ACC’s Parity Showcased On Upset-Filled Friday Night

Image credit: BC outfielder Cameron Leary (Photo courtesy of Boston College Baseball)

This year’s two dominant forces in the ACC are Wake Forest and parity.

Even after an upset loss Friday at Pittsburgh, the No. 3 Demon Deacons (32-6, 14-4) are 2.5 games ahead of No. 9 Virginia (32-7, 12-7) in the race for the top seed in the ACC Tournament. Bringing up the rear of the conference are Florida State (13-24, 4-15) and Georgia Tech (21-17, 7-12). The other 10 teams in the conference all have 8-10 ACC losses and just 2.5 games separate third-place Miami (24-14, 11-8) from 12th-place Clemson (23-16, 7-9).

That kind of parity can make for some fun, unpredictable days around the conference and that’s just what Friday delivered. Pitt (17-19, 8-9) beat Wake Forest, 3-0. It was the first time the Demon Deacons had been shut out since April 15, 2022, in a 1-0 loss to Clemson. The Panthers have scuffled much of the season but last week became the first team this season to win a series against Virginia and now are just one win away from dealing Wake its first series loss of the year.

Virginia, meanwhile, took another loss, falling 10-7 at Notre Dame (21-15, 9-10). Freshman second baseman Estevan Moreno hit three home runs to lead the Fighting Irish to a big series-opening win.

Duke notched perhaps the most stunning win of the day in the conference when shortstop Alex Mooney hit a walkoff grand slam to beat No. 13 Louisville, 10-9. The Cardinals (26-11, 8-8) had led the entire game, scoring three runs in the first inning and opening that lead up to 7-0 in the fifth before the Blue Devils (25-12, 10-8) scored six in the bottom of the inning. Still, Louisville added a couple insurance runs and Duke had done nothing against lefthander Tate Kuehner until an error and two walks brought Mooney to the plate with one out and the bases loaded in the ninth. He hit a first-pitch fastball out for a towering home run, his fifth of the season, and Duke continued its surge. It is now 9-2 in April.

Down Tobacco Road, Boston College edged No. 17 North Carolina, 9-8, in 10 innings for its first ever win in Chapel Hill. The Eagles had been 0-17 all-time on the road against the Tar Heels. It was a wild, back-and-forth game that saw BC push ahead in the ninth inning with a home run from Cameron Leary, only for UNC to tie the game and send it to extra innings. The Eagles scored twice in the 10th, but the Tar Heels cut the deficit to one run and had runners at second and third base for All-American Vance Honeycutt in the bottom of the inning. Julian Tonghini struck the sophomore out looking, however, to close out a big road win.

Across the Triangle in Raleigh, Clemson scored a 10-2 road win against North Carolina State. The Tigers (23-16, 7-9) scored three runs in the first inning and never looked back. DH Billy Amick went 4-for-5 and hit two home runs to lead the Tigers, who also got a quality start from Ethan Darden (6 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 K). The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for NC State (25-12, 8-10).

Virginia Tech erased an early deficit to rout Florida State, 24-9. The Seminoles (13-24, 4-15) remain in freefall and the 24 runs allowed Friday matched a program record. The Hokies (22-13, 9-9) are still looking for some overall consistency but have now won five straight ACC games.

And in the conference’s most straightforward result of the day, No. 16 Miami defeated Georgia Tech, 4-2. Gage Ziehl (8 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K) and Andrew Walters (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K) combined to silence the Yellow Jackets (21-17, 7-12), while the Hurricanes (24-14, 11-8) extended their home winning streak to 11 games.

A night like Friday makes the ACC one of the most entertaining conferences to watch this season, despite the title race not being particularly tight. It also illustrates how unpredictable the final month of the season could be around the league as so many teams fight for at-large bids in the NCAA Tournament.

The magic number for any ACC team to target is 15 conference wins. That alone won’t guarantee a spot in regionals but no team from the conference has received an at-large bid since 2016 without finishing at least .500 in ACC play. Most ACC teams only have 11 more conference games to play and with so many teams sitting on 8-10 conference wins nearly every remaining game across the conference will be critical.

With a month to play before the ACC Tournament begins in Durham, there are sure to be plenty more wild days as the standings get tighter and tighter.