Blue Devils Set for Gamecock Invitational

DURHAM, N.C. – Improving to 8-1 on the season with a 4-1 start in ACC play, No. 16 Duke travels to Columbia, S.C., for the Gamecock Invitational, Feb. 27-28, at the Carolina Softball Stadium. Duke will face Seton Hall twice and play single games against Longwood and No. 18 South Carolina.

Live stats will be available for each game this weekend and Sunday's top 25 showdown will be available to watch on SEC Network Plus.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Feb. 27 – #16 Duke vs. Seton Hall, 10:30 a.m.
Feb. 27 – #16 Duke vs. Longwood, 1 p.m.
Feb. 28 – #16 Duke vs. Seton Hall, 9 a.m.
Feb. 28 – #16 Duke at #18 South Carolina, 12 p.m.; SECN+

INSIDE THE ALL-TIME SERIES
Duke vs. Seton Hall: 0-0
Longwood: 2-2
South Carolina: 0-3

TOP 25 MATCHUP
Duke is set for its second top 25 matchup of the season with No. 18 South Carolina on Sunday to close out its weekend at the Gamecock Invitational. The Blue Devils' first victory over a ranked opponent in 2021 came against No. 5 LSU, 8-4, in Baton Rouge, La.

NATIONAL RANKINGS
Head coach Marissa Young's team continues to climb the national rankings, improving in all four polls. Duke checked in at No. 16 in both the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll and ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll. The Blue Devils also moved to No. 21 in D1Softball and No. 23 in Softball America.

Duke is among three ACC teams featured in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll with No. 14 Virginia Tech and No. 15 Florida State. The Blue Devils sit atop the league standings with their 8-1 overall record and 4-1 mark in ACC play.

4-1 START IN LEAGUE PLAY
The Blue Devils won both series over the weekend, picking up victories over Pittsburgh and Notre Dame. Despite its first game being canceled due to weather, Duke defeated Pitt in run-rule fashion with a 9-0 win on Friday and 11-3 on Saturday – both in five innings. The Blue Devils dropped the opening contest versus the Irish, 5-3, but bounced back with two wins in Sunday's doubleheader to claim the series (3-1, 3-0).

DJ HEATING UP
Junior Deja Davis had a stellar weekend, both offensively and defensively. At the plate, the lefty went 9-for-15 with a .600 batting average and .933 slugging percentage. Of her three extra-base hits, she tallied two triples in Duke's first game against Notre Dame on Sunday.

Davis has registered at least one hit in 19 of her last 20 games. She leads the ACC in triples (3) and is tied for the most hits (14), runs scored (9) and total bases (25) while second in batting average (.519).

UP NEXT
Duke returns to action next week with two midweek contests, one home and one away. The Blue Devils travel to Charlotte on Wednesday, March 3 for a 6 p.m. matchup before hosting NC Central on Thursday, March 4 at 6 p.m., at the Duke Softball Stadium. Next Thursday's game will be Duke's first ACC Network game of the 2021 season.

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