NC State Opens ACC Tournament Against Duke Tuesday Morning

NC State Baseball begins postseason play bright and early tomorrow morning.

The No. 9 seed Wolfpack will face No. 16 seed Duke at 9 a.m. in the opening round of the 2026 ACC Baseball Tournament.

NC State enters postseason play at:

32-21 overall
14-16 in ACC play

The Blue Devils enter the tournament at:

25-30 overall
10-20 in ACC play

Regular Season Series Recap

NC State took two of three from Duke earlier this season in Raleigh back on April 10-12.

Game 1

NC State 10, Duke 4

Game 2

NC State 18, Duke 5 (7 innings)

Game 3

Duke 3, NC State 2

Looking Back at the Series

Game 1

Junior left-hander Ryan Marohn earned the win, allowing four earned runs over 5.1 innings while striking out nine.

Marohn has been sidelined with injury recently, but there remains optimism he could return on a limited pitch count during NCAA Regional play.

Sophomore Anderson Nance was dominant in relief against the Blue Devils:

3.1 shutout innings
8 strikeouts

Nance also recently picked up the win in his lone start of the season against UNC this past weekend.

Offensively, sophomore shortstop Mikey Ryan exploded:

3-for-4
4 RBI
2 runs
2 home runs

Junior third baseman Sherman Johnson also homered and drove in three runs.

Game 2

Junior Heath Andrews picked up the win after allowing four earned runs across 6.2 innings with six strikeouts.

Freshman phenom Rett Johnson led the offense:

4-for-4
2 RBI
4 runs scored

Junior second baseman Luke Nixon also had a huge day:

3-for-4
2 RBI
3 runs
Double
Walk

Brayden Fraasman, Andrew Wiggins, and Drew Lanphere all homered in the rout.

Game 3

NC State dropped the finale, but junior left-hander Cooper Consiglio was excellent.

Consiglio logged a quality start:

6 innings
1 earned run
7 strikeouts

Junior first baseman Chris McHugh paced the offense:

2-for-4
2 RBI
Double

What’s at Stake?

The stakes are simple.

NC State helped itself significantly by defeating UNC in the regular-season finale, but the Wolfpack still likely need to make a solid impression in Charlotte to feel comfortable on Selection Monday.

And the quickest way to create unnecessary stress?

Losing Game 1.

NC State needs to take care of business against Duke tomorrow morning.

Bracket