Duke Wins 2024 ACC Baseball Championship Title
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – No. 17 nationally ranked Duke won its second Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Championship title on Sunday afternoon, defeating No. 10 ranked Florida State 9-4 in the championship game of the 2024 ACC Baseball Championship game at Truist Field in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Blue Devils move to a perfect 8-0 all-time in ACC Baseball Championship games played in Charlotte, winning two ACC Championships in 2021 and 2024 – the only two in Duke history – along the way. The Blue Devils did not make the tournament held in Charlotte in 2022.
The total attendance for the 2024 championship was 71,118, which is the second-highest for the tournament in the 50-year history of the conference baseball championship.
Duke hit not one but two grand slams in the championship contest, the first time a team has done that in tournament history. The two blasts were the 26th and 27th grand slams in ACC Baseball Championship history and the Blue Devils’ third of the week.
The 64 combined home runs are the most in ACC Baseball Championship history, surpassing the previous mark of 54 set at Truist Field in 2022.
Blue Devils’ third baseman Ben Miller had a game-high six RBI, hitting a pair of home runs, including a grand slam in the top of the fourth inning. Tournament MVP Devin Obee was 2-for-4 with a grand slam, four RBI and two runs scored, while both AJ Gracia and Kyle Johnson had multiple hits and two RBI each in the win.
The Seminoles’ offense was led by two hits each from Cam Smith and Jaxson West. Smith was 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI, while Jaime Ferrer was 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI.
Picking up the win on the mound was left-handed pitcher Tim Noone (4-3), as he fired 2.0 scoreless innings, allowing three hits, walking two and striking out three more out of the bullpen.
No. 5-seeded Florida State opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning when third baseman Cam Smith launched a towering 371-foot home run into the upper deck in right field.
Duke responded quickly with five runs in the top of the second. After back-to-back singles from Logan Bravo and Chase Krewson, Devin Obee drew a walk before Wallace Clark was hit by a pitch, plating the first run of the frame.
After the Seminoles turned to the bullpen, designated hitter Kyle Johnson plated two more runs with a double to left field. Gracia then drove in two more runs with a two-out single to cap off the five-run frame and push the Blue Devils in front at 5-2 midway through the second inning.
Miller broke the game wide open in the Blue Devils’ favor in the fourth inning with a 401-foot grand slam to give Duke a 9-2 advantage.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Seminoles chipped away at the deficit with a pair of runs via the long ball. Ferrer hammered a slider over the wall in left-center field to cut the Duke lead to three at 7-4 midway through the contest.
However, the Blue Devils quickly squashed the Seminoles’ comeback attempt with another five-run frame in the top of the sixth, highlighted by a grand slam from Obee to push the lead to double digits at 14-4.
Duke added to its home run total for the game and season with a two-run shot over the left-field wall by Miller in the top of the seventh inning, his second long ball of the contest for the Blue Devils’ third baseman to put the score at 16-4.
The Blue Devils went to their top reliever all season long in Charlie Beilenson, who pitched around a lead-off single to get a 6-4-3 double play and then a ground ball out to second base to give Duke the win.
The NCAA Division I Baseball Selection Show will air on Monday, May 27, at noon ET on ESPN2 and ESPNU. The Regionals will occur from Friday, May 31, through Monday, June 3.
2024 ACC Baseball Championship All-Tournament Team
Catcher – Alex Stone, Duke
First Base – Nick Kurtz, Wake Forest
Second Base – Drew Faurot, Florida State
Third Base – Daniel Cuvet, Miami
Shortstop – Griff O’Ferrall, Virginia
Outfield – Devin Obee, Duke (MVP)
Outfield – Anthony Donofrio, North Carolina
Outfield – James Tibbs III, Florida State
DH – Marco Dinges, Florida State
Pitcher – Charlie Beilenson, Duke
Pitcher – Chase Burns, Wake Forest