NC State baseball weekend preview: Final non-conference series

NC State baseball steps out of conference for a three-game series for the final time this year. The Pack, in the midst of final exams, will host The Citadel for a trio of contests, if weather permits. Rain is in the forecast for Friday and Sunday.

First pitch Friday is 6 p.m., Saturday at 4 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m. All games can be seen online via ACC Network Extra.

Here is a preview of the NC State baseball series vs. The Citadel.

NC State Baseball Weekend Rotation

NC State baseball coach Elliott Avent has made the biggest change yet into his weekend rotation, with an old, familiar face back as a starter.

Redshirt junior righty Logan Whitaker remains in his normal Friday, game one role. Whitaker has thrown 54.2 innings in 10 starts, surrendering 52 hits and 28 earned runs with just 9 walks and fanning 52. He has a 4.61 earned run average (ERA). That number ballooned after giving up 7 earned runs in 5.1 innings against Clemson in his most recent start.

Going Saturday will be junior righthander Matt Willadsen. He has also had 10 starts, typically on game twos but the last weekends in game three. Willadsen has given up 47 hits and 18 walks over a team-high 55.0 innings while allowing 17 earned runs (2.78 ERA) and striking out 53. Like Whitaker, Willadsen was hit hard by Clemson, going only 2.2 innings and getting tagged for 6 earned runs on 10 hits.

Freshman lefty Dominic Fritton had started every series thus far this season that went three games, but he has been replaced on Sunday by redshirt junior righty Sam Highfill. Highfill started the midweek win over ECU, going 4.0 shutout innings and allowing 3 hits and 2 walks while fanning three. That was the first start this year of the former ace of the College World Series team of 2021.

Overall, Highfill has a 4.11 ERA in 16 appearances, giving up 28 hits in 30.2 innings with 11 walks and 31 strikeouts.

Fritton had been primarily a Sunday, game three starter. He has tossed 48.0 innings over 10 games, including 9 starts, allowing 34 hits and 14 earned runs for a 2.62 ERA. He’s walked 16 and fanned 54.

Scouting The Citadel

The Citadel comes to NC State with a 19-19 overall record, including a 4-8 mark in the Southern Conference.

Against Power Five competition, The Citadel lost 8-1 at likely regional host South Carolina on March 7, but the Bulldogs did take 2 of 3 at home against Kansas on March 17-19. In a home rematch to the Gamecocks, The Citadel was beaten 13-2.

According to the RPI by D1Baseball.com, The Citadel is No. 214. That is in line with Wagner (228) and Belmont (224), the first two series opponents of the season for NC State baseball.

ACC Standings And Weekend Schedule

Atlantic Division

Team	Overall Record	Conference Record
Wake Forest	35-6	16-4
Boston College	28-12	12-9
Notre Dame	23-16	11-10
Clemson	26-16	9-9
Louisville	27-14	8-11
NC State	26-14	8-12
Florida State	14-25	5-16

Coastal Division

Team	Overall Record	Conference Record
Duke	29-12	12-8
Miami	27-15	13-9
Virginia	34-9	12-9
Virginia Tech	24-14	10-10
North Carolina	26-15	9-10
Pittsburgh	17-21	8-11
Georgia Tech	23-18	8-13

Weekend Series Schedule:

The Citadel at NC State

Miami at Louisville (Hurricanes won game one on Thursday)

Clemson at Boston College

Florida State at Notre Dame

Duke at Virginia

North Carolina at Virginia Tech

Gardner-Webb at Georgia Tech

California at Pittsburgh

NC State Baseball In The Polls

USA Today Sports baseball coaches: Receiving votes (previously receiving votes)

NCBWA: Unranked (previously receiving votes)

Collegiate Baseball: Unranked (previously unranked)

Perfect Game: Unranked (previously unranked)

D1Baseball.com: Unranked (previously unranked)

Baseball America: Unranked (previously unranked)

Midweek Recap

In a game that almost felt like a must-win for NC State baseball, the Wolfpack used a 5-run third inning to prevail 5-4 over visiting No. 12 East Carolina.

The win did not come without drama however. East Carolina chipped away from the 5-0 deficit and with the score at 5-4 had runners at first and second with two outs in the seventh before junior left-handed reliever P.J. Labriola got the strikeout to end the threat.

With sophomore righty Carson Kelly on the mound, a hit batter and a walk led to runners on first and second with one out in the ninth, but Kelly was able to get a strikeout and fly out to end the contest.