After a couple of early season losses, the Virginia baseball team remains in the top five of the national polls, retaining its preseason No. 1 ranking in three of the five major polls entering ACC competition. UVa (9-2) opens conference play this weekend against Duke (7-5) in Durham, NC. The series will be carried by ESPN3.

Duke (2.39 ERA) and Virginia (2.27 ERA) both are among the top five teams in the ACC in pitching and the top four in hitting. The Hoos are batting .288 and Duke is at .278.

Entering the season, coach Brian O’Connor and his staff focused on two primary areas for improvement and clarity. First, the coaches wanted an improvement in overall team defense. Second, they sought clarity with the pitching roles for the season.

Great Pitching – What’s New?

The pitching roles have taken shape rather quickly but there could be adjustments down the road.

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