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NC State Rebounds in a Big Way With a 9-8 Win Over #13 Coastal Carolina

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NC State was in need of a big win, and they got what they needed tonight, defeating #13 Coastal Carolina 9-8 at the Doak.

Freshman Ryan Marohn got off to a shaky start in the 1st inning, giving up a single, and 2 walks, which was followed up by a Grand Slam by Graham Brown, giving Coastal a 4-0 lead from the jump. After that, Marohn settled in, and didn’t give up another run over the next 4.1 innings.

In the bottom of the 1st, Senior 3rd Baseman Alec Makarewicz and Junior Catcher Jacob Cozart both hit opposite field home runs to cut the deficit by 2 runs.

In the Bottom of the 3rd inning, Senior 1st Baseman Garrett Pennington hit a solo shot, and after A-Mak doubled, Freshman Catcher Alex Sosa knocked him in with an RBI single, tying up the game.

Sophomore Shane Van Dam gave up a home run to Coastal’s Jake Books in the Top of the 6th, giving the Chanticleers a 1-run lead.

The 7th inning stretch led to good things for the Pack, with the boys in Red and White putting 4 runs on the board in the bottom of the 7th. Freshman 2nd Baseman Luke Nixon scored on a wild pitch. Sophomore Left Fielder Josh Hogue singled, then Cozart and Pennington walked. Sophomore Center Fielder Eli Serrano III singled, knocking in Hogue and Pennington.

Sosa would pick up his second RBI of the day, knocking in Cozart on a single, giving the Wolfpack an 8-5 lead.

Things got fishy in the Top of the 8th. Senior P.J. Labriola was on the mound, and after recording two outs, the ump called a controversial pitch clock violation, loading the bases on a 3-2 count. After that Labriola walked in a run on the next at bat. Senior Hollis Fanning came in to clean things up, and allowed a single, that brought in 2 more runs for the Chanticleers, tying the game up 8-8.

In the bottom of the 8th, Hogue walked, and Pennington brought him home, with what would be the game winning RBI double.

To seal the deal, in the Top of the 9th inning, Junior Shortstop Brandon Butterworth pulled off a spectacular double play all by himself to end the game.

Fanning picked up the Win, giving him a 2-0 record on the year, with a 4.50 ERA.

Pennington, Makarewicz and Sosa each had 2 hits and 2 RBI’s, while Hogue, Pennington, A-Mak and Cozart all had 2 Runs apiece.

The competition only gets more difficult this weekend, with #9 Duke coming to the Doak for a 3-game series. First pitch on Friday is at 6pm.

Matthew is Publisher and Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He is also the Lead Pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.

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NC State Baseball

#17 NC State Walks It Off in 14-3 Mercy Rule Win Over #8 Wake Forest in Series Opener

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#17 NC State made a STATEMENT tonight against #8 Wake Forest, winning 14-3 on of a walk-off GRAND SLAM via Freshman Alex Sosa in the Bottom of the 8th inning, triggering a mercy rule victory for the Wolfpack.

The victory snapped a 5-game losing streak to the Demon Deacons.

Senior Sam Highfill got the start, and gave up 3 earned runs in 4.1 innings pitched, striking out 4. All 3 runs were solo Home Runs by the Deacs.

Freshman Cooper Consiglio came in after Highfill, and had ice in his veins once again, pitching 3.2 shutout innings, striking out 7. He gave up only 1 hit, and lowered his ERA to 4.46. Consiglio also picked up the victory, and is now 4-4 on the year. The Freshman hasn’t given up an earned run in his last 8 innings pitched against UVA and WFU.

Senior 3rd Baseman Alec Makarewicz hit his 19th Home Run of the season in the 3rd Inning to tie the game. Prior to that, Freshman Luke Nixon put the Pack on the board with an RBI Single in the 2nd.

In the Bottom of the 4th, the Wolfpack scored on a balk, and a groundout by Sophomore Center Fielder Eli Serrano III.

In the Bottom of the 5th, NC State scored on an error when Sosa was stealing a base, and then scored another on a groundout by Luke Nixon.

Serrano III knocked in another one in the Bottom of the 6th via a Single.

The Bottom of the 8th was a run fest for the Wolfpack, scoring 7 in the frame. A-Mak had an RBI Single, Wake walked in 2 runs, and then Sosa ended things with a Grand Slam.

Game 2 will be tomorrow night at 7pm on ACC Network.

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NC State Baseball

Previewing #17 NC State vs. #8 Wake Forest

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#17 NC State will host #8 Wake Forest this evening to kickoff a 3-game series against the Demon Deacons.

Heading into the series, NC State is 29-19 overall, and 15-11 in ACC play. Wake Forest is 36-16, with a 15-12 conference record. As things currently stand, NC State is tied for 2nd in the Atlantic Division, with the Demon Deacons a 0.5 game behind them.

Overall, the Wolfpack historically has a significant edge over Wake Forest, with a 126-68 against the Demon Deacons. With that being said, the Deacs have won the last 5 games against the Wolfpack, and 8 of the last 12.

The last time NC State beat Wake Forest was in the first game of the 2022 ACC Tournament. The last series victory for the Wolfpack against the Deacs was in 2021, winning 2 out of 3 on the road. The last time NC State beat Wake Forest in a series at home was in 2018, when the Wolfpack swept the Deacons.

Wake Forest is en fuego right now, winning 9 straight heading into tonights game, which includes a sweep of Clemson last weekend, who was ranked 2nd at the time.

At the plate Wake is winning with power and patience, leading the ACC in Home Runs and Walks. They rank 9th in Batting Average. On the mound, they are strikeout machines, leading the ACC in K’s, and they rank 2nd in Opponent Batting Average. On the other hand, they are Walk machines, Walking the 2nd most batters in the ACC.

Wake Forest has 5 players with 10+ Home Runs, with Junior Nick Kurtz leading the way with 20. Their Ace is Junior Chase Burns, who leads the nation with 156 Strikeouts. He boasts a 10-1 record with a 2.85 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP.

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NC State Baseball

A Bracketology Update Prior to the Start of the #17 NC State vs. #8 Wake Forest Series Tonight

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#17 NC State will kickoff a 3-game series against #8 Wake Forest this evening, but before they do, here’s a look at a Bracketology update.

D1Baseball has NC State as a #2 seed in the Athens Region, with the Georgia Bulldogs as the #7 overall seed. The experts at D1Baseball did make the point that “NC State would be another team to keep close tabs on this weekend. Should the Wolfpack win that series at home against Wake this weekend, they likely would find their way to the hosting line.” (D1)

Baseball America has the Wolfpack as the #2 seed in the Terre Haute Region, with Indiana State as the #12 overall seed. They also make the point that NC State is on the hosting bubble.

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NC State’s ACC Leaders Heading into the Final Regular Season Series of 2024

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#17 NC State will host #8 Wake Forest tomorrow night, but before they begin their final regular season series of the 2024 season, let’s take a look at which Wolfpack players rank in the Top-10 in the ACC in individual statistical categories.

Senior 3rd Baseman Alec Makarewicz

Makarewicz ranks 11th in Batting Average (.358), 9th in Slugging Percentage (.721), 10th in OPS (1.139), 7th in Hits (72), 2nd in Doubles (19), 9th in Home Runs (18) and 5th in RBI’s (65).

Senior 1st Baseman Garrett Pennington 

Pennington ranks 8th in Hits (71) and 2nd in Doubles (19).

Junior Catcher Jacob Cozart 

Cozart ranks 8th in Walks (40).

Junior Shortstop Brandon Butterworth

Butterworth ranks 10th in Stolen Bases (10).

Senior Pitcher Sam Highfill

Highfill ranks 10th in Wins (5-1), 2nd in Complete Games (1), 1st in Shutouts (1), 5th in Opponents Batting Average (.218).

Freshman Pitcher Jacob Dudan

Dudan ranks 8th in Saves (5).

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While A-Mak’s numbers are superior to Pennington’s overall, when it comes to Conference Only Statistics, Pennington’s numbers are supreme.

In conference play, Pennington ranks 7th in Batting Average (.366), 7th in Slugging Percentage (.750), 7th in OPS (1.182), 9th in Runs (29), 4th in Hits (41), 2nd in RBI’s (35), 5th in Doubles (10), and 6th in Home Runs (11).

Pennington is the only Wolfpack batter to rank in the Top-10 in a statistical category in ACC play, besides Freshman Luke Nixon, who ranks 6th in Stolen Bases (7).

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