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NC State to Host No. 7 ECU Tuesday Evening in Top-10 Battle

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ECU – NC STATE
Date: Tuesday, April 24
Location: Doak Field at Dail Park
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Radio: WKNC 88.1 FM
Live Video: ACC Network Extra
Live Stats: SideArm Live Stats

STARTING PITCHERS
Tuesday – TBA (ECU) vs. TBA (NCSU)

*Rankings reflect the current Baseball America Top-25 Poll*

RALEIGH, N.C. – After earning its 10th consecutive ACC series win over the weekend, the second-ranked NC State baseball team returns to action at home Tuesday night against No. 7 ECU. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. at Doak Field at Dail Park.

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

NC State enters Tuesday’s tilt with a 31-8 overall record, while ECU is 30-9. The contest is officially SOLD OUT.

Last Time Out
The Wolfpack dropped its most recent outing, as the third-ranked Duke Blue Devils avoided the sweep with a win in the series finale. NC State won Friday’s game, 9-2, and earned a 2-1 win on Saturday in a pitcher’s duel to clinch the series.

ECU completed the series sweep at Memphis with a 4-2 win in its last outing.

The Series
NC State leads the all-time series against East Carolina, 71-43, and has won the last two meetings between the programs.

Last Time Against ECU
The Wolfpack and Pirates met last season in Greenville when NC State shut out ECU, 6-0. Sean Adler started on the mound for the Pack and pitched 5.1 innings to earn the win.

NCSU jumped out to a 2-0 lead in second inning and then added a pair of runs in the eighth on a two-run homer by Joe Dunand and an RBI single by Stephen Pitarrato record the road win.

Last Time Against ECU at Doak Field
NC State tallied a 6-1 win versus ECU in the Pirates last trip to Doak Field on April 25, 2016. Evan Mendoza had the big hit in that game with a three-run homer in the bottom of the second to give NC State a lead it never relinquished.

Ryan Williamson threw 6.2 innings to log the win on the mound.

Scouting ECU
After dropping a series against USF, ECU has countered by winning its last four games highlighted by a conference series sweep at Memphis. Last week, the Pirates earned a 9-2 win against third-ranked Duke in Durham.

ECU’s 30-9 overall record has the squad ranked No. 7 in the Baseball America Top-25 Poll.

Bryant Packard leads the team at the plate with a .400 batting average, which leads the American Athletic Conference (AAC) and ranks 17th in the NCAA. He has tallied 50 hits and also a team-high 10 home runs. As a team, ECU batters have compiled a .289 batting average.

The Pirates have been stellar on the mound, as their pitching staff owns a 3.12 earned run average (ERA) to rank 13th in the nation. Additionally, ECU has been strong defensively with a .983 fielding percentage, which is the fifth best in the country.

Perfect in Midweeks
NC State owns a perfect 9-0 record in midweek games this season and looks to extend its unbeaten streak against ECU.

Around the State
Starting with last week’s non-conference matchup against UNC-Chapel Hill, NC State’s schedule features nine consecutive games versus teams from the state of North Carolina.

Eight of the nine games are against ranked opponents.

Wolfpack in the National, ACC Rankings
Team
Batting Average – .303 (1st in ACC, 16th in NCAA)
Hits – 408 (2nd in ACC, 19th in NCAA)
Home Runs – 56 (T1st in ACC, T6th in NCAA)
Home Runs Per Game – 1.44 (1st in ACC, 5th in NCAA)
On-base Percentage – .398 (1st in ACC, 21st in NCAA)
Slugging Percentage – .480 (1st in ACC, 10th in NCAA)
Runs – 291 (1st in ACC, 16th in NCAA)
Scoring – 7.5 (1st in ACC, 14th in NCAA)

Walks Plus Hits Per Inning Pitched (WHIP) – 1.28 (2nd in ACC, 33rd in NCAA)
Earned Run Average – 3.52 (4th in ACC, 38th in NCAA)
Hits Allowed Per 9 Innings – 7.84 (4th in ACC, 40th in NCAA)

Individual
Brian Brown
ERA – 0.99 (1st in ACC, 3rd in NCAA)

Brett Kinneman
Home Runs – 13 (T1st in ACC, T9th in NCAA)
RBI – 45 (T2nd in ACC, 25th in NCAA)

Josh McLain
Hits – 67 (1st in ACC, 6th in NCAA)
Hits Per Game – 1.72 (1st in ACC, 6th in NCAA)

Joe O’Donnell
Saves – 8 (2nd in ACC, 27th in NCAA)

10 And Counting
The Wolfpack owns the ACC’s longest active series-win streak, as NC State has won 10 consecutive conference series. NC State has won each of its weekend matchups dating back to the Virginia Tech series from last season.

Shutting It Down
NC State is a perfect 25-0 this season when leading after the seventh inning and the record increases to 30-0 when leading after the eighth inning. The Wolfpack’s 16 saves lead the ACC in that category.

Eight in A Row
Josh McLain and Will Wilson each extended their hitting streaks to eight games with a hit in Sunday’s game at Duke. McLain owns a .500 batting average in his last eight games with 20 hits.

Wilson has 11 hits, including three home runs to compile a .306 batting average during that stretch.

Road Warriors
NC State owns the ACC’s best road record with a 9-3 mark in conference games. No other team in the conference has more than seven road wins in league action.

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NC State Baseball

NC State Baseball Bracketology Report Heading Into Series Against Ball State

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#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

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NC State Baseball

#21 NC State 6 #7 ECU 10: Box Score (with notes)

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#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’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.

NC State will look to flush this loss, and get ready for a 3-game series at home this weekend against Ball State.

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NC State Baseball

#21 NC State is Looking for Revenge Against #7 ECU

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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.

 

 

 

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NC State Baseball

NC State is Solidly Back in the Top-25 After Series Victory Over Rival UNC

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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.

Baseball America – 17th

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D1Baseball – 21st

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USA Today Coaches Poll – 23rd

Perfect Game – 25th 

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