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The 5th Ranked Seminoles (14-7) are coming off a series versus the mighty Lamoyne Dolphins where they dropped the first game but ended taking the weekend series. While losing a game to a team as bad as Lemoyne looks bad on the surface it is a common occurrence in college baseball. Tuesday night was a 13 inning battle of attrition against the Jacksonville Dolphins where there were a total of 234 pitches thrown from the Noles staff, not ideal circumstances before you make the longest road trip of the season.
The Eagles (12-12) played at Virginia Tech last weekend and were swept while being outscored 22-10 in the series. BC is an improved team from 2009 and that was only the 2nd time all season they were swept with the first being at the hands of Virginia. Boston College bounced back on Tuesday to beat Northeastern 12-6. The Eagles are 7-2 at home this season but those were against lest formidable opponents while the ‘Noles are 7-2 on the road.
Inside a quick peek at the respective pitching and offensive matchups.
Pitching Preview:
Friday, May 7th – 1:30 PM - Chestnut Hill, MA - Radio: 1270 the Team/94.3 FM
As you can see this appears to be a pretty even matchup and what should be even more alarming is that FSU's ace has similar numbers to Boston College's ace. Still think this is a team that can make a run?
Saturday May 8th - 1:30 PM - Chestnut Hill, MA - Radio: 100.7 FM
In 2 ACC starts Brian Busch has been less than impressive, overall he has had a good year and as long as his pitch count is monitored closely he can be effective. BC's Pat Dean has been a solid number 2 for the Eagles walking virtually walking nobody and keeping the ball in the park.
Sunday May 9th - 1:00 PM - Chestnut Hill, MA - Radio: 100.7 FM
Scott Sitz's only start against Miami was not impressive and while the BC lineup is not as potent as the Hurricanes I still have my doubts that the freshman can go out there and pitch 4 or 5 quality innings.
It would appear that the Eagles best pitchers are in starting roles leaving their bullpen vulnerable, which happen to be just the opposite with the Noles. Getting to the BC starters early would be very advantageous.
Offense:
As a team Boston College is undisciplined, they strike out at a high rate without producing power or taking walks. The Eagles are also a terrible base running team with only a 65% stolen base success rate while the Noles are above average at 85%.
This isn't a Noles team that you can say with confidence will go sweep any team. Winning two games in Chestnut Hill would be a great accomplishment and put even more distance between them and 2nd place in the division.
Sorry for such a limited preview this week but like Tiffani Amber Thiessen I have been busy
Go Noles!