April 17, 2014
Hokies and Blue Devils square off in key ACC series
Four conference weekends remain in battle for ACC postseason spots
123456789101112RHE
Duke (22-17) 000101000001360
Virginia Tech (18-18-1) 000010010000251
  • English Field - 946
123456789RHE
Duke (23-17) 10232400113172
Virginia Tech (18-19-1) 0000001203130
  • English Field - 1,925
123456789RHE
Duke (24-17) 010001000270
Virginia Tech (18-20-1) 000000000040
  • English Field - 951

PDF Game Notes

Follow live stats all weekend long on hokiesports.com and get game updates via twitter @VT_Baseball and instagram VTHokieball. All games this weekend can be heard on HokiesXtra - with video on Friday and Sunday - or on 101.7 FM.

The weekend series: Tech continues its 121st season of baseball by hosting the last of three straight ACC series at English Field. The Hokies welcome Duke to Blacksburg for an ACC series that has been difficult to predict since 2010. Tech is 5-1 in games played at Duke the past four seasons, but is just 2-4 in games at English Field, which includes getting swept by the Blue Devils the last time they were here. Duke has won the last four in Blacksburg and is 8-4 here in conference games.

Hokies playing at home: Because Mother Nature wreaked havoc on the Hokies’ baseball schedule through the first seven weeks of the season - Tech lost a total of five games - the team had to adjust and added four games to the April slate. As a result, starting with their ACC series at Virginia, the Hokies started a string of 20 straight games in the Commonwealth - with 14 at English Field - and includes three straight home ACC weekends. However, one (the Hokie-Smokey Classic game with Tennessee in Salem) was cancelled.

Only once before in the program’s history as a member of the conference have the Hokies played either three straight road or three straight home series - 2007. Tech hosted North Carolina, Virginia and Clemson in back-to-back-to-back weekends. The Hokies were looking to improve on that 2007 stretch as they went just 1-8 in the nine games. In the 2014 stretch, they are 2-4.

Zagunis’ career numbers climbing: Entering the weekend, junior Mark Zagunis has compiled 192 career hits, eight shy of becoming just the seventh Hokie to reach the 200-hit milestone as a junior. The last Tech player to reach the milestone before his senior year was Ronnie Shaban, who notched career hit No. 200 on May 19, 2011.

Also, entering the week, Zagunis ranked in the top four in the ACC in four career categories (among active players - min. 250 ABs). Those categories include second in batting average, third in both slugging percentage and stolen bases, and fourth in runs scored.

For updates on Virginia Tech baseball, follow the Hokies on Twitter

HokieSports Shop