PREVIEW: #10 NC State to Host BC in ACC Opener

BOSTON COLLEGE – NC STATE WEEKEND SERIES
Dates: Friday – Sunday, March 9-11
Location: Raleigh, N.C.
Site: Doak Field at Dail Park
Times: 3 p.m. (Fri.) | Double header on Saturday starting at 1 P.M.
Radio: WKNC 88.1 FM
Live Video: ACC Network Extra
Live Stats: SideArm Stats
Tickets

STARTING PITCHERS
Friday: RHP Jacob Stevens (BC) vs. LHP Brian Brown (NCSU)
Saturday: LHP Dan Metzdorf (BC) vs. RHP Johnny Piedmonte (NCSU)
Sunday: RHP Brian Rapp (BC) vs. TBA (NCSU)

*Head Coach Elliott Avent will be recognized prior to Friday’s game for earning his 800th win at NC State last Friday in the Wolfpack’s 11-1 win against Bowling Green.*

RALEIGH, N.C. – The 10th-ranked NC State baseball team will open Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play with an 11-2 record, as the Boston College Eagles head to Raleigh this weekend.

Friday’s game is slated for 3 p.m., Saturday is set to begin at 2 p.m. and Sunday’s first pitch is 1 p.m. at Doak Field at Dail Park.

All three games will be broadcast live on the ACC Network Extra, accessible through Watch ESPN and the Watch ESPN App. Radio coverage is also available for each game on WKNC 88.1 FM and on GoPack.com for premium subscribers.

Tickets are still available and can be purchased by visiting GoPack.com/Pack9Tickets.

Last Time Out
In its last outing, NC State earned a 4-1 win at Campbell in its first road trip of the season. Six different pitchers saw action in the contest for the Wolfpack and they did not allow an earned run.

The Series
NC State and Boston College have met 37 times in the history of the programs with the Wolfpack owning a 23-14 advantage in the all-time series.

Last Time Versus Boston College
The Wolfpack and Eagles last met during the 2017 ACC Championship in Louisville, Ky., when NC State earned a 6-1 win.

Johnny Piedmonte earned the win on the mound in that contest, improving to 7-0 at that point, while Brett Kinneman contributed four RBIs, highlighted by a three-run homer.

Last Time Boston College Visited Raleigh
Boston College last traveled to Raleigh during the 2016 season when the Eagles earned the series win with a 1-0 victory in the series finale.

An RBI walk provided the only offense in that contest, as BC won the first game of the series 7-0 and NCSU won the second game, 3-2.

Scouting Boston College
The Boston College Eagles own a 5-6 overall record heading into ACC play. The Eagles were edged in their most recent outing against Wofford on Wednesday, 12-10. BC earned an 8-0 victory at UNC Asheville in its first midweek game of the week on Tuesday.

Boston College owns a team batting average of .298, which is sixth in the ACC and the Eagles average 6.09 runs per game. Chris Galland has been on a tear at the plate for the squad, as he leads the ACC with a .583 batting average.

On the mound, BC returns each of its weekend starters from a season ago. Friday starter Jacob Stevens is 2-1 on the year with a 3.38 ERA, Saturday starter Dan Metzdorf has had a tough start to the season and is 0-1 with an 8.71 ERA. Sunday’s starter Brian Rapp sports a 4.70 ERA and is 1-1.

Wolfpack in the ACC Rankings
The NC State offense has been red hot to start the season, as the Wolfpack leads the ACC in seven categories: batting average (.338), hits (154), runs (116), runs batted in (107), total bases (267), slugging percentage (.586) and home runs (27).

Pack Power
NC State’s 27 home runs rank fourth in the NCAA as a team, just two shy of the national leader, Tennessee Tech. The Wolfpack has hit at least one homer in 11 of 13 games this season.

The Pack is 7-0 on the year when hitting more than one home run in the contest.

Moving Up the Record Books
Senior Brian Brown continues to move up the charts in the NC State record books, as he is scheduled to make his 49th career start on Friday, which would tie former Wolfpack All-American Carlos Rodon for the second most in program history.

His 48 starts are the most by an active NCAA Division I player, while his 240 career strikeouts is the fifth most among active players and ranks among the top 10 of the Wolfpack record books.

Classmate Brock Deatherage leads the ACC with 180 games played, which ranks among the top 20 of the NCAA.

Aggressive on the Bases
NC State has been aggressive on the bases this season, as the Wolfpack is tied for second in the ACC with 21 stolen bases on 25 attempts. Deatherage headlines the group for the Pack with seven steals on eight attempts.

Nothing Free
The Wolfpack pitching staff has been extremely stingy in handing out free passes this season, as NC State’s 37 walks is the fewest by any team in the ACC this season.

NCSU pitchers have issued three of fewer walks in 10 of 13 games and did not walk anyone in the first game of the Furman series on Feb. 23.

Shutting It Down
Last season, the Wolfpack was a perfect 34-0 when leading after the seventh inning and this year NC State has compiled a 10-0 mark. In the last two seasons, the Pack is 44-0 when leading after seven innings of play.

Lucky Fourth
NC State has scored 22 runs in the fourth inning, the most in any frame this season, and has limited opponents to just five runs.

Getting On Base
Deatherage is the only NC State player that has reached base safely in all 13 games this season. Will Wilson has reached base safely in his last 28 games, but missed the series finale against Furman with an injury.

The Wolfpack’s on-base percentage of .435 is third in the conference and ranks 14th in the NCAA.

Kinneman Repeats as ACC, National Player of the Week
For the second consecutive week, NC State baseball’s Brett Kinneman has been named ACC Player of the Week, in addition to collecting National Player of the Week honors from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper (CBN).

The junior outfielder has been on fire at the plate, as he was 9-for-19 during the week to compile a .474 batting average. His nine hits led NC State to a team batting average of .365 over the four-game stretch.

Kinneman hit three home runs during the week to remain the NCAA leader in that statistic with eight for the season.