ACC baseball Week 2 power rankings: Returners have Florida State off to a blazing start

Midweek college baseball is a different animal. 

The best pitchers usually get saved for the more important weekend games, especially once conference play begins. And coaches are more likely to juggle their lineups to get at-bats for players other than their usual starters.

It provides a recipe for upsets, as NC State, Wake Forest and Miami all learned on Tuesday.

The Wolfpack squandered a 9th-inning lead in losing at home to Liberty while the Deacons and Hurricanes both went on the road to play neighboring mid-majors, falling to UNC Greensboro and Florida Atlantic, respectively.

While the setbacks were disappointing and look bad on those teams’ records, they’re nothing to get worked up about.

It’s a long season. And it’s only just begun.

Week 2 ACC power rankings

With the opening week now in the books, here’s how the ACC’s 16 baseball teams stack up, taking into account both a generally successful weekend throughout the conference and those dreaded midweek landmines: 

16. Boston College (1-1)

The Eagles couldn’t hold an early lead in their opener at USC Upstate on Friday, losing 10-7. But they flipped the script on Sunday by rallying for 3 runs in the final 2 innings for an 11-9 win that split the rain-shortened series in Spartanburg, SC. Jack Toomey went 4-for-7 with a homer and 3 RBI in the series to key an offense that hit a combined .292. But pitching is a concern after giving up 18 earned runs in the first 2 games.

15. Notre Dame (2-1)

One big inning was the difference between a winning and losing opening weekend for the Irish against North Florida in Jacksonville. After winning the first game of the series 5-3 on Friday, Notre Dame blew open a tie game by scoring 10 times in the top of the sixth, a rally that saw Estevan Moreno hit both a double and a grand slam. The Ospreys got their revenge by winning 8-1 for a split of the Saturday doubleheader.

14. Pittsburgh (3-0)

An opening weekend series sweep is always an encouraging way to start a season. Experience, however, should teach the Panthers not to get too excited over their 3 wins against Eastern Michigan in Port Charlotte, Fla. They also started last season with a series sweep and still finished last in the ACC. And 2 of these 3 wins were anything but easy. Putt had to come from behind to win on Friday and Saturday before winning the weekend with a 17-2 rout highlighted by a 5-RBI performance by third baseman Ryan Zuckerman.

13. Cal (3-1)

The Bears made their ACC debut by winning 3 of 4 against Nevada, punctuated by an 8-0 shutout on Monday that saw pitchers Ethan Foley, Jake Guardiancic and Cole Tremain combine for a 3-hitter. Junior third baseman Cade Campbell was the hitting star with a pair of dingers and 8 RBI. The only blemish on an otherwise successful weekend was a 10-1 loss on Sunday that saw Cal manage only 4 hits. Two of them by Campbell.

12. Virginia Tech (3-1)

The Hokies brought out the lumber against Bucknell, scoring 19 runs in Friday’s opener before setting an ACC-era school record by exploding for 27 runs in a Sunday finale that might have been even more lopsided had the game not been halted after 7 innings by the run rule. Thirteen Tech players had at least 1 hit in the game with 11 recording RBI. Senior outfielder Sam Tackett led the way by hitting a pair of homers and driving home 6 runs. The Hokies continued their hot hitting to avoid the midweek jinx in an 8-6 win against ETSU on Tuesday.

11. Duke (2-2)

It’s a long season, so a disappointing opening weekend is nothing to panic about. Especially in a series against a power conference opponent. Still, losing 2 of 3 to Cincinnati at home isn’t exactly how Duke coach Chris Pollard drew things up for his preseason No. 11-ranked team. The Blue Devils lost 8-3 on opening night and got hammered 19-5 on Sunday. The only thing that saved them from being swept was a walkoff 12th-inning home run by shortstop Wallace Clark. Tuesday’s bounce-back 8-4 win against a good UNC Wilmington team helped salvage something from a disappointing start.

10. Miami (3-1)

Even though the Hurricanes scored 10 or more runs in each of their 3 wins against Niagara last weekend, the highlight of the opening series was their pitching. Their staff allowed only 3 runs combined, highlighted by a 10-0, 1-hit shutout on Saturday in which Cincinnati transfer Griffin Hugus struck out 11 and walked only 1 in 6 innings. The pitching stayed strong even in Tuesday’s loss at Florida Atlantic, a 2-1 setback in which 7 Miami hurlers combined to strike out 12 while allowing only 2 runs on 7 hits.

9. Louisville (2-1)

The Cardinals missed the NCAA Tournament in each of the past 2 seasons. But they served notice that they’re ready to return to ACC contention by going 2-1 in 3 games against ranked opponents at the Shriner’s Children’s College Classic. In addition to beating Texas, they also put a 13-1 hurting on No. 12 Arizona while also dropping a 12-3 decision to No. 12 Oklahoma State. Louisville showed off a deep lineup in a competitive event, with 9 players driving in at least 1 run. Ace Patrick Forbes was dominant in an opening-day win by striking out 11 Longhorns in 5 innings of work.

8. Stanford (4-0)

The Cardinal took to the diamond for the first time as an ACC team, but their opening weekend opponent was a traditional one. This marks the fourth straight year and 12th time since 2000 that Stanford has begun the season playing Cal State Fullerton. Although it took a 4-run ninth-inning rally to finish it off, the Cardinal swept the 4-game series by scoring 42 runs on 55 hits. Sophomore lefty Christian Lim was the star on the mound, throwing 6 innings of no-hit ball in Game 2 on Saturday’s doubleheader. Freshman sensation Rintaro Sasaki had a successful debut by driving home a team-leading 8 runs in the 4 games.

7. Georgia Tech (4-0)

Drew Burress did what Drew Burress does by hitting a walk-off grand slam that keyed a 7-run ninth to beat Old Dominion in the season opener. But other than that, the Yellow Jackets’ bats have been quiet thus far. But because their pitching staff has posted a collective 2.75 earned run average, they’re still undefeated into this weekend’s 4-game series against Marshall.

6. NC State (3-1)

A 1-run weekday loss to a good Liberty team is nothing to be concerned about. And yet … with stud reliever Jacob Dudan coughing up a 3-run lead in the ninth and closer Derrick Smith out with an undisclosed injury maybe a little concern is warranted. There’s definitely no worries about the Wolfpack’s bats. Fueled by newcomers Justin DeCriscio, Chris McHugh and Brayden Fraasman, State has averaged 12 runs per game and are hitting .364 as a group through the first 4 games. We’ll get a better read on the Wolfpack this weekend in Jacksonville against Ohio State, Alabama and Coastal Carolina.

5. Wake Forest (4-1)

The Deacons put on an offensive show in their opening week bombardment of LIU and Marist. Their rebuilt lineup pounded out 63 runs on 56 hits with 8 homers and 19 doubles. It was an impressive display. But after getting shut out on just 2 hits by neighboring rival UNC Greensboro on Tuesday, you have to wonder if Wake’s bats are as potent as they looked over the weekend or if their stats were fattened up by weak competition.

4. Clemson (2-1)

The Tigers beat a pair of ranked opponents at the Shriner’s Children’s College Classic in Arlington, Tex., last weekend with a 1-run decision against Oklahoma State and a 16-5 rout of Arizona. Even though Erik Bakich’s team lost on Sunday to unranked Ole Miss, they still might have been higher in these rankings had they put up more of a fight. But getting run-ruled raises questions about their pitching depth.

3. Virginia (2-1)

Let’s not get carried away with the Cavaliers’ opening day loss to unranked Michigan. It was a 5-4 setback in 11 innings. One run either way and UVA would be undefeated and no one would think twice about it. What’s important is that Brian O’Connor’s team bounced right back to beat Villanova and Rice to close out the multi-team event in Puerto Rico. The Cavaliers were picked to win the ACC in the league’s preseason poll and nothing that happened last weekend has changed those expectations.

2. North Carolina (4-0)

The Tar Heels are off to an impressive start with a 3-game sweep of Texas Tech and a Tuesday win against another Big 12 opponent, Kansas State. Ace starter Jason DeCaro and bullpen workhouse Matthew Matthijs have picked up right where they left off a year ago and Liberty transfer Kane Kepley has been as good as advertised both at the plate (5-of–16, 6 runs, 3 stolen bases) and defensively in center field.

1. Florida State  (4-0)

The Seminoles lost a lot of firepower from last year’s College World Series team. But the opening week showed that they still have plenty left. Holdovers Alex Lodise and Drew Faurot are a combined 15-for-35 (.429) with 3 homers and 10 RBI in a sweep of James Madison and Tuesday’s win at South Florida. With ace Jamie Arnold looking unhittable in his debut and a bullpen that has allowed only 2 runs in 14.2 innings, coach Link Jarrett couldn’t have drawn up a better start.

Award-winning columnist Brett Friedlander has covered the ACC and college basketball since the 1980s.