NC State Steps Out of Conference to Host William & Mary in Weekend Series

NCSTATEBASEBALL
WILLIAM & MARY – NC STATE WEEKEND SERIES
Dates: Friday – Sunday, May 4-6
Location: Raleigh, N.C.
Site: Doak Field at Dail Park
Times: 6:30 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.) | 1 P.M. (Sun.)
Radio: WKNC 88.1 FM
Live Video: ACC Network Extra
Live Stats: SideArm Live Stats

STARTING PITCHERS
Friday: LHP Bodie Sheehan (WM) vs. RHP Reid Johnston (NCSU)
Saturday: RHP Wade Strain (WM) vs. LHP Brian Brown (NCSU)
Sunday: RHP Chris Farrell (WM) vs. RHP Johnny Piedmonte (NCSU)

RALEIGH, N.C. – No. 5 NC State baseball steps out of ACC play this weekend to host the William & Mary Tribe in a non-conference series at Doak Field at Dail Park. First pitch of Friday and Saturday’s games is slated for 6:30 p.m., while Sunday’s series finale will begin at 1 p.m.

Each 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.

Tickets are still available for all three games this weekend and can be purchased by visiting GoPack.com/Pack9tickets.

NC State enters the weekend with a 31-12 overall record, including a 16-3 mark in non-conference games while William & Mary is 15-29 with a 12-14 ledger in contests outside of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).

Last Time Out
The Wolfpack came up short in its last outing, as the Campbell Fighting Camels handed NC State its first midweek loss of the season. The Pack is now 9-1 in midweek games in 2018.

William & Mary dropped a 9-6 decision against Hofstra in its most recent outing last weekend, as the Pride completed the series sweep.

The Series
NC State leads the all-time series against William & Mary, 19-2, and has won the last 11 games in the series.

Last Time Versus William & Mary
The Wolfpack and Tribe last met during the 2013 season when NC State earned a pair of wins against William & Mary to win the NCAA Raleigh Regional held at Doak Field at Dail Park.

The Pack slipped past the Tribe, 1-0, to advance to the regional final and NCSU picked up a 9-2 win in the regional championship to punch its ticket to the super regionals.

William & Mary last traveled to Raleigh for a three-game series in 2007, when NC State swept the season-opening series.

Scouting William & Mary
Hailing from the CAA, William & Mary has played four games against ACC opponents this season as the Tribe dropped three one-run games at Clemson to open the season and lost 4-3 in 11 innings at Virginia.

W&M has struggled in conference play this season, compiling a 3-15 record but has played well in non-conference games against strong opponents.

Zach Pearson leads the team with a .265 batting average and is tied for the team-high with 43 hits. Hunter Smith paces the Tribe with eight home runs and 31 RBIs. As a team, William & Mary owns a .218 batting average and score 3.86 per game.

On the mound, W&M pitchers have recorded 4.35 earned run average (ERA) complemented by 335 strikeouts in 393.1 innings pitched.

O’Donnell Breaks Career Appearance Record
Redshirt senior Joe O’Donnell set the NC State baseball record for career appearances with his 88th against Campbell on Wednesday. He now owns the second-most among active ACC pitchers.

He surpasses Joey Devine’s mark of 87, which stood as the record for the previous 13 years.

11 Consecutive Non-Conference Weekend Series Wins
NC State has won its last 11 non-conference weekend series dating back to the 2011 season.

Reaching Base
Heading into the weekend, junior Evan Edwards owns a team-leading 14-game reached base safely streak, while senior Josh McLain has been on base in 12 consecutive games.

Lucky Fourth
The Wolfpack has scored 51 runs in the fourth inning of games this season, the highest in any inning.

Gimme Six
NC State is 22-3 on the year when scoring at least six runs in a game. The Wolfpack is tied for the ACC lead in scoring this season with 7.2 runs per game.