Postseason play has arrived for many of Duke’s spring sports, and the Blue Zone is here to preview the matchups. We’ve already looked at women’s and men’s tennis, men’s lacrosse and women’s golf. Next up is Duke softball, which begins ACC Championship play on Thursday:
Ups and downs have been the name of the game for Duke softball this season. The Blue Devils entered the season as one of the ACC’s top contenders and looked as though they would easily make their way back to the Women’s College World Series. An arduous nonconference schedule that included the likes of Florida, Nebraska and UCLA immediately tested head coach Marissa Young’s squad. Though it captured several notable wins over ranked foes, the team also dropped a number of games to unranked opponents. Still, despite the tumultuous nature of the season, the Blue Devils have managed to hit their stride with the ACC Championships in Brighton, Mass., right around the corner.
For Duke to repeat as conference champions, in an ACC full of powerhouses like Florida State, the group will need to rediscover what made it so successful in the first place: airtight defense and a batting lineup full of dangerous hitters. Throughout the season, Young’s group struggled with consistently producing offense and run support while its defense — led by junior Cassidy Curd and graduate student Dani Drogmuller in the circle — has performed well…