Image courtesy of JMU athletics communications

By Bennett Conlin (This content was originally published in our newsletter)

The series – JMU picked up one win in the three-game series against UNCW and ended the regular season with a 31-24 record and an 11-13 mark in CAA play. 

Up next – The CAA Tournament starts Wednesday. JMU, the sixth seed, faces William & Mary on Wednesday at 4 p.m. It’s a big game for the Dukes, who hope to make a deep run in front of the home crowd. 

Expectations – The Dukes are the worst seed in the tournament, but playing at home is a major advantage. JMU is a dark horse to win the double-elimination tournament, although Elon is definitely the CAA favorite. Beating the Phoenix in a double-elimination format will be challenging for the rest of the CAA. Expect the Dukes to play well and be competitive in every game, though. 

The tournament lasts a few days, so managing pitchers is a key to the event. JMU has plenty of talented arms, which immediately gives it an advantage over a few teams. Regardless of what happens, this should be a thrilling tournament.