Several ACC teams ready to turn tide

The 2010 season may be the ACC’s time to shine.

The conference has received much flack the past few seasons for its inability to win a national title. Meanwhile, Oregon State has won titles for the Pac-10, Texas has won a national title for the Big 12 in the last five seasons and LSU dazzled everyone with an impressive run in Omaha last season.

The ACC has been missing from the national title equation the past few seasons, but there are teams such as Virginia, North Carolina, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Miami ready for that to change next spring.

Virginia enters fall workouts with a loaded club that includes a productive offense and a consistent weekend rotation. Florida State is in similar shape with the return of an entire weekend rotation and several key offensive cogs.

Georgia Tech, Miami and North Carolina also could enter the discussion next spring if a few things go their way this fall.

It’s time to preview the ACC entering fall workouts.

Boston College

Biggest loss. C Tony Sanchez

What to watch. The Eagles took a huge step forward last season by reaching an NCAA regional. But with star catcher Tony Sanchez and others such as key pitchers Mike Belfiore and JB MacDonald departed, there are some holes to fill this fall. Mickey Wiswall needs to have a strong fall at the plate and it’s ace pitcher Pat Dean’s job to set the tone for the pitching staff. The Eagles’ bullpen and weekend rotation must establish consistency between now and the spring to make a return trip to a regional. BC took the first step by making a regional. Now it’s time to become a consistent contender.

Clemson

Biggest loss. 1B Ben Paulsen

What to watch. The Tigers finished last season with a .299 batting average and should be improved this fall. That still doesn’t take the sting off Paulsen’s departure. He batted .367 with 18 doubles, 13 homers and 61 RBIs last season. The Tigers also have some tough holes to fill on the mound with the departures of weekend starters Chris Dwyer and Trey Delk. Dwyer signed after his freshman campaign and finished last season with a 4.92 ERA in 86 innings. Delk had a 3.44 ERA in 49 2/3 innings. CU is confident about its offense with the return of Mike Freeman, Jeff Schaus, Kyle Parker and others, but the pitching staff has several questions to answer this fall. Clemson is in fantastic shape if the pitching staff comes through.

Duke

Biggest loss. 1B Nate Freiman

What to watch. The Blue Devils have some returnees at the plate, but offense still is the biggest question mark entering fall workouts. The Devils are without Nate Freiman, Matt Williams and Alex Hassan. Freiman hit .352 with 20 homers and 62 RBIs last season. Williams hit .345 with five homers and 47 RBIs and Hassan hit .342 with three homers and 30 RBIs. The Devils need a productive fall from Jeremy Gould, Will Piwnica-Worms and Jake Lemmerman. On the mound, ace pitcher Andrew Wolcott will be tough to replace, but they welcome back Chris Manno and Michael Ness. Manno had a 4.89 ERA in 73 2/3 innings last season. Ness made 22 appearances and had a 2.44 ERA in 44 1/3 innings. The pitching staff should be in good shape after fall workouts, but the offense has much work to accomplish.

Florida State

Biggest loss. SS Jason Stidham

What to watch. The Seminoles enter one of the more anticipated falls of the decade. Sure, they have the tough chore of replacing hard-hitting shortstop Jason Stidham, but most of the offense is back and the pitching staff is in good hands. Tyler Holt, Mike McGee and Stephen Cardullo spearhead a productive lineup. On the mound, weekend starters Sean Gilmartin, Mike McGee and Brian Busch hope to continue where they left off last season. FSU’s bullpen and defense needs to improve between now and ’10, but the rest of the team is in good shape. There’s no reason why FSU shouldn’t compete for the national title next spring.

Georgia Tech

Biggest loss. OF Luke Murton

What to watch. The Yellow Jackets enter fall workouts with high expectations for several reasons. They have the tough chore of replacing leading hitter Luke Murton, who finished last season hitting .354 with 20 homers and 63 RBIs. But several key offensive cogs are back this fall, including Tony Plagman, Jeff Rowland, Derek Dietrich and Matt Skole, who had an impressive freshman campaign last season. On the mound, the Jackets must replace Zach Von Tersch, but welcome back ace pitcher Deck McGuire, Brandon Cumpton and relievers Jake Davies, Andrew Robinson and Zach Brewster. With a strong fall, there’s no reason to believe the Jackets can’t make their return to Omaha.

Maryland

Biggest loss. 3B Mike Murphy

What to watch. After failing to make a positive impression the past few seasons, the Terrapins finally decided to make a coaching move during the offseason. Terry Rupp is out and hard-nosed Erik Bakich is now in charge. Bakich spent several seasons helping build Vanderbilt into a national name. Now he hopes to accomplish the same as head coach. The Terrapins have a pair of excellent hitters to replace in Mike Murphy and A.J. Casario, but welcome back leading hitter David Poutier, who finished last season hitting .321 with three homers and 29 RBIs. On the mound, the Terrapins welcome back ace pitcher Scott Swinson, who had a 5.54 ERA in 76 1/3 innings last season. They also return 10 other key arms. The Terrapins should show improvement on the mound this fall, but offense is the major question mark.

Miami (Fla.)

Biggest loss. P Kyle Bellamy

What to watch. Miami entered last season with a plethora of question marks, but still managed to make a regional and finish with a 38-22 record. There are some holes to fill this fall. For the good news, the pitching staff is in good shape even without stud reliever Kyle Bellamy. The Hurricanes will miss Bellamy’s 0.97 ERA in 46 1/3 innings last season, but welcome back weekend starters Chris Hernandez and David Gutierrez. The ‘Canes also are glad to have left-hander Eric Erickson back in the mix. He missed last season with an injury. Offensively, the ‘Canes have some questions to answer this fall. Yasmani Grandal, Scott Lawson and Harold Martinez are back, but replacing Chris Hermann, Jason Hagerty, Dave DiNatale and Ryan Jackson won’t be easy. UM is a national title contender if the offense comes through.

North Carolina

Biggest loss. 1B Dustin Ackley

What to watch. For the first time in several years the Tar Heels enter fall workouts with some important question marks. First, the Tar Heels have some huge holes to fill at the plate with the departures of Ackley, Kyle Seager and Mark Fleury. That means Ben Bunting, Levi Michael, Ryan Graepel and Mike Cavasinni must elevate their play this fall. On the mound, the Tar Heels are without weekend starters Alex White and Adam Warren, but welcome back reliever Colin Bates, weekend starter Matt Harvey and a host of other talented pitchers. Expect UNC’s pitching staff to be fine throughout the fall. The offense, though, could be another story.

N.C. State

Biggest loss. P Jimmy Gillheeney

What to watch. The Wolfpack made a statement two seasons ago by reaching the Athens Super Regional, but took a huge step back last season by failing to make an NCAA regional. The Wolfpack finished the ’09 campaign with a 25-31 record. Perhaps things will change beginning this fall, but N.C. State appears to have some issues. Leading hitter Andrew Ciencin is back this fall, but the offense must improve after compiling a dismal .266 batting average last season. The pitching staff also needs to improve. The staff finished ’09 with a 5.12 ERA and is without leading pitchers Kyle Rutter and Gillheeney. Rutter had a 3.35 ERA in 40 1/3 innings last season, and Gillheeney was 6-5 with a 3.86 ERA in 81 2/3 innings. N.C. State has much work to do at the plate and on the mound this fall. Can it find a way to rebound?

Virginia

Biggest loss. P Andrew Carraway

What to watch. There’s much to watch this fall and we mean that in a good way. The Cavaliers have the tough chore of replacing weekend starter Andrew Carraway and heavy contributor Robert Poutier, but otherwise are in great shape. The Cavaliers welcome back one of the nation’s premier offenses with the return of Jarrett Parker, Dan Grovatt, Tyler Cannon, Steven Proscia, Phil Gosselin and others. They also return an experienced rotation on the mound with Danny Hultzen and Robert Morey leading the way. Virginia has some talented arms to replace on the mound, but expect to be in good shape with reliever Tyler Wilson likely taking over for Carraway in the rotation. The Cavaliers have few concerns entering fall workouts.

Virginia Tech

Biggest loss. P Rhett Ballard

What to watch. The Hokies took a small step forward last season with a respectable record, but still enter fall workouts with much work to do. Justin Wright returns to the weekend rotation and needs to have a strong fall with the departure of Rhett Ballard this past summer. More important, though, the Tech bullpen must improve. The Hokies had a respectable weekend rotation last season, but still had an unimpressive 5.18 ERA. Offensively, the Hokies are in impressive shape. Leading hitters Steve Domecus and Austin Wates are back after each hitting over .396 last season. VT also welcomes back Mike Kaminski, Ronnie Shaban and Anthony Sosnoskie. Tech will have a solid offense but progressions on the mound will determine its fate in the spring.

Wake Forest

Biggest loss. OF Weldon Woodall

What to watch. Just a few seasons ago the Demon Deacons appeared to be one of the ACC’s rising programs. That wasn’t exactly the case. The Demon Deacons took a step back the past two seasons and Rick Rembielak lost his job for it. Former New Orleans coach Tom Walter now is in charge of turning the program around. He has a tough plate to deal with in his first fall. The Deacons must replace their leading hitter in Weldon Woodall. They welcome back key hitters Steven Brooks and Mike Murray. Brooks hit .313 with five homers and 30 RBIs last season and Murray hit .306 with six homers and 37 RBIs. There certainly are some important questions to answer at the plate, but the biggest question mark is a pitching staff that finished last season with a 7.30 ERA. Walter must work his magic this fall.