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#6 NC State opens 7-Game road stretch at VT today

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6 years ago

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NC STATE – VIRGINIA TECH
Dates: Thursday – Saturday, March 29-31
Location: English Field at Union Park
Times: 4 p.m. (Thurs. & Fri.) | 1 p.m. (Sat.)
Radio: WKNC 88.1 FM
Live Video: ACC Network Extra
Live Stats: Virginia Tech Live Stats

STARTING PITCHERS
Thursday – RHP Michael Bienlien (NCSU) vs. RHP Connor Coward (VT)
Friday – RHP Johnny Piedmonte (NCSU) vs. LHP Ian Seymour (VT)
Saturday – LHP Brian Brown (NCSU) vs. TBA (VT)

RALEIGH, N.C. – The sixth-ranked NC State baseball team will make its first trip to Blacksburg, Va., since 2014 and its second ACC road trip of the season this weekend to Virginia Tech. In observance of Easter Weekend, the series will be played Thursday through Saturday with no game on Sunday.

Thursday and Friday’s games are set for 4 p.m., while Saturday’s series finale is slated for 1 p.m. at English Field at Union Park.

All three games will be broadcast live on the ACC Network Extra, accessible through Watch ESPN and the Watch ESPN App. Radio coverage will also be available on WKNC 88.1 FM and on GoPack.com for premium subscribers.

NC State enters the weekend with a 21-4 overall record, including a 7-2 mark in ACC play while Virginia Tech is 10-13 and 4-5 in conference action.

The Series
NC State and Virginia Tech have met 66 times in the history of the programs with the Wolfpack owning a 43-21-2 advantage in the all-time series. NCSU has won 13 of the last 15 games in the series.

Last Time Versus Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech made the trip to Raleigh last season when NC State swept the series at Doak Field at Dail Park. The Wolfpack won game one of the series, 5-2, and clinched the series with an 8-6 victory in game two.

The Pack completed the sweep against the Hokies with a 14-2 win in the series finale. NC State recorded a team batting average of .330 for the series, headlined by Evan Mendoza with a .556 clip over the three-game set.

On the mound, Johnny Piedmonte pitched 6.2 innings to earn the win in the first game of the series, while Dalton Feeney threw two shutout innings of relief to pick up the win in game two. Brian Brown pitched seven innings in the series finale to record the win.

Last Time at Virginia Tech
NC State swept a doubleheader at Virginia Tech in 2014 to take the series, but the Hokies avoided the sweep with a win in the series finale. Each batter in the Wolfpack lineup had a hit in a 14-hit effort, as Carlos Rodon logged the win on the mound with five innings pitched in the series opener.

Cody Beckman picked up the win in game two of the twin bill, as NC State slipped past Virginia Tech, 6-5.

Piedmonte and Joe O’Donnell are the lone members of the 2018 team that have played at VT.

Scouting Virginia Tech
The Virginia Tech Hokies own a 10-13 record heading into the weekend, including a 4-5 mark in ACC play. VT came up short in its last outing at home on Tuesday evening against Liberty in extra innings, 4-3.

In their last conference series, the Hokies dropped the series at Boston College but won game three of the series to avoid the sweep.

Virginia Tech owns a team batting average of .264 and average 5.52 runs per game under the direction of first-year head coach John Szefc. Tom Stoffel leads the team at the plate with a team-high 31 hits complemented by a .320 batting average.

On the mound, the Hokies pitching staff has compiled a 5.33 ERA with 217 strikeouts in 204.1 innings.

Six in a Row for NC State
NC State has won its last six ACC series dating back to the Virginia Tech series from last year. The Wolfpack and Duke are the only two teams that have not lost a conference series this season.

The Pack’s six consecutive ACC series wins is the longest active streak in the conference, as the Blue Devils dropped their final conference series a year ago.

Wolfpack in the National, ACC Rankings
Batting Average – .317 (1st in ACC, 8th in NCAA)
Hits – 272 (2nd in ACC, 12th in NCAA)
Home Runs – 42 (1st in ACC, 4th in NCAA)
Home Runs Per Game – 1.68 (1st in ACC, 4th in NCAA)
Runs – 191 (1st in ACC, 18th in NCAA)
On-base Percentage – .409 (1st in ACC, 13th in NCAA)
Slugging Percentage – .517 (1st in ACC, 6th in NCAA)

Walks Plus Hits Per Inning Pitched (WHIP) – 1.21 (1st in ACC, 21st in NCAA)
Earned Run Average (ERA) – 2.96 (2nd in ACC, 26th in NCAA)
Hits Allowed Per 9 Innings – 7.28 (2nd in ACC, 22nd in NCAA)

40 And Counting for Wilson
Sophomore Will Wilson has reached base safely in 40 consecutive games dating back to the first game of the Delaware series last season. He singled against George Mason on Tuesday to extend his streak.

McLain on a 13-game Hitting Streak
Senior Josh McLain has enjoyed a stellar start to his senior season, as the Wolfpack’s center fielder is on a 13-game hitting streak. He opened the season on an 11-game hitting streak, so McLain has tallied a hit in 24 of NC State’s 25 games.

The lone game that he was held without a hit was against Canisius. He leads the team with 40 hits this season, which is second in the ACC.

Big Innings
NC State has scored four or more runs in an inning 14 times this season with the most recent occurrence in the eighth inning of Sunday’s series finale against Georgia Tech with five runs in that frame. The Wolfpack’s season high for runs in an inning is eight, accomplished in the fourth inning of the Campbell game on March 3 and the seventh inning of the Air Force game on Feb. 26.

The More, The Merrier
NC State is a perfect 18-0 on the year when recording more hits than its opponent.

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NC State Baseball

#20 NC State Upsets #7 FSU 8-7 in Game 1 Down in Tallahassee

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15 hours ago

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May 3, 2024

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#20 NC State upset #7 Florida St. 8-7 in the series opener down in Tallahassee this evening.

Freshman Cooper Consiglio was the hero on the mound this evening, coming in after Senior Sam Highfill and Sophomore Shane Van Dam, pitching 4.1 innings, while giving up only 1 earned run and striking out 5. It was probably Consiglio’s best performance of his collegiate career, marking the first time he’s ever pitched 4 innings, and given up 1 run or less. He now is 2-4 on the year with a 5.66 ERA.

Sophomore Derrick Smith picked up his 4th Save of the year, failing to give up a hit in 1.2 innings pitched, while striking out 3.

Junior Catcher Jacob Cozart got things started off for the Wolfpack in the Top of the 2nd hitting his 9th Home Run in the past 9 games, and his 15th of the year.

Sophomore 2nd Baseman Matt Heavner led the Pack with 2 RBI’s tonight. The first followed Cozart’s bomb, hitting a Single in the Top of the 2nd that scored Sophomore Left Fielder Luke Nixon. Then Junior Chase Nixon hit a Single, and 2 NC State runners scored due to a wild throw.

Then in the Top of the 3rd, Heavner knocked in another run with a Sac Bunt, that scored Luke Nixon.

Then Sophomore Center Fielder Eli Serrano III hit an RBI Single that scored Chase Nixon, giving the Wolfpack a 6-2 lead.

In the Top of the 6th, Senior 3rd Baseman Alec Makarewicz hit a solo Home Run, his 18th of the season.

In the same inning, Junior Shortstop Brandon Butterworth scored on a wild pitch, giving the Wolfpack their 8th run of the evening.

Senior starting Pitcher Sam Highfill was only able to pitch 2 innings, giving up 2 earned runs. Sophomore Shane Van Dam continues to struggle in relief, giving up 3 earned runs in 1 inning. His ERA is now up to 5.17. Van Dam left the game with an injury, which might have led to his exit.

The Wolfpack and the Seminoles will play Game 2 tomorrow at 7pm.

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NC State Baseball

NC State Baseball Bracketology Report Heading Into Series Against FSU

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2 days ago

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May 2, 2024

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#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

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NC State Baseball

#20 NC State Loses 4-5 to UNCW, Losing 5th Straight Midweek Game

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4 days ago

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April 30, 2024

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#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.

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.

On Friday, the Wolfpack will head down to Tallahassee for a 3-game series against #7 Florida State.

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NC State Baseball

NC State Outfielder Josh Hogue Out for Remainder of the Season

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5 days ago

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April 29, 2024

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NC State will be without Sophomore Right Fielder Josh Hogue for the remainder of the season. Hogue unfortunately suffered a fractured leg due to a collision with Center Fielder Eli Serrano III on Saturday, with both players diving for a ball in the outfield.

Hogue will have to undergo surgery, and he is expected to be out 4 months.

This is a huge loss for the Wolfpack. Hogue has been batting 3rd in NC State’s lineup, with the 3rd best batting average on the squad (.314) and 4th best OPS (.848).

On Sunday, Freshman 2nd Baseman Luke Nixon moved out to Right Field to fill the void, and his brother Chase Nixon was in Right. Starter Senior Noah Soles has been out since the Notre Dame Series at the end of March, but he has been taking batting practice and should be returning soon.

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