NC State Baseball GAME NOTES Heading Into Seton Hall

Recapping 2017

NC State is coming off a strong 2017 campaign in which the squad advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in the past eight seasons. The Wolfpack concluded the year with a 36-25 overall record, falling in the Lexington (Ky.) NCAA Regional Final to host Kentucky.

It was the Wolfpack’s 29th NCAA appearance and 16th under head coach Elliott Avent.

Wolfpack in Season Openers Under Avent

NC State owns a 14-7 record in season openers with Avent at the helm. Last season, the Pack opened the year with a 4-0 victory against Hawai’i in Honolulu. It was the first time the Wolfpack has earned a shutout in the season opener since 1973.

Approaching Milestones

Now in his 22nd season, Avent enters the 2018 campaign with 791 wins with the Wolfpack and would reach 800 with the squad’s ninth victory this year. Avent is the winningest coach in program history.

Additionally, Avent is now the longest tenured coach in program history as legendary head coaches Vic Sorrell and Sam Esposito each led the Pack for 21 seasons.

Last season, Avent became one of just 15 active head coaches in the NCAA to surpass 1,000 career wins when he accomplished the feat in April. He now owns 1,015 career victories heading into the 2018 season.

Brown Making His Mark on the Record Books

Senior left-handed pitcher Brian Brown has made 45 career starts on the mound, which is the second most among active players in the NCAA and most in the ACC. Only Louisiana’s Gunner Leger has started more career games (49).

Brown is currently tied for the fourth-most career starts in program history, behind all-time leader Terry Harvey (60), Carlos Rodon (49) and Brad Rhodes (48).

Streaks Heading Into 2018

Senior Josh McLain concluded the 2017 season strong and heads into 2018 on an eight-game hitting streak, while Brad Debo and Brett Kinneman each own four-game streaks.

Will Wilson has the longest reached base safely streak on the Wolfpack, as he reached safely in NC State’s final 16 games to possess that streak heading into the season.

Shutting It Down

Last season, NC State logged a perfect 34-0 record when leading after the seventh inning. That statistic increased to 35-0 when leading after eight innings of play.

The More, The Merrier

The Pack was undefeated in 2017 when tallying more hits than its opponent, recording a 29-0 mark.