PREVIEW: No. #10 NC State to Battle No. 2 Clemson in First ACC Road Series

NC STATE – CLEMSON WEEKEND SERIES
Dates: Friday – Sunday, March 16-18
Location: Clemson, S.C.
Site: Doug Kingsmore Stadium
Times: 6:30 p.m. (Fri.) | 4 P.M. (Sat.) | 1 p.m. (Sun.)
Radio: WKNC 88.1 FM
Live Video: ACC Network Extra
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Tickets

STARTING PITCHERS
Friday: RHP Michael Bienlien (NCSU) vs. LHP Jacob Hennessy (CU)
Saturday: LHP Brian Brown (NCSU) vs. RHP Brooks Crawford (CU)
Sunday: TBA (NCSU) vs. LHP Jake Higginbotham (CU)

*Rankings reflect each team’s highest ranking: NC State No. 10 in Perfect Game, Clemson No. 2 in Collegiate Baseball*

RALEIGH, N.C. – The 10th-ranked NC State baseball team will hit the road this weekend for its first ACC road trip, as the Wolfpack will battle the second-ranked Clemson Tigers in South Carolina. Friday’s game is slated for 6:30 p.m., Saturday’s matchup will begin at 4 p.m. and Sunday’s series finale is set for 1 p.m. with each game at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

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.

NC State enters the weekend with a 15-3 overall record and a 2-1 mark in ACC play, while Clemson is 16-1 and 3-0 in conference action.

Last Time Out
The Wolfpack swept a pair of midweek games against UNC Asheville in its most recent outings, earning a 15-11 win on Tuesday and a 6-2 victory on Wednesday at Doak Field at Dail Park.

The Tigers picked up a shutout win at home against Charleston Southern in their last time out, 5-0.

The Series
NC State and Clemson have met 200 times in the history of the programs with the Tigers leading the all-time series, 117-82-1.

Last Time Versus Clemson
The Wolfpack won the first two games of last year’s series in Raleigh to clinch the series, earning a 3-2 victory in the opener and a thrilling 12-10 win in game two. Clemson avoided the sweep with a win in the series finale.

NC State and Clemson scored a combined 15 runs in the final two innings of game two, highlighted by an inside-the-park grand slam by Will Wilson.

Last Time at Clemson
NC State and Clemson split the first two games of the last series at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in 2016, before the Tigers won the series finale to take the series. Clemson won the series opener with a 10-5, but the Wolfpack responded with a resounding 20-9 win in game two to even the series.

In game three, the Tigers edged the Pack in a pitcher’s duel, 2-1.

Scouting Clemson
The Clemson Tigers have won their last eight games heading into the weekend, including a three-game sweep against Georgia Tech in the ACC opener last weekend. The Tigers have played 14 of their 17 games at home this season and are undefeated at home.

Clemson was picked to finish third in the Atlantic Division of the ACC Preseason Poll, one spot ahead of NC State.

The Tigers own a team batting average of .265 for the year and are averaging 6.88 runs per game. Patrick Cromwell leads the squad offensively with a .345 average at the plate, while Chris Williams is second on the team with a .344 clip and a team-high 22 hits.

On the mound, Clemson pitchers have logged a 2.68 ERA with 151 strikeouts in 154.2 innings pitched. Friday starter Jacob Hennessy owns a 1.96 ERA and is 1-0, while Saturday’s starting pitcher Brooks Crawford is also 1-0 with a 2.04 ERA. Sunday’s starter Jake Higginbotham is 3-0 in 2018 with a 2.42 ERA.

Mentor vs. Mentee
NC State assistant coach Austin Morgan will square off against his collegiate head coach this weekend, as he played for Monte Lee at College of Charleston before he took over as the skipper at Clemson.

Morgan was the starting catcher on Lee’s first team at CofC in 2009 and then served as a student assistant with the Cougars in 2010.

Wolfpack in the National, ACC Rankings
Batting Average – .341 (3rd in NCAA, 1st in ACC)
Hits – 215 (2nd in NCAA, 1st in ACC)
Home Runs – 33 (2nd in NCAA, 1st in ACC)
Home Runs Per Game – 1.83 (3rd in NCAA, 1st in ACC)
Runs – 155 (6th in NCAA, 1st in ACC)
On-base Percentage – .441 (4th in NCAA, 1st in ACC)
Slugging Percentage – .567 (4th in NCAA, 1st in ACC)

Kinneman Named NCBWA National Player of the Month for February
After turning in one of the nation’s best starts to the 2018 season, NC State baseball’s Brett Kinneman was named the National Player of the Month for February by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).

Kinneman turned in a .487 batting average during the month of February, highlighted by 19 hits which led the NCAA in that category following the opening month of play. He belted seven home runs to finish the month as the NCAA leader.

The York, Pa., native hit for the home run cycle in the second week of the season as he hit a grand slam against N.C. A&T, a two-run and three-run homer in the first game of the series against Furman and a solo homer on Saturday and Sunday against Furman.

What a Difference a Year Makes
Last season, Kinneman finished the year with 10 home runs and this year the NC State junior has hit 10 homers through the first 18 games. His 10 home runs are tied for the NCAA lead along with California’s Andrew Vaughn.

His 31 runs batted in (RBI) lead the nation and his 71 total bases also paced the NCAA.

Rising to the Occasion
NC State’s bullpen has risen to the occasion time and time again this season, as Wolfpack pitchers have inherited 42 runners and only nine have scored. Kent Klyman leads the group, as he has entered the game with seven runners on base and none have scored.

Nolan Clenney has also been stellar stranding runners, as only one of 10 runners he has inherited has scored.

Strong Out of the Bullpen
The Wolfpack’s bullpen has compiled a 1.83 earned run average this season with 98 strikeouts in 88.1 innings pitched.

Protecting the Lead
NC State is 11-0 on the year when leading after the fifth inning and that number jumps to 15-0 when leading after eight innings of play.