North Carolina Tar Heels break it down in left field before a baseball game. (Photo by David Jensen/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ACC Sends 7 Top 25 Teams To Tournament in Charlotte
Seven of the Nation’s top 25 teams in College Baseball will play in Charlotte this week in the ACC Tournament. The field also includes 15 top 100 MLB Draft prospects per MLB Pipeline. Wake Forest has three top 13 prospects in the MLB Pipeline rankings. Seven prospects are ranked inside the top 30 that will play in this tournament in Charlotte, N.C. Trusit Field.
Truist Park was established in 2014 and holds 10,200 people. It is home to the Chicago White Sox Triple-A affiliate, the Charlotte Knights. The star-studded games will take place from May 21 to 26.
Teams:
North Carolina- won the ACC with a 22-8 record in conference play and finished the season at No.7 in the Top 25 NCAA Division I Rankings.
Clemson went 20-10 and finished second in the ACC despite finishing the season as No.2 in the Top 25 NCAA Division I Rankings.
NC State was 18-11 and placed third. They are No.12 in the Top 25 NCAA Division I Rankings.
Virginia was 18-12 and secured the fourth spot. They finished the season at No.16 in the Top 25 NCAA Division I Rankings.
Florida State finished fifth with a 17-12 record and is No.10 in the Top 25 NCAA Division I Rankings.
Duke went 16-14 and finished sixth, and they are No.17 in the Top 25 NCAA Division I Rankings
Louisville was 16-14 and was seventh. They were not ranked in the regular season’s final Top 25 NCAA Division I Rankings.
Wake Forest went 15-15 and finished eighth. They are No.22 in the Top 25 NCAA Division I Rankings
Georgia Tech was 15-15 and got ninth.
Virginia Tech went 14-16 and finished 10th
Miami went 11-19 and finished 11th
Pittsburgh went 10-20 and got the last spot in the tournament.
Prospects
1B Nick Kurtz Wake Forest- Kurtz has 21 home runs, 52 RBI, and an OPS of 1.322 in 157 at-bats. He is second in the ACC in home runs and OPS. He will be among the top picks in the 2024 MLB Draft. The lefty Kurtz, 21, helps lead a well-balanced attack of hitting and pitching for Wake Forest.
RHP Chase Burns Wake Forest—Burns is fighting to be the top pitcher selected in the 2024 MLB Draft. Burns led Division I with 182 strikeouts in 95 innings. His ERA was 2.42, and hitters had a batting average of just .155 against him, which led the ACC. Burns, 21, can easily hit 100 MPH; his upper 80s slider is his second-best pitch.
3B/OF Seaver King Wake Forest- King, 21, has broken out in his first season at Wake Forest. He has 16 home runs, 63 RBI, 10 stolen bases, and an OPS of .944 in 232 at-bats. The righty has played 21 career games in center field and 136 in the infield, with 77 coming at third base.
3B Cam Smith Florida State – Smith, 21, is a righty with 23 home runs, 48 RBI, and an OPS of 1.153 in 220 at-bats. His slash line is .400/.484/.668.
OF James Tibbs Florida State- The lefty Tibbs led the ACC with 24 home runs, 78 RBI, and an OPS of 1.340 with 168 total bases in 200 at-bats
OF Vance Honeycutt North Carolina- Honeycutt is a well-rounded player with a rare combination of speed and power. The righty hit 22 home runs and stole 28 bases. He has 57 RBI with a slash line of .319/.418/.700 in 210 at-bats.
LHP Jonathan Santucci Duke- The lefty Santucci has thrown 56 innings, 86 strikeouts, and an ERA of 3.54. He tops out around 96 MPH; his slider is his second pitch, and the change-up is the third.
SS Griff O’Ferrall Virginia- O’Ferrall hit four home runs, 45 RBI, 15 stolen bases, and an OPS of .852 in 247 at-bats this season.
C Jacob Cozart NC State- Cozart is a lefty catcher who has power with 16 home runs, 45 RBI, and an OPS of 1.006 this season.
LHP Josh Hartle Wake Forest The lefty Hartle gives Wake Forest a different look after Burns. He had 75 strikeouts in 69 innings this year. He maxes out at 94 MPH; the cutter is his best secondary pitch.
LHP Tristan Smith Clemson- Smith is a left-handed pitcher who maxes out at 96 MPH. He mixes in a slider and changeup as his secondary pitches. He pitched 41 innings with 53 strikeouts and an ERA of 4.17 in the regular season.
C/1B Ethan Anderson Virginia has seven home runs, 36 RBI, five stolen bases, and an OPS of .943 in 216 at-bats this year. Anderson has caught 34 games in college and played 90 at first base.
RHP Michael Massey Wake Forest- Massey is the third pitcher for Wake Forest, making 10 starts this season. He pitched 32 innings, with 46 strikeouts, and an ERA of 4.22. His fastball is in the mid-90s. He also has a slider and changeup and added a curveball before the season.
RHP Gage Ziehl Miami- Ziehl led the ACC with 101 innings. His other numbers are 91 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.92.
3B Carson DeMartini Virginia Tech- Is a lefty that hit 20 home runs, 54 RBI, and an OPS of 1.077 in 194-at bats.
History
The ACC tournament was established in 1973. Clemson is the defending champion, beating Miami last year in Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Clemson has the most ACC tournament championships with 11. Georgia Tech has the second most championships with nine. North Carolina and Florida State are tied for third-most with eight championships each.
Format
The teams are split into four pools of three teams each. Every team plays at least two games and is eliminated if it loses twice. If the pool fails to produce a first-place team, the higher seed moves on. The four pool winners advance to a single-elimination semi-final. The first four days of the tournament, from May 21-24, are all pool play. The semi-finals take place on May 25, and the finals are played on May 26.
ACC Baseball Championship Schedule
All of the games will be broadcast on the ACC Network, and their availability will depend on your cable or streaming provider. Sunday’s championship game will air on ESPN 2.
