Eagles Perched High In ACC Standings

By Jorge Bannister
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Is Boston College legit? That’s the question I cannot believe I am asking myself.

As of April 11, the Eagles are 22-11 overall and sit atop the Atlantic Division of the ACC with a 9-6 record.

Read the latter part of that sentence again.

Earlier this season, BC took 2 of 3 from Florida State in Tallahassee. Those weren’t one-run games, either. The Eagles pounded Seminole pitching to win the last two games of the series, 14-6 and 12-5, respectively.

St. John’s High product Garret Smith (pictured), a sophomore, has been a two-year starter for BC. The 6-foot, 207-pound shortstop went a combined 3 for 9 with two RBIs and two runs scored for the Eagles in the April 11 doubleheader against Wake Forest (a 23-2 and 4-2 BC sweep). Smith’s hitting .298 with a homer and 28 RBIs. He has also scored 24 times. Defensively, he’s just as solid with a .954 fielding percentage (he’s committed seven errors in 33 games).

JB MacDonald has been stellar in the starting rotation. He’s 4-3 with a 2.70 ERA. MacDonald has allowed just 21 runs – 17 of them earned – in 56-2/3 innings. He has 46 strikeouts to just 20 walks.

In Game 1 against Wake Forest on April 11, MacDonald threw a complete game, allowing two runs on just three hits. He struck out four and walked just one.

While it’s still early – conference tournaments don’t start until the end of May for Division 1 – the Eagles have proven that grit and determination can certainly lead to a team hanging tough with the elite of the conference.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens in the May 1-3 series against Miami (Fla.) when the Hurricanes come to Chestnut Hill. Right now, the Eagles are better on the road (14-6) than they are at home (5-3), however you can chalk that up to the fact that they play many of their early games down south due to the New England weather.

So, to answer my question: Yes. For now, anyway. There's still plenty of baseball to be played, but it's certainly fun to see a team up north sitting atop the standings of the ACC.