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Rodon Strikes out 9 in Loss to Rays

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Former NC State All-American pitcher Carlos Rodon picked up his second loss of the season on Monday in a duel against reigning Cy Young winner Blake Snell of the Rays.

Rodon’s 111 pitches only got him through 4.2 innings, surrendering 4 earned runs. While walks haven’t been a problem through the first two games, they have been in the past, and they were on Monday, walking 5.

It wasn’t all bad for Rodon, striking out 9 (back-to-back). Fifty-five of his pitches went for strikes, including 20 for swinging strikes. Control was the thorn in Rodon’s side.

“Today we probably threw more sliders, but that’s what was working, and we had to go to it,” Rodon said. “In the future, in the near future, it’s going to be more fastballs and mix in some changeups in the repertoire.

Later in the game, it seems like there was a lot of swing-and-miss, but I’d like to have that fastball going in the strike zone more often. Just falling behind hitters, not establishing the strike zone, that’s how you get yourself hurt. I put the damage on myself out there walking five today.”

Carlos Rodon

Earlier today, Rodon said that he needs to throw more change-ups into his repertoire. Last year he threw the change-up at a 14% clip, which was a career high, but he’s down to 5.1% through three starts this year.

“The changeup is a good pitch when I’m behind, a pitch that gets early contact, ground balls, something that I think I’ll be featuring more. It will help command-wise, it will help fastball command. It’s a plus changeup. I just need to use it more. Right now, I’m 50-50 [with fastball/slider]. As a hitter, think about it? Flip a coin. The odds are easier for them. Mix in a changeup now and then and a lot of things change.“

Carlos Rodon

Rodon is now 1-2 on the year, with a 3.38 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP, and 24 strikeouts in 16 innings through 3 starts. His next start is scheduled to be against the Yankees on Sunday.

Matthew is Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, and is in charge of business strategy. He is an NC State alum who majored in business. Matthew is also the lead pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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Pack in the Pros

Former NC State All-American SS Trea Turner Named NL Player of the Week

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Former NC State All-American Shortstop Trea Turner was named the National League Player of the Week last week.

  • The 30-year-old hit .462 (12-for-26) with a home run, four RBI, five doubles, a walk, 10 runs scored, a stolen base and a .481 on-base percentage in six games last week.
  • The Florida native led the Majors in runs scored; tied for the NL lead in doubles and extra-base hits (6); ranked third in slugging (.769), OPS (1.250) and hits (12); and ranked fourth in total bases (20).
  • The two-time All-Star recorded four straight multi-hit games from Tuesday through Saturday, putting together three-hit games on Wednesday against Colorado and Thursday against Chicago (AL). It was the third time in his Phillies’ tenure and eighth time in his career that he had at least four-straight multi-hit games.
  • The 2019 World Series Champion has hits in 10 straight games since April 11th, batting .429 (18-for-42) with two homers, six RBI, six doubles, two walks, 12 runs scored, a stolen base and a 1.169 OPS during the stretch. He has reached in each of his last 13 games since April 8th, batting .434/.483/.660 over the stretch.
  • The North Carolina State product stole home on Sunday against the White Sox, marking his 40th consecutive stolen base since September 6, 2022 when he was a member of the Dodgers. His current streak surpassed Jimmy Rollins for the fourth-longest all-time and is now tied with Hall of Famer Tim Raines for the third-longest streak in Major League history. Next on the list is Ichiro Suzuki, who swiped 45 straight bases from April 29, 2006 through May 16, 2007, and Vince Coleman, who stole a Major League record 50 straight bases from September 18, 1988 through July 26, 1989. (MLB)

Turner was a 2-time All-American at NC State. In 2012, Turner was named 3rd Team All-American by NCBWA, and in 2013 he was named 2nd Team by Collegiate Baseball, and 3rd Team by NCBWA and Baseball America.

Turner’s 113 career stolen bases at NC State are the most in school history.

Turner was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 1st Round with the 13th overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft.

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NC State’s Payton Wilson & Dylan McMahon’s 2024 Draft Projections

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The 2024 NFL Draft is 1 day away. Where does NC State Linebacker Payton Wilson and Center Dylan McMahon project to be drafted?

PFF

Payton Wilson – 1st Round – 29th Overall Pick – Indianapolis Colts

It’s a cliché to go “best athlete available” for the Colts, but Payton Wilson certainly ticked that box at the NFL scouting combine. Wilson was exceptional in his final season at NC State, earning grades above 75.0 in all three facets of defense, led by his 90.0 coverage grade with three interceptions and four forced incompletions.

Dylan McMahon – 6th Round – 214th Overall Pick – Cincinnati Bengals

Sporting News

Payton Wilson – 2nd Round – 38th Overall Pick – Tennessee Titans

Dylan McMahon – 5th Round – 175th Overall Pick – New Orleans Saints

Walter Football

Payton Wilson – 2nd Round – 42nd Overall Pick – Houston Texans

CBS Sports

Payton Wilson – 2nd Round – 43rd Overall Pick – Atlanta Falcons

Dylan McMahon – 6th Round – 182nd Overall Pick – Tennessee Titans

The Athletic 

Payton Wilson – 2nd Round – 56th Overall Pick – Dallas Cowboys

Dylan McMahon – 7th Round – 232nd Overall Pick – Minnesota Vikings

Fantasy Pros

Payton Wilson – 3rd Round – 66th Overall Pick – Arizona Cardinals

Dylan McMahon – 7th Round – 55th Overall Pick – Green Bay Packers

NFL.com

Payton Wilson – 3rd Round – 80th Overall Pick – Cincinnati Bengals

Dylan McMahon – 4th Round – 112th Overall Pick – Carolina Panthers

ESPN

Payton Wilson – 3rd Round – 81st Overall Pick – Seattle Seahawks

Wilson has an early-round grade based strictly on his game tape, but durability concerns could drop him to this range — or even later. He had 130 tackles, six sacks and three interceptions last season.

Dylan McMahon – 7th Round – 247th Overall Pick – Houston Texans

Pro Football Network

Payton Wilson – 3rd Round – 83rd Overall Pick – Los Angeles Rams

Dylan McMahon – 6th Round – 205th Overall Pick – Detroit Lions

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Former NC State G Terquavion Smith Earns a Spot on the 2023-23 NBA G-League All-Rookie Team

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Former NC State Guard Terquavion Smith earned a spot on the 2023-24 NBA G-League All-Rookie Team.

Smith averaged 22.3 points, 3.4 assists and 3 rebounds per game for the Delaware Blue Coats. What’s crazy, is that he only started in 3 of the 36 games he played in. With that being said, he averaged 30.7 minutes per game. Smith shot 35.6% from three.

As a 2-way player, Smith also played 16 games for the Philadelphia 76ers, averaging 3.3 points in 5.3 minutes per game. He shot 37.1% from three.

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NC State LB Payton Wilson Visited with the Steelers Yesterday

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Former NC State Linebacker Payton Wilson had a Top-30 visit with the Pittsburgh Steelers yesterday. Wilson is the first Linebacker the Steelers have brought in.

Wilson has already had Top-30 visits with the Dallas Cowboys and the Carolina Panthers.

PFF ranks Wilson as the #1 Linebacker in the 2024 Draft, and #26 on their Big Board.

1. LB PAYTON WILSONNC STATE

PFF BIG BOARD RANK: 26

Wilson has the length, movement ability, IQ and tape of a first-round linebacker. What will likely keep him from being drafted on Day 1 is his injury history and age. If healthy, he can be a starting inside linebacker in any defense. (PFF)

Will someone take Wilson in the 1st round? Will he be a 2nd round pick? If he slips past that, that’s just stupid.

 

 

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