NC State Baseball
NC State’s Strong Season Ends in NCAA Regional Final Against Auburn
RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State baseball team advanced to the NCAA Regional Final for the fourth consecutive season but saw its strong 2018 season come to a close with a 15-7 loss against the Auburn Tigers on Sunday night at Doak Field at Dail Park.
With the win, the Tigers advance to the NCAA Super Regionals to face the winner of the Gainesville Regional.
The Wolfpack concludes the season with a 42-18 overall record and Auburn moves to 42-21. NC State recorded the program’s first 40-win season since 2013 and matched the program record with 19 ACC wins.
NCSU won eight of its 10 conference series, highlighted by three road series wins against top-25 opponents.
Avent’s Additions
Overall thoughts…
“First thing I’m going to do is congratulate the Auburn Tigers,” said head coach Elliott Avent. “Butch Thompson has done an incredible job since he got to Auburn. He’s an old friend of mine and we had some good words there at the end. They got a good ball club, a really good offensive ball club and they’re sound defensively.
“I’d like to congratulate these guys lined up here; these are our seniors. You always remember what’s the latest on your mind, but you’d be hard pressed to find a group of seniors from NC State baseball that’s as classy. They got their work done on the field and off the field; academics, the whole nine yards. They represented this university and the baseball program in a way people have no idea. I’d like to thank our fans, they been great all year. I think we sold out season tickets six or seven years in a row and they love watching these guys play, we love watching these guys play. I’d like to thank our fans and these guys really respect them.”
Quick Hits
– Auburn struck first when Will Holland scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Brendan Venter in the first inning. Holland drew a leadoff walk, then advanced to third by way of a Steven Williams single and a sac bunt by Brett Wright.
– The Tigers added three runs in the second and two in the third to take a 6-0 lead, but NC State answered in the fourth inning scoring three runs to make it a 7-3 game.
– Brett Kinneman walked to lead off the frame and scored on a double to left center by Patrick Bailey. After a single from Evan Edwards, Brock Deatherage tripled to plate Bailey and Edwards, cutting the Auburn lead to four.
– The Tigers tacked on a run in the fifth to make it 8-3 before NC State loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh.
– Shane Shepard pinch-hit for the Wolfpack and worked a leadoff walk, Stephen Pitarra followed with a bunt single and Josh McLain single to load the bases but unfortunately a called strikeout ensued to end the threat.
– Auburn carried that momentum over to the eighth inning when the squad pushed across five runs to pull away.
– The Wolfpack cut into the deficit scoring three runs in the bottom half and a run in the ninth.
– In his final collegiate at-bat, Shepard hit a three-run homer to right field, his 5thof the season, to make it a 13-6 game.
– After Auburn added a run in the top of the ninth, Jack Conley scored on an RBI single to right field by Bailey to make it 15-7.
Inside the Box Score
– Bailey led the Wolfpack at the plate with a 3-for-5 outing, highlighted by two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored.
– McLain and Pitarra were each 2-for-4, while Deatherage, Edwards and Shepard each had one hit.
– Freshman David Harrison earned the start on the mound and was relieved by Joe O’Donnell.
– O’Donnell went 2.1 innings with three strikeouts before handing the ball to Michael Bienlien, who threw 3.1 innings with four strikeouts.
– Connor Centala took over on the mound next and Nick Swiney pitched the final third of the game.
#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.
NC State won the first two games of the series, clinching their first series victory over rival #11 UNC since 2021, and the first one at home since 2016. The Wolfpack weren’t able to pull of the sweep this afternoon, losing the finale to the Tar Heels 3-14.
The NC State pitching staff didn’t have an answer for the UNC bats today. Starter Freshman Cooper Consiglio gave up 6 runs (5 earned) in 3.1 innings, striking out 4, and walking 4. The Wolfpack put 5 pitchers on the mound today, and every single one of them gave up runs. Sophomore Andrew Shaffner and Freshman Camden Wimbish both gave up 3 runs apiece.
Junior Jacob Cozart was the only bright spot in the Wolfpack’s offense today, hitting 2 solo Home Runs, marking only the 2nd time in his career that he has hit 2+ Home Runs in a single game.
Opposite-field jack for ‘Zart 💪 pic.twitter.com/ssPXqDAgww
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 20, 2024
The second-career multi-homer game for No. 14 💣 pic.twitter.com/Y2mnJHGkbi
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 20, 2024
The Wolfpack have two Top-10 series wins (Duke #9 and Clemson #2), and now another Top-15 series win (UNC #11).
Things don’t get any easier this Tuesday, playing #9 ECU on the road at 6pm. NC State should be ranked when they play the Pirates this week.
