NC State baseball weekend preview: Rivalry weekend
This weekend is the first one that NC State baseball fans seek out on the schedule: the rivalry series with North Carolina.
Threats of severe storms Friday may affect the timeline of games, but first pitch in game one is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday is a 2 p.m. start, also weather permitting, and televised on ESPNU. The series finale is set for 1 p.m. Sunday. Friday and Sunday’s games will be online with ACC Network Extra.
NC State baseball enters the series with a 29-13 overall record, including an 11-9 mark in the ACC.
Looking At NC State Baseball Opponent: North Carolina
After a midweek win over Appalachian State March 22, North Carolina had an 18-3 overall record, including winning five of its first six ACC games.
Then came a trip to highly-ranked Miami.
The Hurricanes swept UNC and started a month-plus stretch that has taken UNC from being ranked to potentially falling out of the ACC Tournament. The Heels are 7-14 in the last 21 games, including 3-12 in the ACC. That slide may be a bit misleading, with four of its conference defeats coming in extra inning games.
In particular, there has been a stark difference this year between home and away games. In Chapel Hill, UNC is 22-5. On the road, the Heels are 3-11.
Most of North Carolina’s success has been on the mound, where the Heels rank sixth among 14 ACC in teams in earned run average (ERA) at 4.36 and opponent batting average allowed (.248). The one weakness of the staff is a tendency to give up homers, tied for 11th most in the ACC with 57.
At the plate, UNC is 10th in the conference in batting average (.278) and 11th in slugging percentage (.451) and on-base percentage (.377). The Heels are 12th in the conference in runs scored (260).
Weekend Pitching
Odds are NC State baseball is going with the same trio it used to start the last four series, although Sunday currently is labeled as “TBA.”
NC State redshirt sophomore Logan Whitaker, a righty, will go Friday. In 45.1 innings, Whitaker has allowed 37 hits and a .219 batting average while sporting a 3.57 ERA. Whitaker has struck out 43 while allowing 20 walks.
Sophomore right hander Matt Willadsen will go Saturday. He is 2-3 in 10 starts with a 4.87 ERA while allowing 60 hits in a team-high 57.1 innings. He has surrendered 31 walks while fanning a team-high 64. He is coming off the best start of his season against Radford last Saturday, seven shutout innings allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out a career-high 13. That was the second most strikeouts in a game this season by an ACC pitcher.
Super senior lefty Canaan Silver is 6-0 with a 2.92 ERA in 49.1 innings and started the last four weekends. He has allowed 41 hits while displaying impressive command, walking only 10 and fanning 47.
North Carolina has not officially announced its Sunday starter either. Sophomore righty Max Carlson will start in game one. Carlson did not allow an earned run in his first three starts, but in four of his last five he’s surrendered at least three while making it through the fifth inning just once. He’s also walked at least three batters in each of those outings.
For the season, Carlson is 1-2 with a 4.04 ERA in 11 starts, tossing 42.1 innings and allowing 33 hits and 24 walks while striking out 55.
Junior lefty Brandon Schaeffer is listed as the Saturday starter after throwing 2.1 innings in an extra-inning win Tuesday over Charlotte. He is 4-1 with a 3.90 ERA in a team-high 55.1 innings. He pitches to contact, giving up 61 hits while striking out 41 but walking only 13 batters.
ACC Standings And Schedule
Atlantic Division
| Team | ACC W-L | Pct. | Overall W-L | Pct. |
| Louisville | 14-7 | .667 | 32-12 | .727 |
| Notre Dame | 13-8 | .619 | 28-10 | .737 |
| NC State | 11-9 | .550 | 29-13 | .690 |
| Florida State | 11-10 | .524 | 26-16 | .619 |
| Wake Forest | 10-11 | .476 | 32-13 | .711 |
| Clemson | 6-14 | .300 | 28-17 | .622 |
| Boston College | 4-20 | .167 | 18-28 | .391 |
Coastal Division
| Team | ACC W-L | Pct. | Overall W-L | Pct. |
| Miami | 17-7 | .708 | 32-12 | .727 |
| Virginia Tech | 14-8 | .636 | 31-10 | .756 |
| Virginia | 14-10 | .583 | 34-12 | .739 |
| Georgia Tech | 12-12 | .500 | 27-18 | .600 |
| Pittsburgh | 10-10 | .500 | 24-18 | .571 |
| North Carolina | 8-13 | .381 | 25-17 | .595 |
| Duke | 8-13 | .381 | 19-24 | .442 |
Weekend series schedule:
North Carolina at NC State
Florida State at Boston College
Duke at Pittsburgh
Georgia Tech at Clemson
Louisville at Wake Forest
North Dakota State at Miami
Villanova at Virginia Tech (two games)
——
Talk about NC State baseball inside The Wolves’ Den
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolfpacker
Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolfpacker
Like us on Facebook
