NC State baseball weekend recap: Pack wins first ACC series
No team in the ACC has played a tougher slate in conference play thus far than NC State baseball. All four of the series thus far in league play has been against 4 of the 6 ranked teams in the conference. The Pack picked up its first series win by taking 2 of 3 vs. Louisville at home.
The series began on a thrilling note. Leading 2-1 going into the eighth, NC State was tagged for 4 runs by Louisville. Wolfpack outfielder Parker Nolan’s solo homer in the bottom half made it 5-3. Then came a dramatic rally in the ninth, where NC State third baseman LuJames Groover III walked off the 6-5 win with a 2-run single.
Game two was not as dramatic. NC State broke open a 1-0 game with 4 runs in the sixth and then five more in the seventh on the Pack’s way to a 10-0 victory.
Louisville avoided being swept with a 6-1 win over NC State on Sunday.
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At The Plate For NC State Baseball
Super senior outfielder Trevor Candelaria had missed two weeks following a collision in the outfield, but he had a nice series at the plate in his return for NC State. Candelaria went 5 for 14 with a double and a homer. He scored 2 runs and drove in a pair.
Also shining throughout the weekend at the plate was freshman first baseman Eli Serrano III. He went 5 for 8 with three walks over three games. Serrano had a double and scored twice while adding 4 runs batted in (RBI).
Versatile sophomore Will Marcy went 4 for 9 with 3 runs scored. He had a double and walked three times.
On The Mound
The starting pitching for NC State baseball this weekend was once again on point:
• Friday’s starter Logan Whitaker went 7.0 innings and gave up 2 earned runs on 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out four.
• In game two, Matt Willadsen lasted 6.0 shutout innings and gave up only 2 hits and 3 walks with 4 striekouts.
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• To cap the series, freshman lefty Dominic Fritton went 4.2 innings and allowed 2 earned runs on 4 hits and a walk while fanning three.
ACC Standings And Weekend Schedule
Atlantic Division
| Team | Overall Record | Conference Record |
| Wake Forest | 26-3 | 10-2 |
| Boston College | 20-6 | 8-4 |
| Louisville | 21-6 | 4-5 |
| NC State | 20-8 | 5-7 |
| Notre Dame | 14-11 | 5-7 |
| Florida State | 12-15 | 3-9 |
| Clemson | 16-13 | 2-7 |
Coastal Division
| Team | Overall Record | Conference Record |
| Miami | 19-9 | 8-4 |
| Virginia | 24-4 | 8-4 |
| North Carolina | 20-8 | 6-4 |
| Duke | 18-10 | 6-6 |
| Georgia Tech | 17-11 | 6-6 |
| Pittsburgh | 12-13 | 4-6 |
| Virginia Tech | 17-10 | 4-8 |
Weekend Series Results:
NC State 2, Louisville 1
Boston College 2, Georgia Tech 1
Wake Forest 3, Clemson 0
North Carolina 2, Notre Dame 1
Duke 2, Pittsburgh 1
Miami 3, Florida State 0
Virginia Tech 2, Virginia 1
NC State Baseball In The Polls
USA Today Sports baseball coaches: 25th (previously unranked)
Collegiate Baseball: Unranked (down from 25th)
Perfect Game: Unranked (previously unranked)
D1Baseball.com: Unranked (previously unranked)
Baseball America: Unranked (previously unranked)
NCBWA: Not updated (previously 29th)
Midweek Action Ahead For NC State Baseball
The marquee opponent during the midweek slates this season is East Carolina. NC State will play the Pirates twice, starting Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., in Greenville, N.C.
ECU is ranked No. 12 in the updated D1Baseball.com poll, a slight drop from No. 10 last week following the Pirates dropping 2 of 3 games at Houston, part of a week in which East Carolina went 1-3 after also losing midweek at home to UNC Wilmington.
Thus far this season, East Carolina is 3-5 in midweek contests, losing twice to both UNCW (whom NC State defeated on the road March 21, 11-8 in 10 innings) and Campbell (No. 14 in D1Baseball.com poll). The Pirates were also shut out by Duke in Durham, 9-0.
Freshman Zach Root will throw for ECU. He has allowed 14 hits over 19.1 innings while walking 8 and fanning 19. Root has thrown 3 or less innings in 6 of 8 appearances, which includes a pair of starts.
NC State will throw Baker Nelson, who started last Tuesday’s win over UNC Greensboro and went three perfect innings. This will be a bullpen game for the Pack. Nelson tossed 3 innings, allowing 2 earned runs on a hit and a walk, in Sunday’s series finale vs. Louisville.
