Ahead of the rivalry showdown at UNC from Thursday to Friday, here are some notes surrounding Wolfpack baseball.
NC State, Nationally Speaking
NC State is 39-14 overall and 16-11 in the ACC. Its place in the ACC Tournament is secured and the NCAA Tournament is almost a given. Where the Pack will seeded be for both is still to be determined.
At the ACC Tournament, held May 21-26 at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, the format consists of four three-team pods that play round-robin games, with the four winners emerging to advance to the semifinals in a single-elimination format. The goal is to be the top seed in the pod so that you win the tiebreaker if the teams go 1-1.
Louisville at 19-8 in the ACC will have one of those spots. The other three are up for grabs between five teams. Georgia Tech is 17-10 in the league, while NC State, FSU, Miami and UNC are all 16-11. The Pack swept Miami and took two of three from Florida State to put itself in a good position for any potential tiebreakers, but a series win this weekend in Chapel Hill would be very helpful.
Florida State has the challenging assignment of playing at Louisville this weekend. Miami will host Duke, which will not be easy for the Canes. Duke went through a stretch in April where it won 14 of 16 games overall and is currently 14-13 in the league, trying to play itself into the NCAA Tournament after making the Super Regional a year ago.
Georgia Tech is home against Pitt, the easiest assignment of the five teams. The Panthers will not play in this year’s ACC Tournament and currently have the worst conference mark at 7-20.
A strong showing this weekend for NC State and in Durham at the ACC Tournament will bolster the Pack’s chances of hosting a regional. Prior to taking two of three against Clemson last weekend, Baseball America had NC State as a No. 2 seed in the Ole Miss Regional. The Rebels were the final team in its mock bracket to be hosting, which means theoretically NCSU was the top two seed.
Aaron Fitt, a former podcast guest of The Wolfpacker and writer for D1Baseball.com, said in an online chat this week he suspected the winner of this weekend’s series between NCSU and UNC would host a regional and the loser would not.
NC State is currently No. 24 in the RPI rankings complied by the NCAA, while UNC checks in at No. 20.
Here is where NC State ranks in the latest national polls:
• Baseball America — 13th
• Perfect Game — 13th
• USA Today Coaches — 14th
• D1Baseball.com — 17th
• National College Baseball Writers’ Association — 18th
• Collegiate Baseball — 25th
NC State, Statistically Speaking
Here is where NC State ranks nationally and in the ACC in various statistical categories through May 13:
• Winning percentage: 0.736 — 2nd in ACC, 12th in NCAA (out of 300 teams)
• Runs: 405 — 2nd in ACC, 10th in NCAA
• Runs per game: 7.6 — 4th in ACC, 19th in NCAA
• Batting average: .282 — 7th in ACC, 78th in NCAA
• On-base percentage: .390 — 7th in ACC, 36th in NCAA
• Hits: 526 — 2nd in ACC, 28th in NCAA
• Walks: 89 — 3rd in ACC, 25th in NCAA
• Slugging percentage: .464 — 4th in ACC, 25th in NCAA
• Home runs: 63 —5th in ACC, 21st in NCAA
• Doubles: 119 — 1st in ACC, 7th in NCAA
• Stolen bases: 39 — 11th in ACC, 206th in NCAA
• Earned run average: 3.96 — 4th in ACC, 52nd in NCAA
• Walks and hits per inning allowed: 1.34 — 3rd in ACC, 53rd in NCAA
• Hits allowed per nine innings: 8.72 —5th in the ACC, 90th in NCAA
• Strikeout-to-walk ratio: 2.65 — 2nd in the ACC, 24th in NCAA
• Shutouts: 4 — 3rd in ACC, 36th in NCAA
• Fielding percentage: 0.981 — 1st in ACC, 9th in NCAA
At The Plate
NC State continues to be led by its heart of the order. Junior shortstop Will Wilson, a potential first-round draft choice in next month’s MLB Draft, leads the team with a .346 batting average, 15 home runs and is tied for No. 1 on the squad with 54 runs batted in despite missing six games recently with a minor injury.
Senior first baseman Evan Edwards also has 54 RBI and is hitting .332 with 13 homers. Edwards has the highest on-base percentage on the squad among regulars at .452. Sophomore catcher Patrick Bailey is batting .296 with nine home runs and 40 RBI, while freshman outfielder Tyler McDonough is hitting at a .338 clip with four homers and 43 RBI, and leads the team with 10 stolen bases.
Sophomore outfielder Jonny Butler has also been steady in the leadoff role, hitting .260 and scoring a team-high 61 runs.
Head coach Elliott Avent has spread the at-bats around more than usual this year. Thirteen position players have double-digit starts.
On The Mound
The top two starters for the weekend rotation have been steady. Sophomore Reid Johnston is 5-1 with a 3.97 earned run average over 14 games, including 11 starts, and has allowed 64 hits in 65 2/3 innings while walking 22 and striking out 61.
Junior Jason Parker is 4-2 with a 4.06 ERA in 13 games, all starts. He has pitched 64 1/3 innings and allowed 66 hits while walking 23 and fanning 55.
Finding other starters has been more challenging. Sophomore lefty David Harrison has had the last two opportunities to round out the weekend and was solid, but both contests were treated like bullpen games.
NC State has also recently welcomed the return to the 'pen of one of its better arms. Redshirt sophomore Dalton Feeney missed the last couple of weeks in April, but in the past two series had pitched three and one-third scoreless innings and allowed only one hit and one walk while striking out two.
Junior lefty Kent Klyman has also pitched better his last four appearances, going seven and one-third innings and allowing six hits, one earned run, two walks and striking out 10.
What’s Next
NC State is at UNC Thursday to Saturday, and then the ACC Tournament begins the following Tuesday.
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