The 2024 ACC Baseball Championship has arrived as the league’s best teams are set to clash this week in Charlotte, N.C., to decide a conference champion.
After finishing fifth in the Coastal Division, Virginia Tech is the No. 10 seed and was placed in Pool C alongside No. 3 seed NC State and No. 6 seed Duke in one of the more polarizing groups in the competition.
The Hokies (32-20, 14-16 ACC) played the No. 17 Blue Devils (35-18, 16-14) a month ago in Blacksburg, dropping two of three games in a thrilling series, but haven’t faced the No. 12 Wolfpack (32-19, 18-11) since 2022, where they took a high-scoring series at English Field.
Needless to say, much has changed in the time between each of those meetings. Here’s what to know about each of Tech’s opponents in pool play:
No. 3 seed NC State
Finishing second in the Atlantic Division after being picked third, NC State has enjoyed its most successful season in league play since 2021, where it also finished as the runner-up, thanks to playing at its absolute best against its toughest competition.
The Wolfpack beat No. 3 Clemson, No. 7 North Carolina, No. 16 Virginia and No. 22 Wake Forest this season in addition to splitting a two-game set with No. 10 Florida State. It won five of those series in a row to close out the regular season, highlighted by a sweep of the Demon Deacons in Raleigh.
As such, State sits at No. 14 in the RPI, and D1Baseball projects it to host a regional as the No. 11 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
It’s a squad that doesn’t have the gaudiest numbers, but simply finds ways to win. The Wolfpack ranks in the bottom-five in ACC play in average (.269), slugging percentage (.443), on-base percentage (.369), runs (192), hits (262) and home runs (40) with a bottom-five ERA (6.77) to boot.
Still, it boasts some of the brightest stars in the ACC, headlined by the infield graduate transfer duo of Alec Makarewicz and Garrett Pennington.
After coming over from East Carolina, Makarewicz has enjoyed the best season of his career in the hot corner with the league’s seventh-best OPS (1.141), fourth-most RBI (67) and 10th-most homers (19) en route to being named Second Team All-ACC.
Pennington, a transfer from Wichita State, has raked the second-most doubles in league play (20) while putting up a 1.055 OPS at first base.
The Wolfpack also has a First Team All-ACC backstop in junior Jacob Cozart, who posted a 1.006 OPS with 16 home runs and 45 RBI in the regular season.
That infield trio has carried State’s offense this season and will need to continue to do so if the team wants to emerge victorious from this group, which features two of the more prominent lineups in the league.
In pool play, the Pack will likely throw two of Sam Highfill, Dom Fritton and Ryan Marohn, all of whom have been viable weekend options this season.
Highfill is the ace of the rotation with a 5.09 ERA and 65 strikeouts. He has the ACC’s fifth-best opposing average at .226, too. Fritton and Marohn are two younger options but provide different looks as lefties who have excelled at minimizing hits. Fritton is top 10 in the ACC in opposing average at .244 and Marohn has the league's sixth-best ERA at 3.71.
With the Wolfpack being the Hokies’ second opponent of the week, Tech will likely throw Jeremy Neff due to Griffin Stieg reaggravating his lat injury and leaving Friday’s game against Virginia early. Considering that State’s offense isn’t as intimidating as Duke’s, that might bode well for the Hokies, who will either need a win to stay alive or clinch a spot in the semifinals.
No. 6 seed Duke
To put it plainly, this isn’t the same Duke squad that Virginia Tech played last month in Blacksburg.
After taking that series, the Blue Devils dropped three consecutive ACC sets — vs. Florida State, at Georgia Tech and vs. North Carolina — to close out the regular season as their offense significantly cooled down. Still, they finished third in the Coastal, right where they were picked in the preseason.
Thanks to that rough stretch, they no longer are projected to host, sitting as a No. 2 seed in D1Baseball’s latest outlook. However, they’re right on the fringe of playing postseason baseball in Durham — they’re No. 20 in the RPI — and could work their way back into the conversation with a run this week in Charlotte.
It’s certainly not for a lack of talent, as Duke boasts four All-ACC First Teamers — the most of any team in the league — in third baseman Ben Miller, second baseman Zac Morris, starting pitcher Jonathan Santucci and relief pitcher Charlie Beilenson.
Miller’s batting average (.383) has dropped nearly 70 points since the Tech series, but he still has the league’s sixth-highest OPS at 1.144. Morris (1.032), outfielder AJ Gracia (1.021), catcher Alex Stone (.945) and first baseman Logan Bravo (1.110) have all been consistent offensive contributors as well with OPS numbers over .900.
If the Blue Devils are to falter, it likely won’t be due to their offense. Rather, an injury in their rotation could compromise things.
Santucci, one of the best arms in the league and country, suffered a rib injury in warmups prior to his start on May 10 against Georgia Tech. After missing last week’s series against North Carolina, it’s unlikely that he’ll return for the ACC Tournament.
With the Hokies and Blue Devils playing on Day 1 in Charlotte, each squad will get the other’s best shot. Tech will throw its ace in Brett Renfrow, who was excellent against Duke earlier this season, tossing six innings of one-run ball. Without Santucci, Kyle Johnson figures to match up with him. He threw 5 ⅓ innings of one-run ball against Renfrow in that game.
Virginia Tech nearly swept the series but found itself on the losing end thanks to poor situational hitting and bullpen pitching. It’s easy analysis, but if it improves in those areas — which hasn’t happened in the back half of this season — it’ll have a chance to make noise in both games.
Against two good opponents while facing a plethora of internal struggles, the Hokies certainly have their work cut out for them.
Time and TV Designations
Tuesday, May 21: vs. Duke at 7 p.m. ET on ACC Network
Wednesday, May 22: vs. NC State at 7 p.m. ET on ACC Network
Projected Pitching Matchups:
Tuesday (VT vs. Duke): RHP Brett Renfrow (6-3, 4.33 ERA in 72 ⅔ innings) vs. LHP Kyle Johnson (3-1, 4.47 ERA in 46 ⅓ innings)
Wednesday (NC State vs. VT): RHP Sam Highfill (5-1, 5.09 ERA in 63 ⅔ innings) vs. LHP Jeremy Neff (1-1, 7.04 ERA in 30 ⅔ innings)
Full ACC Baseball Championship Schedule
