NC State baseball weekend preview: Pack returns to Doak
After losing two of three at Virginia Tech last weekend, NC State baseball returns to its home grounds for a three-game set that moves up a day for the Easter holiday weekend.
Coming to Raleigh is Boston College. First pitch Thursday and Friday are both at 6:30 p.m., while Sunday is 1 p.m. All games can be seen online on ACC Network Extra. Sunday is NC State baseball’s annual ALS game to raise awareness in finding a cure for the disease.
The Wolfpack’s record stands at 20-11 overall and 7-7 in the ACC.
Here’s a look at the weekend ahead for NC State baseball against Boston College
Looking At NC State Baseball Opponent: Boston College
Boston College is 15-18 overall and 3-12 in the ACC. The Eagles are currently locked in a battle to earn the last spot in the 12-team ACC Baseball Tournament along with Clemson and Duke.
There is a common theme in Boston College’s struggles: pitching. The Eagles have allowed double-digit runs in 11 of its 15 league games. BC’s team earned run average is 7.85, over two runs higher than the next nearest team in the ACC — Georgia Tech’s 5.73.
At the plate, Boston College has some pop. The Eagles are one of six teams in the ACC to have at least 50 team home runs. However, BC will strike out a lot, too. Boston College has the fourth most strikeouts of any team in the conference.
Weekend Pitching
NC State baseball is going with the same duo to start the series with Saturday currently labeled as “TBA.”
NC State feel-good story redshirt sophomore Logan Whitaker, a righty, will go Thursday. Having not thrown a pitch in his first three years in Raleigh due to injuries, Whitaker has elevated himself into the weekend rotation for the fifth straight start. In his first 24.2 innings, Whitaker had allowed only 14 hits and a .161 batting average while sporting a 1.82 ERA. That number ballooned to 4.40 after being hit hard at Virginia Tech last Friday.
Sophomore right hander Matt Willadsen will go Friday. He is 1-3 in eight starts with a 5.88 ERA while allowing 49 hits in a team-high 41.1 innings. He has surrendered 21 walks while fanning a team-high 42.
Unknown is who will pitch Sunday. Sophomore right hander Sam Highfill has twice skipped turns in the rotation, most recently at Virginia Tech. In his place at Blacksburg, super senior lefty Canaan Silver threw a gem, and for the season he is 4-0 with a 1.91 ERA in 33.0 innings.
Senior righthander Joe Mancini will throw in his typical game one role for BC. He has tossed at least five innings in six of eight starts, but he has a 6.20 ERA and allowed 43 hits in 40.2 innings. Classmate and fellow righty Henry Leake will take the mound Friday. He has yet to pitch more than three innings in an appearance and has just one start among 13 appearances, but he has struck out 26 batters in 22.0 innings.
Like NC State, Boston College’s game three starter is TBA.
ACC Standings And Schedule
Atlantic Division
| Team | ACC W-L | Pct. | Overall W-L | Pct. |
| Louisville | 9-3 | .750 | 24-8 | .750 |
| Notre Dame | 8-4 | .667 | 21-5 | .808 |
| Wake Forest | 9-6 | .600 | 26-7 | .788 |
| NC State | 7-7 | .500 | 20-11 | .645 |
| Florida State | 7-8 | .467 | 19-13 | .594 |
| Boston College | 3-12 | .200 | 14-18 | .438 |
| Clemson | 2-9 | .182 | 20-12 | .625 |
Coastal Division
| Team | ACC W-L | Pct. | Overall W-L | Pct. |
| Miami | 13-2 | .867 | 27-6 | .818 |
| Virginia | 9-6 | .600 | 26-7 | .788 |
| Virginia Tech | 7-6 | .538 | 21-8 | .724 |
| Pittsburgh | 7-7 | .500 | 19-12 | .613 |
| North Carolina | 7-8 | .467 | 21-12 | .636 |
| Georgia Tech | 7-8 | .467 | 21-13 | .618 |
| Duke | 3-12 | .200 | 13-20 | .394 |
Weekend Series Schedule
Boston College at NC State
Notre Dame at Duke
Louisville at Florida State
Miami at VIrginia Tech
Virginia at Pittsburgh
Georgia Tech at North Carolina
Clemson at Wake Forest
NC State Baseball Midweek Recap
Tuesday night was a dramatic 7-6 home win over UNC Wilmington.
UNCW had a 6-2 lead at the seventh inning stretch. A pair of RBI groundouts plated two runs for the Pack in the bottom of the seventh.
Back-to-back walks to lead off the ninth followed by a single from sophomore first baseman LuJames Groover III loaded the bases for NC State with no outs. Freshman designated hitter Tommy White singled home a run, and then sophomore outfielder Dominic Pilolli hit a sacrifice fly to score another and tie the game.
A shallow fly out to centerfield by redshirt junior shortstop Josh Hood was just deep enough to score Groover and the winning run.
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