September 2, 2008

Kendall Rogers
Rivals.com College Baseball Editor

When Florida State, Miami and North Carolina reached the College World Series last season, the ACC finally appeared poised to win a national title. The three teams, however, apparently didn't get the memo.

Though it's tough to criticize a conference for not winning a national title, the ACC just can't seem get over the hump.

Several teams hope to end the disturbing trend in 2009.

North Carolina enters fall workouts with the nation's most complete team, while Miami, Florida State, Georgia Tech and N.C. State are in position to compete for the conference crown in the spring.

We take an inside look at the ACC entering fall workouts.

There hasn't been much going Boston College's way the past two seasons. In his first season with the Eagles, coach Mikio Aoki guided his team to a conference record of 12-17. The Eagles actually faired worse in year two, finishing the '08 season with a conference record of 9-21. Though the Eagles enter fall workouts with hard-hitting catcher Tony Sanchez and others, they must also find a way to replace third baseman Eric Campbell, who finished last season hitting .306 with six homers and 41 RBIs. The Eagles hope to show some improvement this fall, but the team will only greatly improve once the BC administration decides to support the program.

For the first time in awhile, Clemson coach Jack Leggett had a campaign to forget. The Tigers entered the '08 season with high hopes, but were unable to establish consistency on the way to a conference record of 11-18 and a less than stellar overall record of 31-27. Among other things, the Tigers failed to punch their ticket to an NCAA Regional in '08. Hoping to turn the tide back their direction, the Tigers enter fall workouts with several key returnees at the plate, including Mike Freeman, Jeff Schaus, Ben Paulsen, Kyle Parker and Wilson Boyd, among others. The Tigers welcome back a productive crop of hitters, but must establish more on the mound this fall.

After three seasons in charge of Duke's baseball program, coach Sean McNally finally has the Blue Devils in position to perhaps make a run at an NCAA Regional berth. The Blue Devils finished the '08 season with an overall record of 37-18, but had a less than stellar conference record of 10-18. As with most teams, the Devils have much work to do. However, they welcome back several key players at the plate and on the mound. Alex Hassan, Nate Freiman, Jeremy Gould and Matt Williams return at the plate, while Chris Manno, Andrew Wolcott and Jonathan Foreman return to the mound. Can the Devils turn the corner this fall?

It's once again time for Florida State to reload this fall. The Seminoles must find a way to replace catcher Buster Posey and weekend starters Matt Fairel and Elih Villanueva. However, they welcome back several key cogs Stuart Tapley, Jason Stidham and weekend starter Geoff Parker. The Seminoles obviously have some holes to fill at the plate and on the mound, but history suggests they will be just fine this fall. If Parker and sophomore left-handed pitcher John Gast rise to the occasion during fall workouts, the Seminoles should enter the spring with high hopes. Though they have some questions to answer, the Seminoles will be a contender in '09.

After making yet another NCAA Regional appearance last season, Georgia Tech enters fall workouts high hopes. The Jackets must find a way to replace pitchers David Duncan and Eddie Burns, but welcome back pitchers Deck McGuire and Zach Von Tersch, among others. Georgia Tech's offense also enters fall workouts with high hopes. Rivals.com Freshman Player of the Year Derek Dietrich is back in the fold, while Luke Murton and Jason Haniger chose to return to college this fall. The Jackets also welcome back Jeff Rowland, who hit .335 with four homers last season. Barring a surprise, Tech will have a strong fall and an even better spring.

As with many ACC bottom dwellers, Maryland is having a tough time becoming a postseason contender. That probably won't change anytime soon. Though Maryland welcomes back pitcher Scott Swinson and others this fall, it also has several important holes to fill. The Terrapins are without key hitters Nick Jowers and Chad Durakis. Jowers finished the '08 season with a .315 batting average and five homers, while Durakis batted .311 with four homers and 40 RBIs. The Terps welcome back leading hitter Jensen Pupa and senior Will Greenberg, but must get more production from others in the lineup. It'll be interesting to see what type of team the Terrapins put together during fall workouts.

The Hurricanes enter fall workouts without Yonder Alonso, Jemile Weeks, Blake Tekotte and others, but remain confident in their ability to reload and build another national title contender in '09. Though the 'Canes have many gaping holes to fill, they welcome back an outstanding pitching staff led by Rivals.com Freshman Pitcher of the Year Chris Hernandez, junior starter Eric Erickson and reliever Kyle Bellamy. The offense certainly has some huge question marks, but Ryan Jackson, Yasmani Grandal and Jason Hagerty should only improve this fall. If the 'Canes get the offense going, they'll contend for the ACC crown and national title.

There's a good chance North Carolina enters the spring as the nation's most complete team. Sure, the Tar Heels must find a way to replace outfielder Tim Fedroff, catcher Tim Federowicz and outfielder Seth Williams. But they welcome back several key offensive cogs, including first baseman Dustin Ackley (who will not play this fall) and second baseman Kyle Seager, who each finished last season with high batting averages. Though the offense could use some assistance this fall, the pitching staff is in excellent shape with weekend starters Adam Warren, Alex White and Matt Harvey back in the fold. Barring a major surprise, the Tar Heels will regroup this fall and once again compete for the national title in '09.

The Wolfpack are primed to have a very competitive fall. After losing several important players to the MLB Draft this summer, the Wolfpack welcome 15 newcomers to Raleigh for fall workouts. While N.C. State's offense should be in good shape this fall despite some inexperience, the first order of business is a pitching staff that must replace weekend starters Eric Surkamp and Clayton Shunick and Eryk McConnell, who made 15 appearances last season and had a 4.85 ERA in 52 innings of work. If the Wolfpack can adequately replace Surkamp and Shunick in the weekend rotation, they should be in good shape entering the spring.

I'm very interested to see how Virginia's fall workouts progress. The Cavaliers have recruited very well throughout the past few seasons, but have been unable to make a huge statement on the national stage. With that goal in mind once gain this fall, the Cavaliers must first find a way to replace several important players, including Jacob Thompson, David Adams, Greg Miclat and Jeremy Farrell, among others. The Cavaliers welcome back several talented hitters, but must solidify the offense. The pitching staff is in somewhat better shape as Matt Packer, Andrew Carraway and Robert Poutier are back this fall. The time is now for Virginia to make a push.

No matter who Virginia Tech has returning this fall, the Hokies must first change the attitude of the program. The Hokies had a miserable '08 campaign to say the least. Tech finished the season with a conference record of 6-24 and an overall record of 23-32. What Virginia Tech has done the past two seasons has honestly surprised me. When coach Pete Hughes left Boston College for Blacksburg, I expected him to be an improvement. Hughes still has much gas left in the tank, but it's time for the Hokies to finally put together a formidable team this fall. Tech hit .293 as a team last season and had a dismal 5.76 team ERA. That must improve.

The Demon Deacons were one of the nation's most disappointing teams last season. Wake Forest entered its '08 season with high hopes, but it quickly turned to disappointment. With a very experienced team, the Demon Deacons managed to finish 13-16 in conference play. They also had a less than stellar overall record of 25-31. The Demon Deacons return a few key players this fall, but must replace hard-hitting infielder Allan Dykstra, who hit .323 with 16 homers and 50 RBIs last season. After ending the '08 season with a .277 team batting average and a team ERA of 7.46, Wake Forest has only one direction to go this fall.

Kendall Rogers is the college baseball editor for Rivals.com. He can be reached at rogersk@yahoo-inc.com.