NC State Baseball
NC State Baseball Heads to ACC as #3 Seed, at Least #2 in NCAAT
There were moments on Saturday, that it looked like the Wolfpack were going to sweep ANOTHER ranked ACC team. Although they didn’t quite pull it off, winning two of three guaranteed State a #3 seed heading into the ACC Tournament. A pair of dramatic 6-4 wins officially completed the comeback of the year, from last place in all of the ACC, to top seed in Pool C.
ACC Tournament
UNC: When it comes to baseball and postseason play, I don’t want to f*ck with a rival. I don’t remember the last trip to Omaha because I blocked that completely out of memory, but I think UNC was somehow involved? Maybe? Let’s move on… When you look at State’s amazing comeback, the sweep AT UNC (who at that point was ranked #11 in the nation) is easily the trajectory changer. Reid Johnston went the distance in Game 1, then it was the beautiful two inning closer role for Willadsen before he literally came right back to pitch an amazing 7.1 in Game 3.
After that sweep by State, UNC had moments of getting hot, but ultimately just weren’t the same. The key factor, at least for this elite analyst*, is UNC struggles mightily away from Chapel Hill. On the road they are 6-14 overall, 2-7 in their last three road series. Compare that to State’s stellar 15-3 road record, and Charlotte will be a major advantage for the Wolfpack.
*Not an elite analyst.
PITT: The. Panthers. Have. Fallen. Off. The. Face. Of. The. Earth. State fans, let me know if you’ve heard a team doing this before. Starts the season hot as heck going 12-5, ranked, looking to make a historic program run, then the wheels fall off. If you answered, “Just about every State season in the last 15 years,” you’re right! Panthers had two series in a row cancelled, before going 2 of 3 against BC, swept by State and then swept by freaking Wake Forest (and the games weren’t even close, 1-6, 5-12, 2-10). This was a team heading into the final weekend, that could have jumped into a top-6 seed and then just pooped the bed.
That said, State can’t be the ones that let them off the mat. Their bats are struggling and the can’t seem to get folks out. Get a win and then put it all out there for the UNC game that follows.
NCAA Tournament Outlook
I know, I know, I know, I know…Vonwolf, why the hell are we jumping ahead. Feel free to skip this section if you like, but here are the brief details. With yet another 2 wins over ranked opponents, State will be at least a high #2 for the NCAAT. They’re now a top-25 RPI team, ranked by Baseball America as #15 and if the committee takes into account recent play (which the absolutely should) State has now gone 19-4 since 4/6 with 9 of those wins against top-16 ranked opponents.
If State would have swept FSU, would have been a really good chance they switch spots with the #9 Seminoles and therefore find themselves teasing the committee for a #1 seed (although they might have had to “host” in Charlotte…but again…and I can’t emphasize this enough…we want dat road life).
Regardless, the team is playing hot and are fired up about postseason play. After the loss in Game 3 to FSU, Avent was adamant that his team was pissed off they could finish out the regular season with a win. Hopefully the Pack has four more wins in them for this week, and another handful for June.
#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 (-)
