NC State Baseball
NC State Baseball SWEEPS Ranked UNC
In what was deemed coming into Friday as at least a “must win series”, State baseball came out and took care of business, sweeping the three games. The series took so long, that by the end UNC was no longer ranked. HAHA!
FRIDAY – W 9-2
Reid Johnston went the distance, picking up his second win of the season. Allowing only 7 hits and 2 ER, Johnston was in control the entirety of the game. While UNC committed three errors, State was clean, including this grab out in left.
B8 | @jonnybutler333 making some CLUTCH plays out in left field tonight. He helps keep the Heels at bay in the eighth.
Due up: Butler, Torres, Tatum
NCSU 9, UNC 1 pic.twitter.com/QpMjRzOH6K
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) March 27, 2021
On the offensive side, State was raking…Grand…Salami…
T2 | VOJTECH MENSIK WITH THE GRAND SLAM‼️
NCSU 5, UNC 0 pic.twitter.com/Z46jJZhlwt
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) March 26, 2021
And a no doubter…
🚀🚀🚀@tm_mcdonough had ZERO doubts about this one. pic.twitter.com/P8CZUE1PE6
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) March 27, 2021
SATURDAY -> MONDAY GAME 1 W 6-1
Sam Highfill started and went 7 innings, giving up 5 hits, 1 ER and 4 strikeouts. Matt Willadsen came in for the final two frames with a clean sheet (follow along for something really awesome).
16 innings, 2 pitchers.@reid_johnston29 and @samhighfill11 have brought it so far this weekend in the Tobacco Road rivalry. pic.twitter.com/JQ7Y7imtum
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) March 28, 2021
The bats continued to stay hot, with 8 Pack players getting hits, half of them getting multiple. Then these dingers…
T2 | TATER TATUM‼️
NCSU 2, UNC 0 pic.twitter.com/hbmIJjdJsw
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) March 27, 2021
T8 | That ball is OUTTA HERE! @amurr13's third homer of the year adds to our lead.
NCSU 6, UNC 1 pic.twitter.com/yWLcqYeEhs
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) March 27, 2021
MONDAY – GAME 2 W 8-3
Remember the follow along from two seconds ago? Matt Willadsen pitches the final two, and with just a 40 minute break, just keeps it going starting Game 3 AND GOING 7.1 INNINGS! It wasn’t perfect (7 Hits, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO), but to go 9 in one day, for basically State’s second complete game of the weekend, is amazing.
Back to the dingers…
T3 | 🌮 OPPO TACO 🌮@j28t_ goes yard to extend our lead!
NCSU 6, UNC 1 pic.twitter.com/ubN9xy6Dl6
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) March 29, 2021
A wild week and the boys come all the way back for a much needed SWEEP.
How SWEEP it is! pic.twitter.com/ae4eGvehlK
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) March 30, 2021
State bumped up one spot in the ACC Atlantic, and will hope to jump Wake Forest this week. State plays in Greensboro today (versus UNCG), before returning home to face Clemson Friday through Saturday at Doak.
#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
#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.
