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ACC Baseball Tournament UVA Cheering Guide: Play-in Games

The ACC Baseball Tournament opens today and in all honesty, it doesn't mean a whole lot for the Hoos. They are almost definitely a lock for a national seed. They'll host a regional next week. Winning the ACC Tournament would be nice, but the goal is reaching Omaha and hopefully winning a national title.

By Paul Guttman
Derek Fisher leads the Hoos into the ACC Tournament.
Derek Fisher leads the Hoos into the ACC Tournament.
Kyle Laferriere-US PRESSWIRE

There are two games today in the opening round of the ACC Baseball Tournament. These are the "play-in" games. The winners of these games get into pool play, while the winners go home. The first game today is the 7/10 game, pitting UNC against NC State. That game is at 11AM. The winner of that game enters Pool B, which is the Hoos' pool. The second game today is the 8/9 game, with George Tech facing Wake Forest. The winner of that game enters Pool A.

Game 1: NC State vs UNC
Hoo Should We Root For: UNC

Why: NC State's season is over with a loss today. They have almost no chance at an at-large NCAA tournament bid right now. Winning today and getting 3 more games against NCAA tournament teams will help their resume quite a bit. But, they have chosen not to pitch their star pitcher (potential #1 overall pick Carlos Rodon) on 3 days rest. This is definitely the correct decision for Rodon's future. And it's probably the best decision for the team as well, as pitching on 3 days rest could make Rodon much less effective.

The problem, from the Hoos perspective, is that this puts Rodon on schedule to start Friday. Against the Hoos. We don't want that. So, we will root for UNC today. Also, UNC is almost definitely a lock for the NCAA tournament with a win today and more ACC teams in the tourney is a good thing.

Game 2: Georgia Tech vs Wake Forest
Hoo Should We Root For: Georgia Tech, although it hardly matters

Why: Georgia Tech is the better team, so it seems like we'd want Wake to win. However, the Hoos swept GT and lost their only weekend series of the season to Wake this past weekend. I think Virginia fans would just as soon not face Wake again this year. Wake needs to win the ACC Tournament to get into the NCAA Tournament, so a loss today would guarantee that the Hoos don't see them again. Georgia Tech, despite a poor season by their standards, is probably in the NCAA tournament regardless of what happens today. A win by the Jackets would almost surely make them a lock, and that is good for the ACC.

The Hoos do not actually play until Thursday (against Maryland), so check back tomorrow for a cheering guide for the three games tomorrow.

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