#16 NC State Wins Their Final 2025 Midweek Game, Defeating UNCW 14-4 on the Road

#16 NC State (31-15) won their final midweek game of the 2025 regular season, defeating UNCW (26-22) 14-4 on the road this evening.

Junior Shane Van Dam made his first appearance of the 2025 season for the Wolfpack after injuring his UCL near the end of last season. He gave up three earned runs (all in the 1st) in two innings pitched, throwing 26 total pitches.

Senior Carson Kelly was the first man out of the Wolfpack bullpen. Kelly picked up his first win of the season, giving up no runs in three innings and striking out three. He hasn’t allowed a run in his last four appearances (8 innings).

NC State’s bats were clicking on all cylinders, producing 14 hits down at the beach.

The Wolfpack responded quickly, putting four runs on the board in the top of the 2nd. Sophomore second baseman Luke Nixon hit a three-run home run, and sophomore catcher Alex Sosa had an RBI single. Nixon finished the day 2 for 6. Sosa was 4 for 5 at the plate, with two RBIs and two runs, setting a new career high for hits in a game.

After scoring a run via a Seahawk error in the top of the 3rd, NC State added three more runs in the top of the 5th. In the 5th frame, freshman center fielder Ty Head brought a run across the plate with an RBI single, junior third baseman Matt Heavner walked in a run, and junior left fielder Josh Hogue picked up an RBI on a groundout.

Head picked up his second RBI in the top of the 6th on a sac fly. He finished the evening 2 for 3, with two RBIs, two runs, and a walk.

The Seahawks scored their fourth run of the evening on a solo shot off sophomore NC State reliever Jacob Dudan in the bottom of the 6th, snapping his scoreless inning streak at 16.2 innings. Dudan gave up one earned run in two innings, striking out three.

In the top of the 7th, the Wolfpack added three more runs to their total. Senior shortstop Justin DeCriscio hit a two-run double, and Sosa brought him home on an RBI groundout. DeCriscio was 2 for 4 with two RBIs, a double, and a run.

Freshman Tristan Potts closed out the game for NC State, pitching 1.2 scoreless innings and striking out two. Potts hasn’t seen much action this year, but he has made the most of his opportunities. In nine appearances, he has pitched six scoreless innings, striking out six in the process.

In the top of the 9th, freshman infielder Ryder Woodson had an RBI single as a pinch hitter and later scored on a wild pitch two batters later.

As things currently stand, NC State and Florida State are tied at the top of the ACC standings, but the Seminoles currently hold the tiebreaker due to their record against Miami. FSU defeated the Hurricanes in two of three games, while the Wolfpack lost both games against Miami.

The Seminoles will be favored this weekend in a series at Cal, while the Wolfpack will have their work cut out for them in a three-game series against the 4th-ranked Tar Heels in Chapel Hill. Game 1 is set for Thursday night at 6 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.