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ACC tournament outlook: Duke

The all-inclusive ACC tournament is coming to Durham.

After years of double-elimination and pool play, the ACC baseball tournament will feature every team in the league for a single-elimination tournament that starts Tuesday at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Duke will play its first game at 5 p.m. Wednesday, having earned the No. 7 seed and a bye to the second round of the event.

Duke will play either 15th-seeded Pittsburgh or 10th-seeded Louisville. Those teams are slated to play at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

- Duke swept Pitt about a month ago in a three-game series in Durham. Pitt is entering the ACC tournament having been swept by Clemson this weekend; the Panthers have lost five of their last six ACC games, losing two of three at Wake Forest last weekend.

- Duke did not play Louisville this season. The Cardinals went 15-15 in ACC play and lost two of three at home to Wake Forest this weekend.

If Duke wins its first game, it will play the tournament’s No. 2 seed, Florida State, at 3 p.m. Friday. The tournament’s semifinals being on Saturday and championship on Sunday remain the same as years past.

Duke didn’t play Florida State this season; it’s the only one of the top four finishers in the league standings the Blue Devils didn’t play (Georgia Tech, UNC and N.C. State being the others).

The Blue Devils have won two of the last four ACC tournaments, including last season’s triumph (the other coming in 2021).

“We’ll just go and compete to win an ACC championship, knowing that on the Monday when it’s over with, we’ll wake up and find out where we’re going with a chance to chase the road to Omaha,” coach Chris Pollard said after Saturday’s regular-season finale. “There’s a lot still to play for, there’s a lot of baseball in front of us, and I’m proud of the regular season that we had.”

Pollard also ruled out whatever chance Duke has of hosting a regional, even if the Blue Devils repeat as ACC champions.

“If it didn’t give us a host last year after what we did and where we were RPI wise, it’s hard to think that we would this year,” Pollard said. “That doesn’t mean we’re not going down there to win the ACC championship.

“In ’21 and ’24, those are two of the most incredible baseball experiences. … It’s in our hometown, it’s in a beautiful ballpark. So, we’re excited and grateful to be a part of it.”

Pollard said he had an idea of what Duke’s pitching plan will look like for Wednesday but declined to elaborate.

“I do have an idea for now but in fairness to letting him rest up and heal up, we’re going to wait until closer to Wednesday to make that decision,” he said.

Here’s a complete schedule for the ACC tournament at Durham Bulls Athletic Park:

Tuesday, May 20

Game 1 – No. 16 California vs. No. 9 Miami, 9 a.m.

Game 2 – No. 12 Virginia Tech vs. No. 13 Stanford, 1 p.m.

Game 3 – No. 15 Pitt vs. No. 10 Louisville, 5 p.m.

Game 4 – No. 14 Boston College vs. No. 11 Notre Dame, 9 p.m.

Wednesday, May 21

Game 5 – Game 1 winner vs. No. 8 Wake Forest, 9 a.m.

Game 6 – Game 2 winner vs. No. 5 Clemson, 1 p.m.

Game 7 – Game 3 winner vs. No. 7 Duke, 5 p.m.

Game 8 – Game 4 vs. No. 6 Virginia, 9 p.m.

Thursday, May 22