North Carolina State University Athletics
Haynes' World: ACC Baseball's Big Four
5/15/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 15, 2001
By Tony Haynes
Charlotte, N.C. - If you happen to live in North Carolina, the words "Big Four" are used to describe the four ACC schools that reside between the borders of Virginia and South Carolina. NC State, North Carolina, Duke and Wake Forest have been known as the "Big Four" for as long as many of us can remember.
The sport of basketball made it that way. When characters like Everett Case, Bones McKinney and Frank McGuire were roaming the sidelines, Tobacco Road seemed like a mythical place where colorful coaches, great players and memorable games helped to turn the ACC into one of the nation's best college conferences.
But on the baseball diamond this year, there's been a new "Big Four" in the ACC. As the league stages its annual baseball tournament this week in Charlotte, it's pretty clear that four schools have managed to separate themselves from the rest of the pack.
If anyone other than Florida State, Clemson, Wake Forest or Georgia Tech wins this week, you'll have yourself a scoop. It's really no accident that those four teams had winning conference marks while everyone else played sub-.500 baseball in the ACC.
In baseball, pitching is the answer. And in the ACC, the top four teams just happen to have the best pitching. Florida State, Clemson, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech are the only clubs in the league that have team earned run averages below five. The Seminoles, who ran away with the regular season title after posting a 20-4 conference mark, are pitching to an ERA of 3.27. The second place Tigers (17-7 ACC) also feature a team ERA below four (3.96).
But if offense just happens to be your cup of tea, then you won't be surprised to know that the ACC's four best hitting teams, in order, are Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Clemson and Florida State. The Yellow Jackets have been stinging the ball all season. Their team batting average of .349 is 5th best in the country. Tech has also scored a whopping total of 541 runs this season, an average of almost 10 runs per game.
It's also interesting to note that ACC baseball's "Big Four" aren't just one-year wonders either. Florida State won the title in 1997. Wake Forest posted went back-to-back in '98 and '99 before Georgia Tech prevailed last year.
Meanwhile, the parity that exists between the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th place teams in the league is astonishing. With its 10-13 conference mark, Duke had just one more win than North Carolina, Virginia and NC State. Maryland, which ranks dead last in pitching and hitting, finished up at 4-19.
Still, an upset or two in the early rounds of this week's tournament wouldn't be all that surprising. Even the bottom five teams feature at least one pitcher who is capable of going out and shutting a strong line-up down on a good day.
But this is a double elimination tournament with no days off. More than likely, pitching depth will probably be the decisive factor.
And that brings us right back to the "Big Four."
