MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — In terms of how they are built, there’s no question that the Duke Blue Devils are the outlier in this year’s Morgantown Regional.
For the other three teams in the field, pitching and small-ball are the name of the game. The Blue Devils, on the other hand, are more comfortable seeing a slugfest break out.
Duke has scored in double figures in each of its last three wins, and has crossed that threshold nine times this season. It’s also the only team with 300 RBI, and Duke’s .271 batting average is 10 points higher than anybody else.
They’ve needed the offense. The Blue Devils were supposed to be led by all-ACC arms Adam Laskey and Graeme Stinson, but both were lost to injuries early in the season.
“Candidly, we really shouldn’t be here,” said Duke coach Chris Pollard.
Princeton graduate transfer Ben Gross (6-4, 4.41 ERA) has been the unexpected life vest for the pitching staff, and will try to get Duke into the winner’s bracket when he starts against Texas A&M. Gross was drafted by the Astros in the 34th round of last year’s draft, but decided to continue his career at Duke instead of going pro.
“Without him, I know we wouldn’t be in this position,” said Duke associate head coach Josh Jordan.
Duke’s dynamic offense is led by center fielder Kennie Taylor, who has 18 doubles, six homers and five triples this year. Catcher Michael Rothenberg is swinging the most dangerous bat. In his last 21 games, Rothenberg is hitting .324 with six homers and 26 RBI. He has 10 homers and 49 RBI for the whole season.
“His performance over the second half is big part of how we turned things around,” Pollard said. “This time next year, he’s a potential first-round pick.”
If Duke hammers its way to a lead, the Blue Devils know they can hang on. Closer Thomas Girard has been nearly untouchable, converting all nine of his save opportunities with a 1.44 ERA in 43 2/3 innings.
TWITTER @bigahickey
