Quote:FSU baseball looks to stay undefeated in ACC
By Bryan Baker, FSView & Florida Flambeau
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(U-WIRE) TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- No. 8 Florida State had little difficulty disposing of Virginia Tech in three games to open Atlantic Coast Conference play and will look to continue its success in the conference when they travel to Durham, N.C., to play Duke this weekend.

Both teams are headed in opposite directions at the halfway point of the
season.

The Seminoles (24-4, 3-0 ACC) have dominated many of their opponents and are tied for first atop the conference with Georgia Tech. The Blue Devils (8-17, 0-6), however, sit in the cellar and are the only team that has not recorded a win in league play. After getting off to a 4-1 start, Duke has dropped 16 of its last 20 games.

FSU will look to extend its winning streak in Durham, but also has another streak on the line. Center fielder Shane Robinson entered Wednesday's game against Jacksonville one game shy of J.D. Drew's school record 34-game hit streak. If Robinson's streak survives Jacksonville, he'll look to set the record against Duke.

Freshman rightfielder Jack Rye has solidified the Seminole lineup, adding much needed power to the cleanup spot. Rye is batting .462 and has 4 runs and nine RBIs since moving to fourth in the lineup.

Florida State will also hope to continue its recent pitching success.  The Seminoles allowed just four runs against the Hokies and have a team earned run average of 2.77. Mark Sauls (3-0, 0.77 ERA), Michael Hyde (5-2, 3.64 ERA) and Barret Browning (2-0, 1.54 ERA) should each make a start against Duke.

The Blue Devils had some early season offensive success, but have hit a ceiling since entering the conference schedule. In six games against top ACC teams Georgia Tech and Miami, Duke has scored just 16 runs.

Shortstop Brett Bartles (.402 average) and second baseman Adam Murray (.342 average) have been the leaders of the offense. The duo has combined for 37 runs and 32 RBIs.

Blue Devil pitching has been problematic during the team's last 20
games.

Duke allowed at least 10 runs in five of six conference games and has seen its team ERA jump to 5.55. Poor starting pitching has been the cause, giving up early runs to make it difficult for the offense to get back in games. Danny Otero (3-4, 3.95 ERA), Greg Burke (4-3, 5.87 ERA) and David Torcise (1-4, 6.25 ERA) will make starts this weekend.

FSU Baseball this weekend

Friday: FSU @ Duke 3:00
Audio link:
<a href='http://media.yahoo.com/broadband/m/go/col/player?key=/fan/base/fan032505dau' target='_blank'>http://media.yahoo.com/broadband/m/go/col/...se/fan032505dau</a>
Saturday: FSU @ Duke 2:00
Audio link:
<a href='http://media.yahoo.com/broadband/m/go/col/player?key=/fan/base/fan032605dau' target='_blank'>http://media.yahoo.com/broadband/m/go/col/...se/fan032605dau</a>
Sunday: FSU @ Duke 1:00
Audio link:
<a href='http://media.yahoo.com/broadband/m/go/col/player?key=/fan/base/fan032705dau' target='_blank'>http://media.yahoo.com/broadband/m/go/col/...se/fan032705dau</a>