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No. 2 NC State Travels to Duke for Top-5 Matchup This Weekend

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6 years ago

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NC STATE – DUKE
Dates: Friday – Sunday, April 20-22
Location: Jack Coombs Field (Durham, N.C.)
Times: 6 p.m. (Fri.) | 1 p.m. (Sat. & Sun.)
Radio: WKNC 88.1 FM
Live Video: ACC Network Extra
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast

STARTING PITCHERS
Friday – RHP Reid Johnston (NCSU) vs. LHP Adam Laskey (Duke)
Saturday – LHP Brian Brown (NCSU) vs. LHP Mitch Stallings (Duke)
Sunday – RHP Michael Bienlien (NCSU) vs. TBA (Duke)

*Rankings based on this week’s Collegiate baseball top-25 poll*

RALEIGH, N.C. – The ACC leaders in the Atlantic and Coastal divisions will collide this weekend when the second-ranked NC State baseball team travels to No. 3 Duke for a three-game series.

Friday’s game is set for 6 p.m., while Saturday and Sunday’s games will begin at 1 p.m. at Jack Coombs Field on Duke’s campus.

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 29-7 overall record, including a 13-5 mark in ACC play to lead the Atlantic Division, while Duke owns a 30-8 mark and a 12-5 ledger in conference action to lead the Coastal Division.

Last Time Out
In its last outing, the Wolfpack earned an 8-3 win against eighth-ranked UNC-Chapel Hill in the ‘Duel at the DBAP’, a rare non-conference matchup between the programs. NC State struck first on a two-run homer from Patrick Bailey and put the game away with a three-run homer in the ninth inning by Evan Edwards.

Duke dropped a 9-2 decision at home against East Carolina in its most recent outing on Tuesday evening.

The Series
NC State and Duke have met 283 times in the history of the programs with the Wolfpack owning a 154-128-1 lead in the all-time series. NCSU has won seven of the last 10 meetings with the Blue Devils.

Last Time Versus Duke
The Wolfpack and Blue Devils last met during the 2016 season when NC State won the series held at Doak Field at Dail Park. The Pack recorded a 3-2 win in game one and a 12-2 victory in game two to clinch the series.

Duke edged NC State in the series finale, 2-1, to avoid the sweep. Evan Mendoza hit a walkoff single to give NCSU the 3-2 win in the first game of the series, which is the most recent walkoff win for the program.

Last Time at Duke
NC State last made the short trip over to Duke in 2014, but that series was held at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park instead of Jack Coombs Field. The Blue Devils won the first and third games of series to clinch, after the Wolfpack evened the series with a 6-2 win in game two.

Scouting Duke
The Duke Blue Devils are ranked among the top 10 of five major polls for the first time in program history with the highest at No. 3 in the Collegiate Baseball Poll. The Blue Devils won their last ACC series against Florida State, as the squad picked up their first series victory against the Seminoles since 1994.

Duke has only lost one conference series this season, falling in the rubber game of the series at Wake Forest.

Joey Loperfido leads the team at the plate with a .328 batting average to go along with 41 hits and a team-high 28 RBI. Griffin Conine paces the Blue Devils with seven home runs and the team has hit 30 for the year. As a team, Duke owns a .261 batting average and is scoring 6.26 runs per game.

Duke’s pitching staff is tied for the second-best ERA in the conference with a 3.43 clip.

Wolfpack in the National, ACC Rankings
Team
Batting Average – .304 (1st in ACC, 16th in NCAA)
Hits – 379 (2nd in ACC, 22nd in NCAA)
Home Runs – 56 (1st in ACC, 5th in NCAA)
Home Runs Per Game – 1.56 (1st in ACC, 4th in NCAA)
On-base Percentage – .404 (1st in ACC, 14th in NCAA)
Slugging Percentage – .489 (1st in ACC, 8th in NCAA)
Runs – 278 (1st in ACC, 13th in NCAA)
Scoring – 7.7 (1st in ACC, 10th in NCAA)

Walks Plus Hits Per Inning Pitched (WHIP) – 1.27 (2nd in ACC, 32nd in NCAA)
Earned Run Average – 3.44 (4th in ACC, 35th in NCAA)
Hits Allowed Per 9 Innings – 7.80 (4th in ACC, 34th in NCAA)

Individual
Brian Brown
ERA – 1.09 (1st in ACC, 4th in NCAA)

Brett Kinneman
Home Runs – 13 (1st in ACC, 5th in NCAA)
RBI – 45 (1st in ACC, 12th in NCAA)

Josh McLain
Hits – 60 (1st in ACC, 11th in NCAA)
Hits Per Game – 1.67 (1st in ACC, 6th in NCAA)

Joe O’Donnell
Saves – 7 (2nd in ACC, 33rd in NCAA)

Nine in a Row
The Wolfpack owns the ACC’s longest active series-win streak, as NC State has won nine consecutive conference series. NC State has won each of its weekend matchups dating back to the Virginia Tech series from last season.

Road Warriors
NC State owns the ACC’s best road record with a 7-2 mark in conference games. The Wolfpack, Louisville and Wake Forest are the only teams in the league that have swept a three-game conference road series.

PACKing a Punch
NC State’s two, three and four batters in the lineup have combined to hit 33 of the Wolfpack’s 56 home runs this season. Brett Kinneman leads the group and the ACC with 13 homers, while Will Wilson and Evan Edwards each have 10 long balls.

Tatum on a Tear
Since being inserted into the NC State lineup for the series finale at Louisville, freshman Terrell Tatum has compiled a .381 batting average at the plate, which is the second best on the team in the past six games.

The Collierville, Tenn., native has scored seven runs, collected five RBI and stole three bases during that span.

Big Innings
NC State has scored four of more runs in an inning 21 times this season with the most recent occurrence in game two of the doubleheader against Notre Dame. The Wolfpack scored six runs in the third inning and added four runs in the seventh en route to the victory.

The Pack’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.

Wilson Garners Second ACC Player of the Week
Will Wilson was named the ACC Player of the Week for the second time this season on Monday, April 16. He helped lead NC State to a 3-1 record last week, compiling a .316 batting average with eight RBI, six runs and three home runs.

The sophomore shortstop recorded his second career multi-homer game in the series finale against Notre Dame to clinch the series, as the Wolfpack extended its ACC series-win streak to nine dating back to 2017.

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NC State Baseball

#20 NC State Falls to #7 FSU 1-8 in Sunday Afternoon Bout

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53 mins ago

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May 5, 2024

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The 20th ranked NC State Baseball team lost to #7 FSU 1-8 on the road this afternoon. After yesterday’s game was cancelled due to weather, the Wolfpack head back to Raleigh splitting the series with the Seminoles.

Sophomore Dominic Fritton gave up 5 earned runs in 4.1 innings pitched, walking 4. Senior Logan Whitaker made his return from injury, and gave up 3 earned runs in 1 inning pitched, walking 3. The Wolfpack bullpen wouldn’t allow another run the rest of the way, but their bats simply couldn’t muster any runs against FSU’s Dorsey and Hults.

The Wolfpack wasn’t without their offensive opportunities. They had 7 hits, which matched FSU’s total. NC State left 10 runners on base, while the Seminoles left 7.

Senior 3rd Baseman Alec Makerewicz and Sophomore 2nd Baseman Matt Heavner both had 2 hits. Part of the Wolfpack’s problem, was the fact that only 1 of their 7 hits was an extra-base hit, and that was a Double by A-Mak. Makerewicz is batting .356 on the year.

Despite the loss, NC State heads into this week having clinched a spot in the 2024 ACC Tournament.

With a 13-10 ACC record, the Wolfpack currently sit 3rd in the Atlantic Division.

NC State will host Norfolk St. in a midweek game on Tuesday night at 7pm, and then will hit the road for a series against #11 Virginia next weekend.

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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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2 days 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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4 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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5 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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