NC State baseball weekend recap: Sweep of ranked Georgia Tech

After a tough start to the month of March for NC State baseball, the Wolfpack has regained some momentum.

NC State started March losing six of seven games, including a pair of ACC home contests to No. 3 Notre Dame. After losing two of three at Florida State, including a marathon 17-inning affair, the Pack was 1-4 in the conference.

However, NC State showed signed of promise in Tallahassee, and built on that by sweeping No. 12 Georgia Tech in Raleigh over the weekend.

“The first two games here with Georgia Tech were just enormous two games,” NC State head coach Elliott Avent said. “Both games could have gone either way. We found a way to win, which is big for these guys as they are learning how to do things right and win a game against a quality team in Georgia Tech, who was picked to win their division.

“It’s a big, big win — to come in and win on Sunday in a game where both guys … pitched great, giving their teams the chance to win the game.”

The sweep improved NC State to 15-8 overall and 4-4 in the conference. Georgia Tech fell to 16-9 and 4-5.

At The Plate For NC State Baseball

While much of the attention among the NC State baseball freshmen has been focused on first baseman/designated hitter Tommy White, shortstop/third baseman Payton Green has developed into a force at the plate, too.

Green hit his first two career homers in Tallahassee, and he added two more over the weekend against the Yellow Jackets. Green hit safely in all three contests vs. Georgia Tech, going 4 for 11 at the plate. He drove in seven runs and scored four times.

The Pack combined good fortune with timely power throughout the weekend. Seven Georgia Tech errors over the weekend helped NC State score five unearned runs, and the Wolfpack had five different players leave the yard. Joining Green were White, senior centerfielder Devonte Brown, redshirt sophomore shortstop/third baseman Josh Hood and sophomore outfielder Noah Soles, who had his first career homer.

On The Mound

NC State baseball did make a change in the rotation, with redshirt sophomore righty Logan Whitaker getting a second straight weekend start and super senior lefty David Harrison not getting onto the mound for the first time in a weekend series.

The bullpen however stole the show.

On Friday, redshirt junior Logan Adams threw three shutout innings to earn the win before turning it over to sophomore lefty Chris Villaman, who struck out three batters in a scoreless two-inning save in the 8-6 Wolfpack victory.

Villaman struck out two more Saturday to preserve a 6-5 win. Freshman righty Carson Kelly recorded the win in 2.2 innings of relief, allowing one earned run while striking out three. Junior right-hander Baker Nelson struck out two in 2/3 innings before turning it over to Villaman.

Finally, on Sunday, sophomore righty Justin Lawson picked up a win after going a scoreless inning in relief. Super senior lefty Canaan Silver and sophomore right-hander Garrett Payne finished off the 6-1 win without allowing a baserunner over 2.2 innings.

All combined, the bullpen allowed 10 hits and one run over 13.0 innings of relief over the weekend. Most impressively, the relievers did not walk a batter while fanning 20.

One Area Of Concern

The expected 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation labored through their respective starts.

Returning to the mound after skipping a turn in the rotation, sophomore righty Sam Highfill allowed six earned runs on eight hits and two walks in 4.0 innings in the Friday opener. Saturday starter Matt Willadsen had to work through 117 pitches before being lifted after 4.2 innings Saturday.

Midweek Action Ahead For NC State Baseball

NC State travels to East Carolina in a big midweek showdown. First pitch has been moved up to 4:30 p.m. and the game can be seen on ESPN+.

The Pirates are 14-11 after starting the season 1-5.

The two long-time rivals have not played each other in the regular season since 2017. A marquee showdown in 2018 at Doak Field was canceled, sparking some resentment from the Pirates. They did meet in 2019 for a regional hosted in Greenville in which East Carolina defeated the Wolfpack in an elimination game.

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