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NC State Lands 2 on Perfect Game Preseason All-American Teams

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CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – NC State baseball’s Patrick Bailey and Will Wilson have been tabbed Preseason All-Americans by Perfect Game ahead of the 2019 season, announced Tuesday by the organization.

Wilson earns a spot on the second team, ranking among the nation’s top four middle infielders, while Bailey is on the third team as one of the top three catchers nationally.

Hailing from Kings Mountain, N.C., Wilson secures his second Preseason All-America honor as he also collected the accolade from Collegiate Baseball. He was recently tabbed one of the top 50 prospects for the 2019 MLB Draft by MLB Pipeline.

He spent the summer as a member of the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team (CNT) and traveled to Cuba with the team.

After claiming Freshman All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball in his initial season with the Wolfpack, Wilson put together a .307 batting average as a sophomore to go along with 53 RBIs and 15 home runs. He was one of seven Wolfpack players to claim All-ACC honors and one of four named to the first team.

The Pack’s shortstop made program history during the season by becoming the first NC State player to claim ACC Player of the Week honors three times in a season. Wilson hit 10 home runs against ACC teams, which tied for the third most in conference games and is the most among returning players. He was named one of 35 semifinalists for the Dick Howser Trophy, which is given annually to the top player in collegiate baseball.

Wilson was also selected to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List, which is presented to the nation’s top shortstop. He was tabbed National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball and College Sports Madness, along with NCBWA National Hitter of the Week during the season.

Bailey was a unanimous Freshman All-America selection last season, claiming the honor from all five publications to announce the award, including Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, D1Baseball, National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and Perfect Game.

The Greensboro, N.C., native turned in a stellar rookie season to earn ACC Freshman of the Year. Bailey led all freshmen in the ACC in batting average (.321), home runs (13), total bases (113) and slugging percentage (.604).

He was tabbed a Second Team All-ACC and ACC All-Freshman Team selection, in addition to being an American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-Region honoree. Bailey set the NC State freshman home run record with 13 long balls in his initial season, eclipsing the previous mark of 12 held by Colt Morton.

The switch-hitting catcher made history against William & Mary, when he became the first Wolfpack player to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game.

Bailey’s .604 slugging percentage led the Pack, was the fourth highest in the ACC and best for a freshman. He logged the second most multi-hit games on the team with 21 and also contributed 11 multi-RBI games, highlighted by two games with five or more RBIs. Bailey threw out 11 runners on the base paths and recorded a .983 fielding percentage.

NC State will open the 2019 season ranked No. 22 in Collegiate Baseball Preseason Poll, which marks the 17th consecutive season that the Wolfpack has either started or finished the year ranked among the top 25. The Pack hosts the Bucknell Bison on opening weekend, Feb. 15-17, for a three-game series at Doak Field at Dail Park.

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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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#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 Bracketology Report Heading Into Series Against FSU

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

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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 Outfielder Josh Hogue Out for Remainder of the Season

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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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