No. 2 NC State Returns To Action Tonight Versus No. 7 ECU
*Rankings reflect the current Baseball America Top-25 Poll*
RALEIGH, N.C. – After earning its 10th consecutive ACC series win over the weekend, the second-ranked NC State baseball team returns to action at home Tuesday night against No. 7 ECU. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. at Doak Field at Dail Park.
The game will be broadcast live on the ACC Network Extra, accessible through Watch ESPN and the Watch ESPN App. Radio coverage will also be available on WKNC 88.1 FM and on GoPack.com for premium subscribers.
NC State enters Tuesday's tilt with a 31-8 overall record, while ECU is 30-9. The contest is officially SOLD OUT.
Last Time Out
The Wolfpack dropped its most recent outing, as the third-ranked Duke Blue Devils avoided the sweep with a win in the series finale. NC State won Friday’s game, 9-2, and earned a 2-1 win on Saturday in a pitcher’s duel to clinch the series.
ECU completed the series sweep at Memphis with a 4-2 win in its last outing on Saturday evening.
The Series
NC State leads the all-time series against East Carolina, 71-43, and has won the last two meetings between the programs.
Last Time Against ECU
The Wolfpack and Pirates met last season in Greenville when NC State shut out ECU, 6-0. Sean Adler started on the mound for the Pack and pitched 5.1 innings to earn the win.
NCSU jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning and then added a pair of runs in the eighth on a two-run homer by Joe Dunand and an RBI single by Stephen Pitarra in the ninth to record the road win.
Last Time Against ECU at Doak Field
NC State tallied a 6-1 win versus ECU in the Pirates last trip to Doak Field on April 25, 2016. Evan Mendoza had the big hit in that game with a three-run homer in the bottom of the second to give NC State a lead it never relinquished.
Ryan Williamson threw 6.2 innings to log the win on the mound.
Scouting ECU
After dropping a series against USF, ECU has countered by winning its last four games highlighted by a conference series sweep at Memphis. Last week, the Pirates earned a 9-2 win against third-ranked Duke in Durham.
ECU’s 30-9 overall record has the squad ranked No. 7 in the Baseball America Top-25 Poll.
Bryant Packard leads the team at the plate with a .400 batting average, which leads the American Athletic Conference (AAC) and ranks 17th in the NCAA. He has tallied 50 hits and also a team-high 10 home runs. As a team, ECU batters have compiled a .289 batting average.
The Pirates have been stellar on the mound, as their pitching staff owns a 3.12 earned run average (ERA) to rank 13th in the nation. Additionally, ECU has been strong defensively with a .983 fielding percentage, which is the fifth best in the country.
Perfect in Midweeks
NC State owns a perfect 9-0 record in midweek games this season and looks to extend its unbeaten streak against ECU.
Around the State
Starting with last week’s non-conference matchup against UNC-Chapel Hill, NC State’s schedule features nine consecutive games versus teams from the state of North Carolina.
Eight of the nine games are against ranked opponents.
13-Game Home Stand
Tuesday’s game against ECU marks the start of a 13-game home stand for NC State. UNC-Chapel Hill will head to Raleigh for a three-game series this weekend, followed by non-conference games with Campbell, William & Mary and James Madison.
The Wolfpack will conclude its home slate with an ACC series against Wake Forest.
Wolfpack in the National, ACC Rankings
Team
Batting Average – .303 (1st in ACC, 16th in NCAA)
Hits – 408 (2nd in ACC, 19th in NCAA)
Home Runs – 56 (T1st in ACC, T6th in NCAA)
Home Runs Per Game – 1.44 (1st in ACC, 5th in NCAA)
On-base Percentage - .398 (1st in ACC, 21st in NCAA)
Slugging Percentage - .480 (1st in ACC, 10th in NCAA)
Runs – 291 (1st in ACC, 16th in NCAA)
Scoring – 7.5 (1st in ACC, 14th in NCAA)
Walks Plus Hits Per Inning Pitched (WHIP) – 1.28 (2nd in ACC, 33rd in NCAA)
Earned Run Average – 3.52 (4th in ACC, 38th in NCAA)
Hits Allowed Per 9 Innings – 7.84 (4th in ACC, 40th in NCAA)
Individual
Brian Brown
ERA – 0.99 (1st in ACC, 3rd in NCAA)
Brett Kinneman
Home Runs - 13 (T1st in ACC, T9th in NCAA)
RBI – 45 (T2nd in ACC, 25th in NCAA)
Josh McLain
Hits – 67 (1st in ACC, 6th in NCAA)
Hits Per Game – 1.72 (1st in ACC, 6th in NCAA)
Joe O'Donnell
Saves – 8 (2nd in ACC, 27th in NCAA)
10 And Counting
The Wolfpack owns the ACC's longest active series-win streak, as NC State has won 10 consecutive conference series. NC State has won each of its weekend matchups dating back to the Virginia Tech series from last season.
Shutting It Down
NC State is a perfect 25-0 this season when leading after the seventh inning and the record increases to 30-0 when leading after the eighth inning. The Wolfpack’s 16 saves lead the ACC in that category.
Eight in A Row
Josh McLain and Will Wilson each extended their hitting streaks to eight games with a hit in Sunday’s game at Duke. McLain owns a .500 batting average in his last eight games with 20 hits.
Wilson has 11 hits, including three home runs to compile a .306 batting average during that stretch.
Road Warriors
NC State owns the ACC's best road record with a 9-3 mark in conference games. No other team in the conference has more than seven road wins in league action.