NC State Baseball
NC State shuts out Virginia Tech 1-0 to clinch series
BLACKSBURG, Va. – The sixth-ranked NC State baseball team earned a 1-0 victory Saturday afternoon at English Field at Union Park to clinch the road series against the Virginia Tech Hokies.
The Wolfpack has now won all four of its ACC series this season and has won seven consecutive conference series, the longest streak of any team in the league. NC State and Duke are the only two teams in the ACC that have not lost a conference series in 2018.
NC State moves to 23-5 on the year and 9-3 in ACC play, while Virginia Tech falls to 11-15 and 5-7 in conference action. Freshman Reid Johnston earned the win with an inning of relief to remain unbeaten and improve to 3-0, while redshirt senior Joe O’Donnell shut the door to earn his sixth save.
Key Plays in the Game
– With runners on first and third in the top of the eighth, junior Evan Edwards stepped to the plate with two outs and singled to right field past the first baseman to drive in the game-winning run.
– Stephen Pitarra was hit-by-pitch to start the frame and Terrell Tatum came in to pinch-run to score on Edwards’ RBI single.
– Virginia Tech threatened in the fifth and eighth, but NC State turned inning-ending double plays to escape a pair of jams.
Quick Hits
– NC State had a runner reach base in all nine innings, as Virginia Tech pitchers did not have a perfect inning.
– Virginia Tech looked to strike early in the contest, as the Hokies had a runner on third with two outs in the first, but NC State starter Brian Brown forced the next batter to fly out to center field.
– VT loaded the bases with one down in the fifth, but Brown induced a ground ball to Will Wilson at shortstop and he started the 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
– Brock Deatherage tried to spark a two-out rally for the Wolfpack in the seventh, as he beat the shift with a single through the right side and advanced to second on a passed ball. Unfortunately, a swinging strikeout followed to end the threat.
– After Pitarra was hit-by-pitch in the eighth, Brett Kinneman drew a walk to put runners at first and second with one out.
– Wilson hit a sacrifice fly to center field, which allowed Tatum to tag and move over to third base before scoring on Edwards’ RBI single.
– Wolfpack reliever Kent Klyman retired the first two batters of the ninth and gave way to O’Donnell after a double.
– The Wilmington, N.C., native came up big for the Pack as he struck out the batter swinging on a 3-2 pitch to seal the win for NC State.
Inside the Box Score
– Deatherage was the only player in the contest to tally more than one hit, as he turned in a 2-for-4 outing at the plate.
– Edwards, J.T. Jarrett, Josh McLain, Steven Oakley and Wilson had one hit apiece in the contest.
– Oakley earned his first career start, as he got the nod at designated hitter.
On the Mound
– Brown delivered another strong performance for NC State on the mound, as he pitched six shutout innings and allowed four hits, all singles, while striking out four batters.
– Johnston relieved him and threw an inning to earn the win.
– Klyman took over to start the eighth and pitched 1.2 innings, yielding just one hit.
– O’Donnell retired the only batter he faced to record his 13th career save.
On Deck
NC State returns to action next weekend when the squad travels to Louisville. Game one of the series is set for 6 p.m. Friday, April 6, at Jim Patterson Stadium.
#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 (-)
