Around the diamond: NC State baseball starts 4-0

Here are some notes from NC State baseball’s opening weekend:

The Pack is 4-0 after sweeping James Madison over the weekend and then beating Longwood 6-1 on Tuesday afternoon.

Here is a look at where the Pack is ranked in the various national polls:

• National College Baseball Writers’ Association — 12th

• D1Baseball.com — 15th

• Collegiate Baseball — 16th

• Baseball America — 18th

• Perfect Game — 18th

• USA Today Coaches — 18th (not updated since preseason)

One of the chief priorities of the early portions of the baseball schedule is settling on a lineup that will carry a team through the season. If the opening weekend is any preview, junior Devonte Brown will have a spot in the middle of the order.

Brown, a platoon player in right field last season, crushed the ball in his first four games, with eight hits in 16 at bats, including three doubles and a homer. He scored five runs and drove in seven while also walking twice. He is currently getting on base at an impressive .556 clip.

Newcomer Aaron Murr, a junior first baseman, was another revelation during week one. Murr, who batted leadoff, went 4 for 13 at the plate with a pair of doubles and a homer, and matched Brown for the team lead in runs scored. He also walked five times.

Two everyday players from last year are also off to good starts. Junior outfielder Jonny Butler went 7 for 17 at the plate in the four games, including a double and a homer. Sophomore outfielder/second baseman Tyler McDonough was 5 for 15 with four walks. He also successfully stole five bases (in five attempts).

On the other side of the coin, expectations are high for preseason consensus All-American junior catcher Patrick Bailey and prized freshman shortstop Jose Torres, but both got off to slow starts. Bailey was just 1 of 11, although he did walk a team-high seven times and scored five runs, but he also had five strikeouts.

Torres went 2 for 13 at the plate, striking out six times. However, he did manage to drive in three runs.

A pair of junior lefties made sterling starts. Nick Swiney opened the season with a dominating performance. He went seven innings, allowing only four baserunners (two hits and two walks) to James Madison while striking out 11.

Then on Tuesday, David Harrison went a career-high six innings, surrendering five hits and one earned run to Longwood. He had no walks and a personal-best seven strikeouts before being relieved.

Senior lefty Kent Klyman appears to be the likely closer this season for NC State. He went 2 for 2 in save opportunities against JMU, not allowing a baserunner in one and one-third innings and striking out two of the four batters he faced.

Redshirt junior right-hander Dalton Feeney had promising results in a long-relief stint, throwing three and one-third innings against James Madison and allowing no runs while striking out two. He did allow four hits and walked a batter.

Freshman right-hander Sam Highfill worked three innings in relief on Saturday and allowed three hits and an earned run in his debut. He walked two and struck out one.

Two pitchers who have been used twice out of the pen are sophomore righty Baker Nelson and redshirt junior righty Logan Bender. Neither allowed a run in a combined four and two-thirds innings, giving up just a single hit and collectively striking out six batters.

Weather-permitting, NC State will host Tennessee Tech for a three-game series starting Friday. The Golden Eagles swept Evansville at home to start its season 3-0. Last year, they played a midweek game in Raleigh and lost 10-6 to the Wolfpack. Tennessee Tech is projected to finish ninth in the 11-team Ohio Valley Conference under first-year head coach Steve Smith.

After that, UNC Wilmington will come to Raleigh on Tuesday for a midweek contest. They went 3-1 over the weekend against Dayton and Bryant while hosting the Seahawk Classic in Wilmington. Last year, NCSU swept UNCW in a home-and-home series, winning 14-7 on the road and 11-3 in Raleigh. The Seahawks received votes in the preseason coaches' poll and were selected as the favorites to repeat its title in the Colonial Athletic Association.

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