NC State baseball weekend preview: ACC action begins with Notre Dame

On3 imageby:Matt Carter03/11/22

TheWolfpacker

After three non-conference weekend series, NC State baseball begins ACC play with one of the most touted teams in the league coming to Raleigh: Notre Dame.

Game one, originally scheduled for 6 p.m., has been moved up to a 4 p.m. start to get ahead of anticipated inclement weather in the evening. Game two Saturday is 2 p.m. and the conclusion Sunday at 1 p.m.

All games can be seen online on ACC Network Extra. Friday’s game had previously been set to be on ACC Network.

Here’s a look at the weekend ahead for NC State baseball.

NC State Baseball Midweek Review

The Wolfpack snapped a four-game losing skid by running away in a road win at UNC Greensboro.

The Spartans jumped started NC State starter Logan Adams, tagging him for three earned runs on two hits and two walks before Adams was relieved without retiring a batter.

Super senior lefty Canaan Silver saved the day however with 5.0 strong innings in relief. After allowing two runs (one earned) in the second to give UNCG a 5-3 lead, Silver threw four scoreless frames to earn the win.

Meanwhile, the bats came alive and scored 13 runs on 17 hits. Freshman first baseman Tommy White going 4 for 6 at the plate with a double and driving in three runs. Super senior second baseman J.T. Jarrett was back for the first time since Feb. 26 and went 3 for 5 with a double, improving his season batting average to .593.

Freshman catcher Jacob Cozart may have also broken through after struggling at the plate to begin his career. Cozart had gone 4 for 30 in the first 11 games, but he was 3 for 5 in Greensboro with a double and drove in two runs.

Looking At Notre Dame

The Irish, coached by Jarrett’s father Link Jarrett, is 53-16 dating back to last season, a .768 winning percentage that is third best in NCAA. NC State will be trying to snap Notre Dame’s seven-series road winning streak in ACC action.

Thus far this year, Notre Dame is 9-1 and have gotten there with stellar defense and pitching above anything. The Irish have committed just three errors and have a .992 fielding percentage that leads the NCAA.

Notre Dame also leads the country with a 1.41 staff earned run average (ERA) and is second in 0.91 WHIP (walks and hits per innings). Meanwhile, its everyday lineup has five batters who hit .300 or better. Four of them getting on base on at least a .400 clip.

Weekend Pitching

NC State baseball is sticking with its same weekend rotation, but they will have to be on top of their game.

Third-year sophomore righty Sam Highfill will go Friday. He is 1-1 with a 5.02 ERA thus far, allowing 12 hits and five walks in 14.1 innings while striking out 17. Hitters are batting .231 off Highfill. Notre Dame will be throwing lefty Aidan Tyrell, who has allowed just one earned run in 16.0 innings.

Highfill’s classmate, right hander Matt Willadsen, goes Saturday. He has yet to record a decision while throwing 14.1 innings in three starts. Willadsen leads the Pack with 18 strikeouts but has also allowed nine walks and surrendered 15 hits. The Irish will counter with another lefty in John M. Bertrand, who has given up just two earned runs in 20.0 innings. One one of the 14 hits Bertrand has allowed has been for extra bases, and he has only walked two while striking out 23.

Sunday will be super senior lefty David Harrison for NC State. He is 2-1 with a 2.81 ERA in 16.0 innings, striking out 14 while walking four. Right-hander Austin Temple should be on the mound for Notre Dame. Temple has just a .145 batting average allowed, giving up eight hits in 17.0 innings with four walks and 23 strikeouts.

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