ACC Championship Preview: BC BASEBALL Takes On Pool B

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ACC Championship Preview: BC BASEBALL Takes On Pool B
The Eagles look to extend season-long win streak to advance in conference tournament

Game Notes | ACC Championship Central

THE FACTS
MATCHUP: Game 1 vs. No. 7 seed NC State | Game 2 vs. No. 2 seed North Carolina
WHERE: Louisville Slugger Field in Louisville, Ky.
WHEN: Game 1 – Tuesday, May 23 at 3 p.m. | Game 2 – Wednesday, May 24 at 3 p.m.
BC vs. NC State: 3-0 in 2017; 14-22 all-time; 9-11 under Gambino
BC vs. UNC: 0-3 in 2017; 2-24 all-time; 1-13 under Gambino

HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: RSN (Coverage) | NESN Plus locally
ACC Network Extra: Tuesday | Wednesday
Live Stats: Tuesday | Wednesday
Twitter: @BCBirdball

THE MATCHUP
Pitching Matchups
Tuesday: RHP Jacob Stevens (5-6, 5.01 ERA) vs. RHP Johnny Piedmonte (6-0, 1.88 ERA)
Wednesday: LHP Dan Metzdorf (4-5, 4.64 ERA) vs. RHP Tyler Baum (5-0, 2.75 ERA))

EAGLES IN THE ACC TOURNAMENT

The Eagles return to the ACC Baseball Championship for the second straight year and second time under seventh-year head coach Mike Gambino.

It is BC’s fourth appearance since joining the ACC in 2006.

It seemed likely BC would miss the postseason as the Eagles started the conference slate 1-14. They won the first game at No. 2 Florida State before dropping 14 straight to five conference opponents, of which four were ranked in the top six. They rallied to win 10 of their final 15 ACC games.

BC is 3-4 all-time at the ACC’s postseason competition.

The first appearance came in 2009 when the Eagles went 2-1, defeating Georgia Tech and Miami in Durham, N.C. They also earned a bid in 2010 (1-2) and 2016 (0-1). Last year, BC fell to Georgia Tech, 6-0, in a first-round game.

The Eagles played both Pool B opponents at home in 2017, sweeping the Wolfpack and losing all three games to third-ranked UNC.

BC has won eight of the last 11 contests against the Wolfpack. This year’s series victory was the second straight series win over State and the fifth overall. It was the second series sweep of the Pack and the first Gambino. NC State never led in the 2017 series.

BC has won just two of the 26 all-time contests with UNC, coming at home in 2009 and in 2014.

WHAT’S GOING ON WITH THE EAGLES

Boston College has won its last six games, the longest win streak of 2017, and finished the regular season with a series sweep of Notre Dame at home to earn the 11th seed in the ACC Baseball Championship.

It was the Eagles’ first-ever series win over the Irish in the two teams’ history, which dated back to the Big East days in 1996. They won the last four games in Chestnut Hill and 5-7 in ACC games.

BC trailed in all three games against Notre Dame in the series, coming back to win in all three contests. The Eagles were down by two in game one, down by four twice in game two and trailed by four in game three.

Junior Donovan Casey collected two wins in the series and three on the week, making appearances in all four games played. He threw 6.1 innings of scoreless relief with just three hits and three walks while striking out four. He also batted .400 with five hits and four runs in the Notre Dame series. He has at least one hit in the last six games and has reached base safely in the last 12. He is tied for eighth on BC’s single-season with five saves while he leads the Eagles with five wins and 22 appearances. He leads all relievers with a 3.03 ERA and 31 strikeouts. He is also third in the nation with eight outfield assists.

Sophomore Jake Alu extended his hit streak to eight games, tying a career long. He has at least one hit in 18 of the last 21 games. He led the Eagles in the ND series with a .545 batting clip, six hits, two doubles and five RBIs. His .335 overall average and 12 stolen bases also leads the team. He is eighth in the ACC for his conference batting clip.

Tuesday starter sophomore Jacob Stevens started his 15th game of the season on Thursday against Notre Dame, tying for second in BC’s single-season record book. He recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts in a seven-inning start, allowing just four hits, two runs and two walks. He retired nine ND batters in a row from the third to the sixth innings. The seven innings tied a career high. His 3.82 career ERA is ninth in BC record books.

Sophomore Gian Martellini has started 50 games for the Eagles behind the plate and logged at least one hit in 41 of them. His career-long, 14-game hit streak came to an end against Maine on May 16. It was the longest of the season for the Eagles and tied for sixth in BC record books.

Freshman Brian Dempsey has hit his stride in the second half of the season. He has logged at least one hit in 13 of the last 18 games played, including a career-long, six-game hit streak. In the last 18 games, his batting .370 with 17 hits, eight runs, two doubles, six RBIs and seven walks.

Junior Jake Palomaki already has his name all over the BC record book. In three years at The Heights, he broke the all-time walks record, currently sitting at 119. His 46 walks in 2015 rank first on the single-season list, 42 in 2016 are second and his 31 this season are tied for 10th. That is after missing 11 games due to an injury. His 41 career stolen bases is tied for sixth in record books and the 19 he stole last year is tied for third.

The Eagles’ .974 fielding percentage is fourth in record books while their 74 stolen bases is tied for fifth on the team record list. They are sixth in the conference for their fielding percentage and third for swipes.