NC State baseball weekend recap: Dramatic sweep
NC State baseball was marking the turn into the second half of the ACC schedule when it hosted Boston College for a three-game series in Raleigh, starting Thursday and concluding Friday with a hastily scheduled doubleheader to beat the weather forecast for the weekend.
Ideally, the Wolfpack wanted a sweep of BC to maximize its position for the ACC Baseball Tournament in a little over a month in Charlotte. The event begins May 24, and having one of the top four conference records is a distinct advantage in the pod pool play.
NC State achieved that sweep, but it needed some dramatics to do so. The Wolfpack won game one on a walk-off sacrifice fly from senior centerfielder Devonte Brown, scoring sophomore rightfielder Noah Soles.
In game two, the Eagles seemed in command after a five-run sixth inning, during which the only ball to leave the infield was a third-out fly ball, gave Boston College a 6-0 lead. NC State though scored six times in the bottom of the seventh, and then prevailed on a throwing error with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th.
The Wolfpack closed out the series with a more conventional 6-3 victory in the back half of the doubleheader.
NC State is 23-11 overall and 10-7 in the ACC. Boston College is 15-21 and 3-15.
At The Plate For NC State Baseball
There may not be a hotter batter in college baseball than NC State’s Soles. He hit safely in all three games to extend his hitting streak to 10 straight. In those 10 games, Soles has had multiple hits in seven of them, including twice over the weekend vs. the Eagles.
Against BC, Soles was 5 for 11 with a double and two walks. He scored twice and drove in a run.
During his hitting streak, Soles has improved his batting average from .244 to .385.
Soles, though, does not have the longest hitting streak on the team. Sophomore first baseman LuJames Groover II has hit safely in 21 straight games. He was 4 for 12 vs. BC, with one hit being a double, and he also walked three times. Groover scored six runs and drove in one, and his batting average sits at .382 after the weekend.
On The Mound
One of the walkoff wins for NC State baseball can be attributed to a spectacular relief outing from sophomore lefty Chris Villaman. He went four full innings in the extra-inning victory Friday, allowing only one hit and one walk while striking out nine batters.
Redshirt junior righty Logan Adams had a strong relief outing in game two of the doubleheader, pitching four shutout innings to earn his first save of the year.
All three starters for NC State went five innings.
In game one, redshirt sophomore righthander Logan Whitaker had an effective outing, allowing five hits and one earned run with one walk while fanning seven batters in 5.0 innings. Sophomore righty Matt Willadsen allowed just one earned run in his start in game one of the doubleheader, while super senior lefty Canaan Silver improved to 5-0 on the year by giving up six hits, one earned run and one walk while striking out seven in the series final.
ACC Standings And Weekend Results
Atlantic Division
| Team | ACC W-L | Pct. | Overall W-L | Pct. |
| Louisville | 9-6 | .600 | 24-11 | .686 |
| NC State | 10-7 | .588 | 23-11 | .676 |
| Wake Forest | 10-8 | .556 | 27-9 | .750 |
| Florida State | 10-8 | .556 | 22-13 | .629 |
| Notre Dame | 8-7 | .533 | 21-8 | .724 |
| Clemson | 4-10 | .286 | 22-13 | .629 |
| Boston College | 3-15 | .167 | 15-21 | .417 |
Coastal Division
| Team | ACC W-L | Pct. | Overall W-L | Pct. |
| Miami | 13-2 | .778 | 28-8 | .778 |
| Virginia Tech | 9-7 | .562 | 23-9 | .719 |
| Virginia | 10-8 | .556 | 27-9 | .750 |
| Pittsburgh | 9-8 | .529 | 21-13 | .618 |
| Georgia Tech | 9-9 | .500 | 23-14 | .622 |
| North Carolina | 8-10 | .444 | 22-14 | .611 |
| Duke | 6-12 | .333 | 16-20 | .444 |
Weekend Series Results
NC State 3, Boston College 0
Duke 3, Notre Dame 0
Florida State 3, Louisville 0
Virginia Tech 2, Miami 1
Pittsburgh 2, Virginia 1
Georgia Tech 2, North Carolina 1
Clemson 2, Wake Forest 1
Midweek Action Ahead For NC State Baseball
A well-rested NC State baseball team will travel to High Point Wednesday evening for a 6:30 first pitch. The game can be seen online with ESPN+.
This would be the second meeting between the two teams. NC State crushed High Point, 18-3, on Feb. 22 in what was the first midweek game of the year for both teams. Since then, High Point has accumulated a 12-24 overall record and is 7-8 in the Big South Conference. HPU is just 1-7 in midweek contests.
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