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NC State Picks up a Huge 11-8 Win Against #2 Clemson on the Road in the Series Opener

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1 month ago

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NC State picked up a desperately needed win against #2 Clemson tonight, defeating the Tigers 11-8 on the road.

Senior Sam Highfill was back on the mound this Friday, but Mayor struggled, giving up 6 runs in 3.1 innings. Thankfully, Sophomore Shane Van Dam came in and quieted Clemson, giving up 1 earned run (2 runs) in 4.2 innings, striking out 8 batters, which is a new career high.

Sophomore Right Fielder Josh Hogue put the Pack on the board in the Top of the 1st with a solo Home Run.

Clemson would then go up 2-1 in the Bottom of the 1st with a 2-run Home Run.

NC State would regain the lead again in the Top of the 4th, putting 4 runs on the board. Junior Jacob Cozart grounded out to 2nd, but it was good enough to drive in Senior 1st Baseman Garrett Pennington. Then Sophomore Center Fielder Eli Serrano III drove in two with a Double, and then Redshirt Freshman Drew Lanphere drove him in with a Single.

The Tigers would answer with 4 runs of their own in the Bottom of the 4th.

In the Top of the 5th, the Wolfpack caught a break. With 2 outs, Junior Shortstop Brandon Butterworth reached 1st on a throwing error, which allowed Senior 3rd Baseman Alec Makarewicz and Hogue to come home. Serrano III would then take advantage of the opportunity, driving in 2 more with a Single.

The Tigers would make it a 1-run game in the Bottom of the 5th, scoring 2.

The Wolfpack would add a run in the 8th via an RBI Single from A-Mak, and another one in the 9th from Freshman 2nd Baseman Luke Nixon to make it a 3-run cushion.

Serrano III was the MVP at the plate for NC State today, going 3 for 4 with 4 RBI’s and 2 Runs.

Van Dam was the MVP on the mound. He is now 4-0 on the year, with a 2.63 ERA. Stud.

NC State (19-12) and Clemson (28-5) will take to the field tomorrow at 8pm.

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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

Previewing #17 NC State vs. #8 Wake Forest

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9 hours ago

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May 16, 2024

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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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13 hours ago

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May 16, 2024

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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 Baseball

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

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1 day ago

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May 15, 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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NC State Baseball

NC State’s Bracketology Report After UVA Series Victory

Published

3 days ago

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May 13, 2024

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#17 NC State just wrapped up an incredible week, shutting out Norfolk St. 18-0 in a midweek game, and defeating UVA in 2 out of 3 on the road. When the Wolfpack headed to Charlottesville, the Cavaliers were ranked 10th (now 18th).

According to D1Baseball’s most recent Bracketology report after this weekend’s games, NC State is projected to be a #2 seed in the Starkville Regional. Mississippi St. is the projected #16 seed.

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D1Baseball listed NC State, Oklahoma St., Dallas Baptist and Duke as being on the Regional Host Bubble.

I agree with Alex Gee’s assessment here.

NC State has 3 Series Victories over Top-10 teams and 4 Series against Top-15 teams. Personally, I think a strong argument could be made for NC State hosting a Regional as things currently stand. With that being said, if they find a way to win the series against #8 Wake Forest at home later this week, the debate will be over.

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