends to begin sophomore righty Eric Schroeder and probably use as much as six reduction pitchers in opposition to Virginia Tech.
“We are going to keep him (Flynn) on his full rest to be ready for Friday,” mentioned Gambino. “This sets us up for our bullpen to do a very good job starting with Eric Schroeder.”
No Ordinary Joe
Junior first baseman and clean-up hitter Joe Vetrano of Shrub Oak, N.Y., has made going yard a routine incidence this season. The veteran southpaw smashed three dwelling runs within the doubleheader in opposition to ND, one within the first and two within the second, and was named to the All-ACC third crew together with outfielder Travis Honeyman.
Vetrano began 50 video games and batted .306 with 60 hits, 18 dwelling runs, 10 doubles, 124 complete bases, 46 runs and 51 RBI. In 30 ACC begins, Vetrano batted .320 with 39 hits, 11 dwelling runs, seven doubles, 79 totals bases, 27 runs and 32 RBI. Vetrano posted these sturdy numbers regardless of being the sufferer of the shift by opposing defenses.
“We are stronger spot and moving forward we are all pretty pumped and excited to get this thing going,” mentioned Vetrano. “I am seeing a lot more curveballs I can tell you that and that is not much fun.”
Honeyman missed the ultimate eight video games of the season with a shoulder harm. But Honeyman practiced on Monday and is predicted to play. Honeyman is projected to be a first-round decide within the upcoming MLB draft. Both Honeyman (Orleans) and Vetrano (Harwich) are veterans of Cape Cod Baseball League.
Source: www.bostonherald.com