Damon Lux is enjoying the down time in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, less than 24 hours before the first pitch of the NCAA Conway Regional.
Lux, a 2018 Shelbyville High School graduate, is a starting outfielder for Duke, the No. 2 seed at the four-team regional being played in Conway – just northwest of the South Carolina tourist destination.
The Blue Devils (35-21) take on the No. 3 seed, the University of North Carolina Wilmington (34-21) at 1 p.m. Friday. At 7 p.m., No. 1 seed and host Coastal Carolina (39-19) takes on Rider (35-19).
The double-elimination regional continues through the weekend with the championship game slated for 6 p.m. Sunday. The “if necessary” game would be Monday.
The winner of the Conway Regional advances to the best-of-three Super Regional round to face the winner of the Charlottesville Regional, which includes Virginia, East Carolina, Oklahoma and Army.
The College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, follows from June 15-26.
Duke was playing like a World Series contender in late April and early May. A 4-3 win over Rider on May 10 pushed the Blue Devils’ record to 33-14 and they were ranked as high as No. 10 nationally.
However, Duke lost two of three in its final two Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) series with Georgia Tech and No. 11 Miami and went 0-2 in the ACC Championship tournament.
“We had a hot streak there in April,” said Lux Thursday afternoon. “We were feeling good … playing good baseball. Then we finished up school and we got a little off offensively and our pitching gave up some hits and runs. It’s not that we’re playing bad baseball now, we’re just not playing as good as we were.”
Duke and UNC Wilmington did not face each other this season. Lux expects to get deeper into the scouting report on the Seahawks, the reigning Colonial Athletic Association regular-season and tournament champion, later today and Friday morning.
“For them to get to this point, we are not taking them lightly,” he said.
Coastal Carolina earned the No. 10 national seed in the NCAA tournament and the right to host the regional. Lux sees the Conway Regional as an open battle between four hard-nosed squads.
“This regional has a whole lot of gritty baseball teams that won’t go down without a fight,” he said.
With each win, Lux extends his playing career, which will come to an end after this season, another day.
“This will be it,” said the fifth-year senior who has a bachelor’s degree and one-year Master’s degree in his back pocket. “I don’t have the desire to go and play at the next level. I’m satisfied with what I’ve done to this point.”
And he has no regrets about choosing Duke University.
“They always say it’s the best of both worlds because of the sports and the academics,” said Lux. “They are exactly right. It’s a great education and the sports teams are top notch.”
Lux will pursue a career in financial management when his playing days are over.
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