NC State Baseball
NC State Baseball Loses Series, Wins Awards
Three weeks ago, it looked as if State’s baseball season was falling apart. In a near must win scenario, State swept then top-25 ranked UNC, before shutting out UNCG, 3-0.
This week brought more mixed outcomes.
Wolfpack with Awards
The OUTSTANDING effort from the starting pitchers, and just about everybody in the line-up, didn’t go unnoticed.
For his complete game, one-hit shutout, Chris Villaman was named ACC Pitcher of the Week. The feat of a one-hit shutout, is State’s first in nearly 25 years.
Austin Murr also put himself into the spotlight, receiving College Baseball National Player of the Week honors. Over his last 6 games, Murr has 3 dingers, 8 RBIs, while batting .407.
Back to Losing
We all know that the main reason for State’s struggles this year, has been from the unsteady (putting it kindly) pitching out of the bullpen. During the four-game winning streak, State starting pitchers had two complete games and a third if you consider that Willadsen finished two innings before going another 7 to start game three versus UNC.
State started the Game 1 against Clemson, jumping out to a 6-2 lead. Even with a tough fifth, starting pitcher Reid Johnston stayed in for 114 pitches. In Game 2, Highfill went for 110, the exact same for Willadsen in Game 3.
It has become abundantly clear, Avent is going to keep his starter in until at least 100 pitches to eat up innings. The bullpen is purely a worst case scenario, which doesn’t bode well for State to have any postseason success.
State went 1-2 against Clemson and now faces a meeting with App State before a full three-game series versus fellow bottom-feeder BC.
#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 (-)
