It was a banner year for the ACC in 2024 and it’s time to release the final report cards for the ACC Coastal. Micah wrote up the Atlantic final grades, which can be read by clicking here.
For the second consecutive year, the Coastal Division had all seven teams make the ACC Tournament in Charlotte. Georgia Tech returned to the NCAA Tournament after a one year hiatus, while North Carolina and Virginia made Omaha runs.
Duke: B+
After falling just short of an Omaha trip in 2023, the Duke Blue Devils entered 2024 with heightened expectations. Led by a deep pitching staff anchored by rotation ace Jonathan Santucci, Duke seemed destined for their first College World Series visit since 1961. The Blue Devils were able to capture an ACC Tournament Championship, but unfortunately the bats went cold in the Regionals.
Duke’s offense was the big surprise as a reloaded infield led by transfers Ben Miller, Zac Morris, and Logan Bravo exploded for career seasons. The Blue Devils were Top 5 in the ACC in runs, average, doubles, homers, and OBP. The pitching staff, despite various injuries to all three weekend starters at different points of the season, finished second in the ACC in ERA. Despite the struggles of Owen Proksch, James Tallon, and Fran Oschell in the bullpen, Charlie Beilenson emerged as one of the nation’s best while Gabe Nard also shined in an expanded role.
While Duke ultimately fell short of expectations in 2024 with a loss in the Regionals, they did capture a magical ACC Tournament Championship and never fell out of the Top 20 in any Top 25 poll over the season. For that, they deserve a B+.
Georgia Tech: B
Not many people expected Georgia Tech to be an NCAA Tournament team in 2024. The offense, which was a mix of unproven freshmen and veteran transfers, was expected to be decent. But the question mark, as has been the case for almost a decade now, was whether Georgia Tech had the pitching.
About halfway through the year, Georgia Tech found its three best starters in Aeden Finateri, Cam Jones, and Tate McKee. That trio helped solidify a staff that desperately needed consistency. Their overall numbers aren’t impressive, but they kept the Yellow Jackets in games. Michael Kovala, Dawson Brown, and Riley Stanford emerged in the second half as reliable arms out of the bullpen.
The offense was led by National Freshman of the Year Drew Burress and his 25 home runs. Trey Yunger and Cam Jones were the table setters with each hitting over .300 and combining for 42 stolen bases on the year. It wasn’t the uber-slugging Georgia Tech of the last few years, but it was a pretty good lineup in all areas.
Miami: C+
It was a rough season for JD Arteaga in his first year as the Head Coach in Coral Gables as Miami finished with their first losing record since 1957 when they went 11-12 under Jimmie Foxx. A C+ grade is far too generous but seeing their entire weekend rotation get drafted in the top four rounds of the MLB Draft and their ACC Tournament performance may have swayed the grade in their favor.
The Hurricanes’ weekend rotation was clearly their strength, as Gage Ziehl, Rafe Schlesinger, and Herick Hernandez each made every weekend start of the year. Unfortunately for Miami, the rest of the pitching staff was not great, resulting in blown leads and midweek losses. The Canes went 6-6 in midweek games and their offense struggled at times. Daniel Cuvet, Dorian Gonzalez Jr, and Jason Torres were the anchors of the lineup as Miami tried to score enough runs to provide cushion for a subpar bullpen.
North Carolina: A
North Carolina had a season to remember as they returned to Omaha for the first time since 2018. The Tar Heels, despite losing two Friday starters over the course of the season, had the conference's best pitching staff. Jason DeCaro and Shea Sprague consistently shined as weekend starters while the bullpen trio of Dalton Pence, Kyle Percival, and Matthew Matthijs dominated at the back end.
Offensively, star Vance Honeycutt bounced back from his sophomore slump with the second 25/25 year of his career, hitting 28 home runs while stealing 28 bags. Teammates Casey Cook and Parks Harber each hit over .340 with 18+ home runs while freshmen Gavin Gallaher and Luke Stevenson emerged as future stars. The ‘Heels were Top 5 in the ACC in both home runs and stolen bases. They were a team that could beat you in a variety of ways and were arguably the most complete team in the conference in all phases of the game.
Pittsburgh: C
Pittsburgh probably deserves a slightly better grade. Once again predicted to finish last in the conference, the Panthers once again defied expectations to make the ACC Tournament. They got off to an impressive 8-1 start that included run rule victories over Oklahoma and Cal in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, once conference play started, they struggled a bit. But “Grittsburgh”, even at 6-18 in ACC play, never stopped fighting as they shocked the world with a series win over then #8 Florida State and at Miami to sneak into the conference tournament.
The weekend rotation, while bumpy at times, consisted of Ryan Andrade, Jack Sokol, and Ryan Reed for the entire season. Andrade and Sokol in particular had some shining moments. The bullpen was led by Ethan Firoved and CBC All Star Phil Fox. The offense struggled to score runs at times, but Luke Cantwell has a chance to be a big star. Sophomore Jake Kendro and freshman Ryan Zuckerman were also impressive.
Virginia: A-
Despite losing their entire postseason rotation and their 2-4 hitters in the lineup, Virginia returned to Omaha for the third time in four years in 2024. And surprisingly, they did it on the back of the pitching staff, which had been up and down all year until the postseason. Evan Blanco turned into the ace of the staff, while Joe Savino returned from injury to bolster the rotation with a veteran presence. But it was Jay Woolfolk who starred in the postseason with back-to-back quality outings to send Virginia back to Omaha. In the bullpen, Angelo Tonas and Chase Hungate anchored the backend, while freshman Matt Augustin emerged as a potential future closer.
The 2024 offense was somehow even better than the 2023 version as Virginia led the ACC in batting average, doubles, slugging, and OBP. They were second only to FSU in runs and were third in homers. The ‘Hoos were ranked Top 5 nationally in all of the aforementioned categories but home runs where they finished 11th. Eight of their nine starters hit over .300 and their two bench pieces hit over .285.
Virginia Tech: B-
Virginia Tech’s season was a difficult one to grade. They took advantage of a favorable conference schedule early in the season and surged into the Top 25 polls after starting ACC play 10-2. Despite a decent offense, the Hokies just couldn’t win an ACC series down the stretch and ultimately missed the NCAA Tournament. The final six weeks of the season saw them avoid sweep after sweep before finally capitulating to in-state rival Virginia on the last weekend of the regular season.
Despite that collapse, the Hokies had a lot of bright spots over the season. Led by D-III transfer and ACC batting champion Ben Watson, Virginia Tech was 3rd in the ACC with a .312 average. Slugger Carson DeMartini slugged 21 home runs while catchers Henry Cooke and Gehrig Ebel had breakout campaigns. Despite how well their offense played, you have to wonder what difference the bat of Garrett Michel, who was injured in early March, could’ve had on the outcome of their season.
The emergence of freshman ace Brett Renfrow reminded many of Christian Hackenberg from 2022 as he led an improved pitching staff. Brady Kirtner and Jordan Little provided consistency out of the bullpen that Tech hadn’t seen in two years.
The 2024 ACC season was incredible to cover. THANK YOU to the fans, teams, and SIDs for all their support this season
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