NC State Baseball
Avent Earns 800th Win at NC State in Wolfpack’s 11-1 Rout
RALEIGH, N.C. – The 10th-ranked NC State baseball team earned its seventh consecutive win with an 11-1 victory against Bowling Green Friday afternoon at Doak Field at Dail Park, as head coach Elliott Avent recorded his 800th win at NC State.
Now in his 22nd season, Avent owns the seventh-most wins among active power five conference head coaches at their current school. He now has 1,024 career wins.
The Wolfpack opened the scoring in the game with three runs in the second and never looked back, tacking on runs in the fourth, fifth, sixth and eighth innings to tally the win. Senior Brian brown picked up the win on the mound and moves to 3-0 on the year, while Falcons starter Zac Carey was charged with the loss (1-1).
NC State moves to 9-1 on the season, while Bowling Green falls to 2-7.
Quick Hits
– After a scoreless first inning, NC State plated three runs in the bottom of the second to take a 3-0 lead.
– Evan Edwards led off the frame with his second homer of the season, a solo shot over the left field wall.
– Following a walk by Shane Shepard and a Brock Deatherage double to left field, Brad Debo drove in the second run of the game on a groundout to first base.
– Dillon Cooper hit an RBI single to right field to plate the final run of the frame, as Deatherage scored to make it 3-0.
– Deatherage smashed the Wolfpack’s second home run of the day in the fourth with a solo blast to center field. It was his fourth homer of 2018, as he has eclipsed his total from 2017 (3).
– Edwards left the yard for the second time on the day with a two-run blast to right field in the fifth inning, pushing the Pack’s advantage to 5-0.
– NC State extended the margin to 8-0 after a two-run homer from freshman Patrick Bailey. It was the switch-hitting catcher’s first home run from the left side of the plate, as his first homer of the year was from the right side.
– Bowling Green got a run back in the seventh after a double and an RBI single before the Wolfpack added three runs in the eighth to take a 10-run lead.
– Will Wilson lined a two-RBI double down the left field line and Deatherage drove in his second run of the day with a single up the middle.
On the Mound
– Brown threw five scoreless innings to get the win, striking out seven batters.
– Reid Johnston pitched the next two innings and allowed an earned run before handing the ball over to Connor Centala.
– Centala finished the contest and struck out a batter, while yielding two hits.
Inside the Box Score
– Deatherage turned in a 3-for-5 outing at the plate and was the only hitter in the contest with three hits. He tallied two RBI and scored a pair of runs with a homer.
– Edwards was 2-for-4 with three RBI, highlighted by a pair of home runs.
– NC State pitchers held Bowling Green to a 1-for-8 clip at the plate with runners in scoring position.
Game Notes
– NC State’s offense has scored at least nine runs in its last seven games, the first time the Wolfpack has accomplished the feat since 1997.
– The Wolfpack leads the ACC with 21 home runs, which is the third most in the NCAA.
– Josh McLain singled in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to 18 games dating back to 2017, as he is the only Pack player with a hit in all 10 games this season.
– Will Wilson walked in the sixth to stretch his reached base safely streak to 25 games from last season.
– Friday’s meeting was the first between the programs, as NC State leads the all-time series, 1-0.
Up Next
NC State returns to the diamond Saturday afternoon to take on the Campbell Camels at Doak Field. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m.
#21 NC State is coming off of a series victory over UNC this past weekend, and a loss to #7 ECU on the road last night. Where does NC State project to land in the 2024 NCAA Tournament?
The Wolfpack have already seen the Pirates twice this season, but according to D1Baseball and Baseball America, they might not be done playing ECU. Both of them project NC State to be a #2 seed in the Greenville Regional, with D1Baseball projecting the Pirates as the #6 seed and Baseball America projecting them as the #8 seed.
NC State has plenty of baseball left to play, with series against UVA (#14), FSU (#10) and Wake Forest (#8). If the Wolfpack can handle business in 2 of those 3 series, you could make an argument for NC State hosting their own regional.
D1Baseball
Baseball America
#21 NC State lost to #7 ECU 6-10 on the road this evening in a midweek game. As a result, the Pirates have won both games against the Wolfpack in 2024.
When you record 10 hits and score 6 runs, you would hope that’s enough offense to win a baseball game.
Unfortunately the Wolfpack pitching staff was unable to contain the bats of the Pirates, allowing ECU to put 15 hits and 10 runs in the Box Score.
Kudos to Senior 3rd Baseman Alec Makarewicz for making a STATEment in his return to Clark-LeClair Stadium. A-Mak transferred to NC State from ECU this offseason. This evening Makarewicz was 2-4 with 1 RBI, 2 Runs, and 1 Walk.
A-MAK 👏 ON 👏 THE 👏 ATTACK 👏#Pack9 | @Alec_mak99 pic.twitter.com/7Lps43hXow
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 23, 2024
A-Mak’s Home Run was a part of back-to-back-to-back Home Runs in the Top of the 3rd for the Wolfpack, with Sophomore Right Fielder Josh Hogue and Junior Catcher Jacob Cozart also hitting bombs.
Hogue Homer 💪#Pack9 | @JoshHogue5 pic.twitter.com/CMV3rCQu4B
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 23, 2024
‘Zart completes the trifecta 🤌 pic.twitter.com/gipiWvbcFb
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 23, 2024
NC State will look to flush this loss, and get ready for a 3-game series at home this weekend against Ball State.
Earlier this season on April 2nd, #21 NC State (22-15) lost to #7 ECU (31-8) 4-12 in Raleigh. This evening the Wolfpack will look to get revenge against the Pirates in a game in Greenville at 6pm.
Overall, NC State holds a 71-43 advantage over East Carolina in the series, which dates back to 1957.
Last year, the Wolfpack and the Pirates split their 2-game series, ironically, losing at home, and winning in Greenville.
Replicating last years results will be no small task. The Pirates are ranked 7th in the land, and boast a 3-1 record against ranked opponents this season. One of those wins was against NC State, when the Wolfpack was ranked 19th. The other two ranked wins were at UNC when they were ranked 15th.
NC State has done well against ranked opponents, going 7-4 against teams in the Top-25, and 4-2 against teams in the Top-10.
The Pirates’ pitching staff leads the AAC and is in the Top-10 nationally in ERA (3.61), WHIP (1.18), hits allowed per nine innings (6.99) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.04).
ECU’s home field advantage is a real thing, going 20-2 at home thus far this season.
Senior Carter Cunningham leads the Pirates in nearly every offensive category, batting .396 with 9 Home Runs. He’s not alone though. Five of ECU’s regular starters have batting averages over .300.
It will be a homecoming for Senior Wolfpack Third Baseman Alec Makarewicz, who transferred to NC State from ECU this offseason. A-Mak is having the best season of his career, hitting 15 Home Runs while batting .349. It would be fitting for Makarewicz to win at his old stomping grounds.
NC State’s Baseball team is solidly back in the Top-25 after winning a series over rival UNC this past weekend, winning 2 of 3 at home. Last week, the Wolfpack were ranked 22nd in the Baseball America poll, but in none of the others.
NC State will play a midweek game at East Carolina tomorrow night on the road, and the Pirates rank 7th in the D1Baseball and Coaches Poll.
