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NC State baseball weekend preview: ACC Tourney berth on the line

MattCarterby:Matt Carter•05/18/23•

TheWolfpacker

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NC State baseball coach Ellott Avent (Photo by Nicholas Faulkner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

NC State and Pittsburgh enter this series on an identical mission: punch a ticket to the ACC Baseball Tournament in Durham, N.C., starting Tuesday. The winner of the three-game set will make the field. The loser has to hope for help, particularly from Florida State, who plays at Louisville.

First pitch Thursday is 6 p.m. Game 2 on Friday is also at 6 p.m. and Saturday’s finale is at 1 p.m. Every game can be seen online with ACC Network Extra.

Here is a preview of the NC State baseball (31-18 overall, 10-16 ACC) home series vs. Pittsburgh (23-27, 10-15).

NC State Baseball Weekend Rotation

Redshirt junior righty Logan Whitaker remains in his normal game one role despite some recent difficult outings. Whitaker has thrown 66.1 innings in 13 starts, surrendering 71 hits and 38 earned runs with just 11 walks and fanning 65. He has a 5.16 earned run average (ERA).

Going in game two for NC State will be junior righthander Matt Willadsen. He has also had 13 starts, typically in this role. Willadsen has given up 66 hits and 22 walks over a team-high 69.2 innings while allowing 24 earned runs (3.10 ERA) and striking out 71, also a staff-best.

No announcement has been made for game three yet.

Freshman lefty Dominic Fritton had previously been a starter for weekend series that went three games, but redshirt junior righty Sam Highfill replaced him at Notre Dame and again at North Carolina.

Overall, Highfill has a 4.29 ERA in 19 appearances (three starts), giving up 43 hits in 42.0 innings with 14 walks and 38 strikeouts.

Fritton had been primarily a Sunday, game three starter, but his last five appearance have come out of the pen. He has tossed 58.1 innings over 15 games, including 9 starts, allowing 43 hits and 20 earned runs for a 3.09 ERA. He’s walked 21 and fanned 67.

Scouting Pittsburgh

Statistically speaking, Pitt has the worst pitching staff in the ACC.

In conference-only games, the Panthers have a league-worst 7.61 ERA. Next closest is Virginia Tech at 7.00. Two of the three expected starters this weekend at NC State have an ERA over 7.00, and each of that pair average less than 5.0 innings per outing in ACC play.

The Panthers are also the only team to have dropped a series against Florida State, who has clinched a last-place finish in the conference.

But Pitt has also proven to be a resilient squad.

The Panthers are in position to make the ACC Tournament because they took 2 of 3 at Virginia, the current top team in the Coastal Division. Pitt also won a home series against Virginia Tech and in its last ACC series nearly knocked off ranked Miami at home. The Hurricanes won 2 of 3, but each of Miami’s wins were one-run victories.

ACC Standings And Weekend Schedule

Atlantic Division

TeamOverall RecordConference Record
Wake Forest43-820-6
Clemson36-1717-10
Boston College32-1614-13
Notre Dame29-2014-13
NC State31-1810-16
Louisville30-229-18
Florida State21-307-20

Coastal Division

TeamOverall RecordConference Record
Virginia41-1116-11
Miami35-2116-11
Duke34-1715-11
North Carolina33-1814-11
Georgia Tech30-2212-15
Virginia Tech29-1911-15
Pittsburgh23-2710-15

Weekend Series Schedule:

Pittsburgh at NC State

North Carolina at Clemson

Florida State at Louisville

Virginia Tech at Wake Forest

Virginia at Georgia Tech

Notre Dame at Boston College

NC State Baseball In The Polls

NCBWA: Receiving votes (previously receiving votes)

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

Collegiate Baseball: Unranked (previously unranked)

Perfect Game: Unranked (previously unranked)

D1Baseball.com: Unranked (previously unranked)

Baseball America: Unranked (previously unranked)

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