Florida State outslugs Duke to eliminate Blue Devils from ACC Tournament
Two-thirds of the Triangle’s major college baseball teams were out of contention for the ACC Championship after Duke’s lopsided loss Friday.
No. 2 seed Florida State ended the No. 7 seed Blue Devils’ tournament run with a 14-7 quarterfinal victory at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The Seminoles scored in the first two innings, but a crooked number in the third broke the game open.
Duke (37-19) gave up eight runs in the bottom of the frame, allowing the Seminoles to take an 11-2 lead. The Blue Devils entered the game as the ACC’s highest-scoring offense (8.5 runs per game), but couldn’t overcome the deficit.
It was the third-largest margin of defeat this season and worst loss since mid-March. In Duke’s ACC losses, it averaged a 4.2-run deficit, with six losses coming by one run. In its April and May losses, the Blue Devils averaged a 1.9-run difference.
“This baseball game was was a combination of two things, Florida State playing well, and us playing really poorly,” Duke head coach Chris Pollard said.
FSU (38-13) faced No. 3 North Carolina at 5 p.m. Saturday. Duke awaits its NCAA Tournament fate, which will be released Monday during the selection show.
Owen Proksch started on the mound for the Blue Devils and was responsible for six runs, eight hits and four strikeouts in 2.1 innings. He managed the first two innings well, despite giving up a trio of runs, before the wheels came off.
Proksch gave up four consecutive hits in the third without an out, allowing FSU to plate another two runs. He faced 16 total batters.
Right-handed reliever Gabe Nard entered the game for the lefty, but his outing wasn’t much better. Nard threw one-third of an inning and faced five Seminole hitters. He finished with five runs on four hits — three for extra bases — and a pair of free passes. His only out came via strikeout.
“In the first, Owen came out a little bit amped up,” Pollard said. “We missed some spots. We gave them some free offense, they had a soft contact single fall in, and they created momentum with it. That’s a really, really good offense. When you give them some momentum and they can kind of play downhill, they’re scary good.”
Florida State, however, deserves credit for taking advantage of its opportunities at the plate, knocking in hits at timely moments. The Seminoles finished with a .462 hitting percentage, going 5 of 6 (.833) with runners on third and fewer than two outs and 7 of 14 (.500) with runners in scoring position. Additionally, the Noles went 2 of 4 (.500) with the bases loaded.
FSU first baseman Myles Bailey led the offensive effort. He went 4 of 5 from the plate with three runs, four RBIs and two home runs.
“At times, we executed some pretty good pitches and pitcher advantage counts, where they took some off-time swings,” Pollard said, “but weren’t able to get enough of it.”
The Blue Devils added a pair of runs in the fourth and sixth innings, thanks to four hits and a passed ball. The deficit, however, was too large.
Noah Murray led Duke at the plate, recording a hit in both at-bats, both for extra bases. The sophomore drove in a team-high four runs.
Duke is expected to make the NCAA Tournament field but it will be on the road for regionals.
“We’re going to not just practice tomorrow, we’re going to scrimmage tomorrow,” Pollard said. “It will be spirited, and it will be with energy, and it will be with defensive execution … and some things that we didn’t do today that I’m pretty hot about.”
This story was originally published May 23, 2025 at 6:49 PM.
