Friday Could Set The Stage For A Huge BC Weekend
If you're a fan of winning, it's hard not to get wrapped up in how special this weekend could be for two of the Boston College spring teams.
In the midst of arguably its best season in program history, 'Birdball' has a chance to clinch a spot in the ACC semifinal on Saturday if it can beat Clemson on Friday morning. Hours later about a half hour away in North Carolina, the women's lax team will take on Syracuse in the second of two NCAA Final Four semifinals. It's the sixth straight appearance for the Eagles in the Final Four, and if both teams can win on Friday and baseball wins its semifinal on Saturday, both teams would be playing for championships at noon on Sunday.
For the baseball team, not only can the Clemson win put BC two wins from an ACC title, but it would only add to an already impressive resumé when it comes to hosting a regional. The Eagles enter the matchup with the Tigers at 35-17 and if nothing else, have shown those making the big decisions that this is one of the most entertaining teams in the country with a loaded lineup.
Just a few weeks ago, BC took on Clemson at home for a three-game set April 28-29. On the 28th, the Eagles spit a double header, dropping a typical BC slugfest 9-7 before taking Game Two 3-1. In that win, John West had quite a performance on the bump, going six innings. He gave up one run on just two hits while striking out one. Offensively, an RBI single for Pat Roche, a sac fly from Sam McNulty and a Joe Vetrano solo shot was all BC needed. Joey Ryan locked things down with three hitless innings of relief with four strikeouts.
Both of these lineups can rake with anyone in the country and Clemson - the third seed in the ACC tournament - is widely considered a national championship contender. Right now, the Tigers are ranked sixth nationally while BC is 21st. If the Eagles are going to win this one and play a semifinal on Saturday, it'll need the same type of clutch hitting performance it got against VT on Tuesday and the staff will have to limit the damage as best it can.
As for the women's lacrosse team, this matchup with Syracuse is truly a toss up. Both head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein and Orange head coach Kayla Treanor know each other well from Treanor's time here as an assistant. Treanor was here when BC won its only national title in 2021 and is also one of the most well-respected players in the history of the game.
In the only other meeting this season, BC handed Syracuse its only loss in the regular season finale on the road. That win not only locked up a co-ACC regular season title for BC, but gave the Eagles the one seed and an eventual path to its first ever conference title and just the second in school history.
It was also an amazing display of mental toughness for the Eagles that night as well. BC was down five goals on five different occasions and rallied back to win 17-16. All the major players for BC - McKenna Davis, Belle Smith, the Cassidy sisters, Jenn Medjid, Kayla Martello and Shea Dolce - all played a huge part in the first game and will unquestionably, the Eagles will need the stars to continue shining brightly.
The old adage of defense wins championships may end up ringing true with this team. It'll be somewhat stunning if Syracuse is able to put up 16 goals on this team again. Look for. much lower-scoring game as BC ramps up its defensive pressure and slows things down on offense. If everything goes according to plan, the sweet spot for BC will be about 10 goals while keeping Cuse to around seven. If they can do that, they'll be championship-bound once again.
If BC baseball wins on Friday, you'll see them in the crowd at the BC women's lax game later that night. It's truly a special time to be a fan or supporter of these programs and if all goes well on Friday, Boston College could be in store for a big, possibly historic weekend.