NC State Baseball
#13 NC State is Swept by Georgia Tech on the Road
It was a terrible week for 13th ranked NC State Baseball team. The Wolfpack lost to UNCG 3-18 in a midweek game, and were then swept by Georgia Tech on the road this weekend.
Pitching was major issue for the Pack in all 4 losses, giving up a total of 49 runs, averaging 12.25 per loss.
(Recaps of the UNCG Loss and the first loss in the GT Series)
In Saturday’s loss, Senior Logan Whitaker was not the issue, giving up 3 earned runs in 5.2 innings pitched, while striking out 7 (1 walk). He now holds a 2-1 record with a 4.50 ERA.
With the Pack winning 7-5 heading into the bottom of the 8th inning, Freshman Jacob Dudan, who hadn’t given up a run in his first 8 appearances, gave up 4 runs (3 earned), which ultimately led to a Yellow Jackets 8-7 victory.
Also, the Wolfpack allowed Georgia Tech to score 2 unearned runs on Saturday, and ended up losing the game by 1.
Senior 1st Baseman Garrett Pennington was the lone batter with multiple hits (2-4), and Junior Shortstop Brandon Butterworth and Freshman 2nd Baseman Luke Nixon both had 2 RBI’s each. Nixon hit the first home run of his career.
Saturday
Yesterday, NC State lost via mercy rule in the 7th inning, trailing the Yellow Jackets 5-15 in the bottom of the 7th.
After earning Preseason All-American honors by D1Baseball, Sophomore Dom Fritton continues to struggle mightily in 2024. Fritton gave up 6 runs (5 earned) in 2.2 innings pitched, walking 5. His ERA on the season is 8.24 in 5 starts. He wasn’t the only one to struggle though, with Freshman Jaxon Lucas giving up 4 runs (3 earned), Junior Garrett Payne giving up 2, and Sophomore Derrick Smith giving up 3.
Sophomore Center Fielder Eli Serrano III was the only Wolfpack batter with multiple hits (2-4), with one of them being a double, along with 2 walks.
Junior Catcher Jacob Cozart hit a double that knocked in 2 runs, and Freshman Catcher Alex Sosa hit his first collegiate home run, knocking in two as well.
Sunday
NC State is now 12-6 overall, with a 3-3 ACC record. They need to figure things out quickly, because they have a challenging midweek game against Coastal Carolina (17-3) at the Doak on Tuesday night at 6pm.
#20 NC State will head down to Tallahassee tomorrow for a 3-game series against #7 FSU. Before they do, here’s a look at where NC State is projected to land in the 2024 NCAA Tournament as things currently stand.
Last week, both D1Baseball and Baseball America projected the Wolfpack to play as a #2 seed in the Greenville Regional (ECU), with the former projecting the Pirates to be a #6 seed, and the latter projecting them to be a #8 seed.
This week, D1Baseball has NC State as a #2 seed in the Lexington Regional, with Kentucky as a #5 seed. Baseball America still has the Wolfpack as a #2 seed in the Greenville Region, with the Pirates still sitting as a #8 seed.
D1Baseball
Baseball America
#20 NC State lost to UNC-Wilmington 4-5 this evening at home, losing their 5th straight midweek game. The Wolfpack were swept by the Seahawks this year, ironically losing 4-5 down in Wilmington on April 9th.
Freshman Ryan Marohn got the starting nod, and he was excellent, giving up 1 earned run in 5 innings pitched, striking out 7. It was arguably his best start since his collegiate debut against VCU in the opening series.
Sophomore Shane Van Dam was Mr. Reliable through much of the season, but he hasn’t had his best stuff as of late. This evening, he faced four batters, hitting 2, walking another, and surrendering a hit to the other. Van Dam failed to record an out, and gave up 3 earned runs. Heading into the UNC game back on April 18th, Van Dam had a 2.63 ERA. After the past 4 appearances, his ERA has shot up to 3.96.
Freshman Jacob Dudan settled things down, pitching 4 scoreless innings, giving up only 1 hit, while striking out 5.
Unfortunately, Sophomore Derrick Smith allowed the Seahawks to score a run in the Top of the 10th, which was enough for the opposing team to leave Raleigh with a win, with NC State failing to score a run in the final 5 frames.
Junior Jacob Cozart continues an insane power surge, hitting two more Home Runs tonight. Cozart has hit 7 Home Runs in the past 6 games.
*Scheduled tweet* pic.twitter.com/eHvyuGT6so
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 30, 2024
SCOREBOARD SHOT 🚀 pic.twitter.com/tMvY8imzgG
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 30, 2024
Cozart now has 14 Home Runs on the year. His previous career high was 11.
Senior 1st Baseman Garrett Pennington also hit a Solo Home Run, his 11th bomb of the year.
Goodbye Baseball ✌️#Pack9 | @Garrettpenn14 pic.twitter.com/p0tySYt3aF
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 30, 2024
On Friday, the Wolfpack will head down to Tallahassee for a 3-game series against #7 Florida State.
After sweeping Ball State this past weekend, NC State jumped up in almost all of the Top-25 polls.
Baseball America – 13th (+4)
RPI – 20th (+9)
D1Baseball – 20th (+1)
USAToday Coaches Poll – 20th (+3)
Perfect Game – 25th (-)
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