Friday's slate of games brought postseason urgency and star-level performances across the national landscape, as conference title races tightened and draft boards continued to shift. A pair of high-end lefties stole the spotlight on the mound—Justin Lamkin delivered a complete-game shutout with 15 strikeouts in a statement outing, while Kade Anderson continued his dominant spring with 6.2 strong innings and nine punchouts.

On the offensive side, Jared Jones erupted with a perfect night at the plate, launching two home runs, while breakout freshman Ace Reese kept his red-hot season alive with a four-run, three-hit showing. Not to be outdone, Easton Richter and Collin Jennings each went deep twice to help power critical wins in the Midwest.

With one regular-season weekend left, it’s clear the top arms and impact bats are heating up at just the right time.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Covered by Brian Switzer II “Switz”

Austin Hawke, 2B, Wake Forest - 4 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 1 RBI, 1 HR, 0 BB, 1 K

Matt Scannell, OF, Wake Forest - 5 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 3 RBI, 1 HR, 0 BB, 0 K

The Wake Forest offense came through once again, powering the Demon Deacons to a 5–4 win over Louisville on Friday afternoon and likely securing a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Much like Thursday’s game, Wake used the long ball to break things open, with familiar names continuing to stay hot at the plate.

For the second straight day, both Matt Scannell and Austin Hawke returned to the daily sheet with big swings. Scannell delivered the decisive blow in the seventh inning, a no-doubt, three-run homer to right field that flipped the game and ultimately gave Wake the series win. The graduate transfer has now homered in three straight games and became the fourth Demon Deacon to reach double digits in home runs this season.

Meanwhile, Austin Hawke kept his incredible hot streak alive with a solo shot in the second inning, his sixth home run in the last seven days. It’s been a remarkable surge for Hawke, who had just five career home runs in 82 games prior to this two-week power explosion. With the bats heating up and a series win in hand, Wake Forest is rounding into form at the perfect time.

AJ Gracia, OF, Duke - 4 AB, 2 R, 1 H, 1 RBI, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 K

AJ Gracia just keeps mashing. Since the calendar flipped to April, the sophomore slugger has caught fire and become the elite bat everyone expected heading into the season, a name firmly on the radar as a potential lottery pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. On Friday night, Gracia continued his tear at the plate, helping power Duke to a dominant 14–4 run-rule win over Georgia Tech.

He wasted no time making an impact, launching a solo home run to right field in the bottom of the first to tie the game at 1–1. It extended his hitting streak to 13 games and marked his fourth first-inning home run in his last six games, a remarkable run of early-game power.

Gracia later came around to score in the fifth after doubling and being driven in by a Miller double, part of a huge inning that saw Duke break things open. Moments later, Harris delivered a bases-clearing double to left-center to cap off the scoring. With the Blue Devils firing on all cylinders and Gracia anchoring the lineup, Duke looks poised to be a dangerous team down the stretch.

Sam Harris, 1B, Duke - 2 AB, 2 R, 2 H, 6 RBI, 1 HR, 2 BB, 0 K

As mentioned earlier, the Blue Devils' offense erupted in Friday’s matchup, and much of that firepower came from designated hitter Sam Harris, who had a career day at the plate and led Duke to a 14–4 rout over Georgia Tech. Harris set the tone early with a three-run homer to left-center in the first inning, giving Duke a 5–1 lead. He later delivered the knockout blow in the fifth with a bases-clearing double to left-center, capping off the scoring and extending the lead to 14–4. Harris finished the game 2-for-2 with two walks, six RBIs (a new career high), and his ninth home run of the season.