Four Biggest Storylines from the 2026 ACC Tournament So Far

The first two rounds of the 2026 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Tournament are complete at Truist Field in Charlotte, N.C. The quarterfinal round is set to begin on Thursday, May 21. Before that, World Baseball Network takes a look at the five biggest storylines from the first eight games of the tournament.

1. Pittsburgh makes a run to the ACC Quarterfinal, Trey Fenderson’s huge tournament

The Pittsburgh Panthers had to fight their way from the first round in the 2026 ACC Tournament. An 11-19 record in ACC play had them placed as the 14th seed in the ACC Tournament out of 16 total teams.

However, despite being one of the bottom three teams in the conference this season, the Panthers have stormed through the first two games of the ACC Tournament.

On Tuesday, May 19, Pitt defeated Louisville in convincing fashion, 16-8. The Panthers were led by Trey Fenderson, who had two home runs in the game. One of his home runs was a grand slam in the fourth inning that gave Pitt a 11-5 lead. This win pushed Pitt on to the second round.

In the second round, the Panthers faced off against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, who had a second-round bye as the tournament’s sixth seed. Pitt won that game as well by a score of 7-4.

Heading into the game’s fifth inning, the Panthers were tied with the Demon Deacons at 3-3. However, Pitt scored four runs in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings to take a commanding 7-3 lead. Wake Forest added a run late, but the Panthers held on for the win.

Fenderson was huge again for Pitt with a two-hit game. He had an RBI double in the sixth inning.

Pittsburgh now faces off against Florida State in the ACC quarterfinals on Friday, May 22. The first pitch of the game is at 7 p.m. ET.

2. Miami shows excellent pitching in its second-round game against Stanford

The Miami Hurricanes had a second-round bye as the conference’s fifth seed. Their first game of the ACC Tournament was on Wednesday, May 20, against the Stanford Cardinal.

Big-time pitching was the story for the Hurricanes in an 11-2 win. Rob Evans started on the mound for Miami and delivered a brilliant seven-inning start. He had six strikeouts and allowed just two runs. Evans’ record for the season moved to 10-3 after the game. He was also named second-team All-ACC.

Jake Dorn and Packy Bradley-Coony closed out the remaining two innings for Miami after Evans exited the game. Dorn had three strikeouts and allowed no runs in 1 1/3 innings of work. Bradley-Coony recorded the final two outs of the game and faced only two hitters.

Miami’s pitching set the tone for a four-seed versus five-seed matchup against the Boston College Eagles. That game is on Thursday, May 21, at 3 p.m. ET.

3. Virginia Tech scores 17 runs against Notre Dame in the second round

The Virginia Tech Hokies had a huge start offensively in the ACC Tournament. The Hokies had a second-round bye and defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 17-10 in their first game of the event.

The 17 runs in the game for the Hokies came on 19 total hits. Eight Virginia Tech players had multi-hit games. Hudson Lutterman and Owen Petrich led the Hokies with three hits apiece. The two players combined for six RBIs, and both of them also recorded a double.

Other Virginia Tech hitters who stood out include Nick Locurto and Ethan Ball. Locurto had two doubles in the game, and Ball had two home runs for the Hokies. Ball finished with three RBIs in what was a big ACC Tournament game for the ACC All-Freshman nominee.

Virginia Tech will face off against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the quarterfinal round on Friday, May 22. That game is at 3 p.m. ET.

4. Duke scores 21 runs in the first game of the ACC Tournament

Virginia Tech was the first team of the tournament to score a frenzy of runs. The Duke Blue Devils scored a load of runs in the very first game of the ACC Tournament against the N.C. State Wolfpack.

In a 21-12 win, the Blue Devils had 20 hits as a team. The 21 runs Duke scored set a program record for the most runs in an ACC Tournament game.

Duke shortstop Jake Lambdin had four hits in the game and six RBIs.

Three other Duke hitters had three-hit games. One of those players was Kaden Smith, who hit two home runs and had eight RBIs. One of Smith’s home runs was a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning. This home run by Smith turned a 4-4 tied game into an 8-4 lead for the Blue Devils.

The Blue Devils gave the ACC Tournament a wild start. They were the last-place team in the ACC this season with a 10-20 conference record, which made them the 16th seed.

After their win over N.C. State, Duke lost 6-4 in the ACC Tournament’s second round against the Virginia Cavaliers. This loss ended thier season.

Up next in the ACC Tournament

The ACC Tournament’s quarterfinal round begins on Thursday, May 21, at Truist Field in Charlotte, N.C. The first game of the round is between the ACC regular season champion Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and the Virginia Cavaliers.

The first pitch for that game was pushed up to 11 a.m. ET due to inclement weather.

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PHOTO: Pittsburgh infielder Trey Fenderson (1) fields the ball during an NCAA baseball game against Santa Clara on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Lachlan Cunningham)