Revisiting NC State vs. ACC Tournament foes Florida State and Wake Forest

NC State baseball knows it will play Florida State and Wake Forest in its pod at the ACC Baseball Tournament. The Pack starts with Wake Thursday at 7 p.m., and then 24 hours later will play Florida State.

Here’s a reflector of how the Pack did against its Atlantic Division foes earlier this season.

Vs. Florida State (March 15-17)

Game one

This represented perhaps the peak of NC State’s early-season success. At the time, Florida State was ranked No. 1 in one baseball poll and NC State No. 2. The Pack was 17-0 entering the series and 3-0 in the conference after sweeping Pitt.

The Pack jumped FSU for eight runs in the second inning, and starter Jason Parker pitched seven shutout innings, allowing only five hits and two walks while striking out 10 batters. NCSU added 10 runs through innings 5-7 to pile on a 16-0 win.

Senior first baseman Evan Edwards and sophomore catcher Patrick Bailey both homered, and Bailey also added a two-run double. Junior designated hitter Brad Debo had a RBI triple and a two-run double, and freshman outfielder Tyler McDonough had a four-hit day that led to three RBI.

Game two

Thanks to some more late-inning magic that was the hallmark of the Pack's 19-0 start to the year, NC State rallied from an 8-5 deficit in the eighth to tie the game with three runs, and then walked off with a win in the ninth thanks to a RBI single from McDonough.

McDonough picked up where he left off in game one, going 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, but the big hit was a three-run homer by Debo in the eighth to tie the game.

Game three

All good things come to an end, and NC State’s undefeated season ended on this afternoon. The Pack was unable to finish off a rally this time and fell 7-5 to the Seminoles.

FSU led 7-1 when NCSU came to bat in the sixth but the Pack brought three runs home to make the game competitive. Sophomore shortstop David Vasquez, who had homered in game two, had his second RBI double of the contest to make it 7-5 in the eighth. NCSU would eventually loaded the bases with two outs later in the inning, but Bailey’s hard hit line drive was right to an outfielder to end the threat.

FSU since

The Noles have gone 21-16 overall and 14-10 in the ACC since losing two of three in Raleigh. It has done a good job of winning league series that it was supposed to (at Notre Dame, home vs. Clemson, at Virginia, home vs. Wake Forest where it took two of three and home vs. Pitt), but it dropped a head-scratching two of three at home to Boston College.

More notably, on the road against top teams Miami and Louisville, two teams like NC State at the top of their respective pods, FSU went 2-4 and lost games by margins of 11-0, 4-0, 14-1 and 11-1.

At Wake Forest (April 18-20)

Game one

Due to it being Easter weekend, game one was on a Thursday and thus redshirt sophomore Dalton Feeney up the start. Wake was able to get to Feeney and sophomore reliever Evan Justice for three runs in the bottom of the third.

Wake eventually stretched its lead to 7-1 after scoring runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings and rolled a 7-3 win. The Pack’s bats were quiet, with only freshman third baseman Vojtech Mensik getting multi hits (two), one of which was a double. Freshman Luca Tresh, getting a start in left field, added a two-run homer in the eight.

Wake starter Colin Peluse went six strong innings, surrendering only three hits and three walks while giving up just one earned run and striking out seven Wolfpackers.

Game two

In game one of a double header played Saturday after the threat of inclement weather changed the schedule, McDonough contributed a RBI single in the first and a RBI fielder’s choice groundout in the third to put the Pack up 2-0, and then he would eventually score on a wild pitch to give NCSU a 3-0 lead after the third frame.

After throwing five shutout innings, sophomore Reid Johnston ran into trouble in the top of the sixth and was responsible for three runs that tied the game. Sophomore lefty Nick Swiney shut down the Deacs after that. He allowed one hit and struck out six over 3.1 innings.

That set up sophomore second baseman J.T. Jarrett to be the hero. In the seventh inning he hit his first career homer in what proved to be the game-winner in a 4-3 Wolfpack victory.

Game three

After two innings it appeared that NC State would cruise to a doubleheader sweep. McDonough hit a two-run homer in the first to put the Pack up 2-0. McDonough then added a two-run double as part of a five-run second, giving NC State a 7-0 lead through two innings.

The Pack’s pitching staff couldn’t make it hold up however. Parker was chased after 4.1 innings in which he allowed seven hits and five earned runs.

NC State added a needed insurance run when McDonough hit a RBI double to put the Pack up 8-6 in the top of the seventh, but in the bottom half Wake completed its comeback with three runs, the last two coming when a pair of batters where plunked while the bases were loaded.

At that point of the season, NC State was 31-10 overall and 13-8 in the ACC and was towards the end of a stretch where it went 14-12 after the FSU series overall and just 9-10 in the league. NCSU closed the year 8-3 overall and 4-2 in the conference.

Wake Forest since

It lost its final three ACC series, dropping two of three at Florida State, home to Miami and at Clemson. It also suffered a pair of midweek road losses in non conference action, one to High Point and the other to Radford.

The Deacs closed the year 30-25 overall (6-8 post NCSU) and 14-16 in the conference.