ACC baseball races tight

• Miami (17-7) holds a two-game lead over Virginia Tech (14-8) in the Coastal race, while Louisville (14-7) leads Notre Dame (14-8) by a game in the Atlantic Division as the Atlantic Coast Conference baseball season enters the first full May weekend of the 2022 season. The Hurricanes and Hokies both step out of conference play this weekend while Notre Dame is in exam break, but Louisville – riding the momentum of Tuesday night’s 1-0 win at Vanderbilt – travels to Wake Forest for a key three-game series. Other ACC series action includes NC State welcoming rival North Carolina while Georgia Tech travels to Clemson, Pitt plays host to Duke, and Boston College is home versus Florida State.

• Miami is the first team to clinch a spot in the 12-team field for 2022 ACC Baseball Championship, which is set for May 24-29 at Truist Field in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Atlantic and Coastal Division champions will earn the tournament’s top two seeds. Tickets to the tournament can be purchased via CharlotteKnights.com or by calling the Knights Ticket Office at 704-274-8282.

• Virginia Tech, unranked at the outset of the 2022 season, is now the ACC’s highest-ranked team in four of the six major national polls, including a No. 3 national ranking from Perfect Game. Four ACC teams are ranked among the top 10 this week in both the USA Today Coaches and D1Baseball national polls, and a total of eight ACC teams are ranked by at least one publication.

• Florida State sophomore left-handed pitcher Parker Messick is the NCBWA Pitcher of the Month, finishing with a 2.30 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 31.1 innings pitched. He allowed just 23 hits and walked one batter over five appearances. Messick, who leads the country with 16 strikeouts, is the second Seminole named the NCBWA Pitcher of the Month this season. Bryce Hubbart was 2-0 without allowing a run in two starts in February. NC State freshman first baseman Tommy White was named the NCBWA’s February Hitter of the Month.

 • Duke senior outfielder RJ Schreck has been named one of 10 finalists for the 2022 Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior or graduate student and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. Schreck currently holds a .324 batting average, .414 on-base percentage and .556 slugging percentage with eight home runs and 28 RBI. Off the field, Schreck is a computer science major and is working towards minors in economics and cultural anthropology.

ACC By The Numbers

3 – Three ACC teams rank among the top five nationally for most all-time tournament appearances: No. 2 Florida State (58), No. 3 Miami (47), and No. 5 Clemson (44).

8 – The ACC’s eight teams in the 2021 NCAA Baseball Championship field were the second most of any conference. It marked the fifth time since 2010 that the ACC has placed at least eight teams in the NCAA tournament.

8 – Virginia Tech’s John Szefc became the eighth ACC head coach to surpass the 500-win mark when the Hokies defeated No. 2 Miami in mid-April.

15 – At least one ACC team has reached the College World Series in Omaha each of the last 15 years the event has been held, and multiple ACC teams have reached the CWS 10 times during that span.

15 – Last year marked the 15th time overall that the ACC has sent more than one team to the CWS, with all multiple-team appearances taking place since 1994.

28 – The ACC has placed a total of 28 teams in the past 15 College World Series, an average of just under two per season.

90 – Ninety ACC teams have earned NCAA bids in the last 12 tournament years.

98 – The 14 current ACC teams have a combined 98 College World Series appearances.

58,516 – Total attendance for last year’s ACC Baseball Championship at Truist Field, in Charlotte, N.C., which ranks as the fifth highest in the 47-year history of the event. Two games – NC State versus North Carolina on May 28 and Duke versus NC State in the title game on May 30 – attracted more than 7,100 fans.