WILMINGTON, N.C. – No. 7 NC State baseball collected its 30th win of the season on Tuesday evening with a 14-7 victory at UNCW’s Brooks Field in Wilmington, N.C.
After NC State jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first two innings, UNCW plated all seven of its runs in the fifth and sixth innings to trim its deficit to two. A four-run spark in the eighth and insurance run in the ninth, along with strong work from relievers Nick Swiney and Alec Barger, allowed the Wolfpack to come away with the win.
NC State improves to 30-8, becoming the first team in the ACC to reach the 30-win plateau in 2019, while the Seahawks move to 20-18 on the year.
Quick Hits
-NC State took a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Tyler McDonough’s RBI single to right field drove in the first run after Will Wilson’s one-out walk and Evan Edwards’ double to left center started the contest.
-David Vazquez’s bases-loaded sac fly to center field and Terrell Tatum’s bases-loaded walk plated the other two runs of the frame.
-Wilson launched a two-run homer over the left field wall in the second, his team-leading 13th of the year, to give the Pack a 5-0 advantage after two innings.
-The Seahawks got on the board in the fifth with three runs on a one-out RBI single followed by a two-run double off the right center wall.
-In the sixth, Jonny Butler’s RBI double to left center and Brad Debo’s three-run homer to right field gave the Pack a 9-3 advantage.
-UNCW countered with four runs of its own though in the bottom frame thanks to Noah Bridges’ grand slam to right center.
-Edwards clubbed the team’s third homer of the night in the eighth, as he went opposite field with a three-run blast to give his team a 12-7 advantage.
-Lawson McArthur tacked on a fourth run in the frame with his RBI triple down the right field line, scoring McDonough after a leadoff walk and error placed him on third.
-J.T. Jarrett’s RBI sac bunt provided an additional run in the ninth. Vojtech Mensik took second on a dropped fly ball in right field and a dropped third strike passed ball allowed him to threaten.
Inside The Box Score
-Edwards led the team offensively with a 3-for-4 performance, highlighted by his 11th homer of the year.
-Jarrett also had a multi-hit performance as he went 2-for-2 with a pair of sac bunts.
-Debo’s long ball in the sixth inning was his fourth of the year.
On The Mound
-Starter Cameron Cotter (3-2) and David Harrison threw two innings apiece, not allowing a hit and striking out a combined five batters.
-Swiney and Barger were also effective down the stretch for the Pack, combining for eight strikeouts in the nine batters they faced.
On Deck
NC State will travel to Wake Forest for a three-game set Thursday through Saturday at the David F. Couch Ballpark in Winston-Salem, N.C. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and the series finale Saturday is slated for a 1 p.m. start. All three games will be broadcast on the ACC Network Extra.
VCU 1st Baseman Chris McHugh is transferring to NC State!
I would like to thank VCU for a great freshman year and the relationships and memories built. I’m excited to announce that I have committed to NC State to further my academic and athletic career. I’d like to thank Coach Avent and his staff for this opportunity. @NCStateBaseballpic.twitter.com/w3WzP2oLPP
McHugh just wrapped up his Freshman season for the Rams, batting .273, with 6 Home Runs, 33 RBI’s, 36 Runs, 22 BB’s, 5 Doubles and 4 Stolen Bases. He boasted an OBP of .390. McHugh started in 53 of the 55 games he played in.
Coming out of High School, McHugh was the #47 overall player in the state of New York, and the #10 Shortstop according to Perfect Game.
McHugh has 3 years of eligibility remaining.
NC State has now picked up 5 players in the Transfer Portal this offseason.
All but 1 of NC State’s 2024 MLB Draft Picks and Undrafted Free Agents have signed with their respective teams.
Center Fielder Eli Serrano III was drafted in the 4th round with the 111th overall pick by the New York Mets. He signed for $697,500, which was $41,400 more than the slot value for the pick. Serrano III had 2 more years of college eligibility, but opted to turn pro.
The #Mets signed 4th rounder Eli Serrano for $697,500. Slot value for the 111th pick is $656,400.
Shortstop Brandon Butterworth has signed with the Padres, who drafted him the 12th round with the 360th overall pick. Butterworth had one more year of college eligibility, but opted to turn pro.
An event that majority of people told me was nearly impossible. Here’s to the end of an era and a start to a new adventure. Time to get to work. pic.twitter.com/HdOsDmU6vB
Shortstop Devin Fitz-Gerald, who was going to be an incoming Freshman in 2025, was drafted by the Rangers in the 5th Round. He signed his deal, with a signing bonus worth $900,000.
#Ranger signing bonuses, per source:
1 Malcolm Moore $3 million
2 Dylan Dreiling $1,287,600
3 Casey Cook $700K
4 David Hagaman $515K
5 Devin Fitz-Gerald $900K
6 Garrett Horn $250K
7 Rafe Perich $175K
8 Anthony Susac $200K
9 Keith Jones II $30K
10 Jake Jekielek $20K
Catcher Jacob Cozart was drafted by the Guardians in the 2nd Round with the 48th overall pick. He has yet to sign his deal. The slot value for his deal is $1.94 million. Cozart has 1 year of college eligibility remaining, but there’s no expectation that he will be returning next season for the Wolfpack.
Baseball America has released their Way-Too-Early 2025 Preseason Top-25, and they ranked NC State 13th.
13. NC State (38-23, 18-11)
The Wolfpack rolled through the second half of the 2024 season to reach the CWS for the second time in four years. They now must replace several key pieces of that team, including All-Americans Jacob Cozart and Alec Makarewicz. That duo is just part of six regulars that were lost from the lineup.
While NC State is reloading offensively, it brings back a good bit of its pitching staff. The dynamic relief combination of Jacob Dudan and Derrick Smith is back, as are lefthanders Dominic Fritton and Cooper Consiglio. NC State never lacks for offense and as long as its newcomers click, it should be well positioned for 2025. (BA)
ACC Teams in the Top-25
3) FSU
4) Clemson
6) UVA
9) Duke
12) UNC 13) NC State
25) Wake Forest
DeCriscio played his first 3 seasons at San Diego, and will play his final year of eligibility with the Wolfpack.
This past year, DeCriscio hit .308 for the Toreros, with 42 RBI’s, 36 Runs and 10 Stolen Bases. He earned All-West Coast Conference Honorable Mention the past three seasons.