NC State baseball weekend preview: Last non-conference series
After seven consecutive weekends of ACC action, NC State baseball steps out of conference one last time for a three-game set when it hosts Radford in Raleigh at Doak Field.
The Wolfpack’s record stands at 26-13 overall and 11-9 in the ACC. First pitch Friday and Saturday are at 6:30 p.m., and Sunday is 1 p.m. All three games can be viewed online with ACC Network Extra.
Here’s a look at the weekend ahead for NC State baseball against Radford.
Looking At NC State Baseball Opponent: Radford
The season has been a struggle for a Radford team with higher expectations.
The preseason Big South poll had Radford finishing third in the conference behind heavily favored Campbell, the near unanimous pick to win the league, and USC Upstate.
After 18 Big South games, instead of Radford being third from the top they find themselves third from the bottom with a 6-12 league mark and an overall record of 13-27. The Highlanders appeared to have potentially righted the ship after winning back-to-back Big South series over Gardner-Webb and High Point, but this past weekend Radford was swept at home by UNC Asheville.
The only other ACC team Radford has faced is Virginia Tech, whom it lost to both times, including 13-8 in Radford on April 20. The Highlanders have also hosted East Carolina for a midweek game and fell 7-5.
Weekend Pitching
Odds are NC State baseball is going with the same trio it used to start the last three series, although Sunday currently is labeled as “TBA.”
NC State redshirt sophomore Logan Whitaker, a righty, will go Friday. In 39.2 innings, Whitaker has allowed 31 hits and a .212 batting average while sporting a 4.08 ERA, a number inflated by allowing nine earned runs in 4.0 innings at Virginia Tech, to date his lone ineffective start. Whitaker has struck out 39 while allowing 18 walks.
Sophomore right hander Matt Willadsen will go Saturday. He is 1-3 in nine starts with a 5.54 ERA while allowing 57 hits in a team-high 50.1 innings. He has surrendered 30 walks while fanning a team-high 51.
Super senior lefty Canaan Silver is 5-0 with a 3.07 ERA in 44.0 innings. He has allowed 35 hits while displaying impressive command, walking only nine and fanning 45.
Radford has not revealed who will start Saturday, but right hander Gene McGough will go Friday in what will likely be a bullpen game for Radford. He’s been hit hard this season with a 17.32 ERA in nine games, including eight starts. He’s only thrown 17.2 innings and allowed 24 hits and 21 walks. Eleven of those 24 hits surrendered have been for extra bases, and he has only once gone past three innings.
Lefty Zach Davidson will pitch Sunday. He has started 10 times this season with a 6.42 ERA in 40.2 innings. Davidson does have two starts where he did not allow a run, including a complete game two-hitter against High Point.
ACC Standings And Schedule
Atlantic Division
| Team | ACC W-L | Pct. | Overall W-L | Pct. |
| Louisville | 11-7 | .611 | 28-12 | .700 |
| Notre Dame | 11-7 | .611 | 26-9 | .743 |
| NC State | 11-9 | .550 | 26-13 | .667 |
| Florida State | 11-10 | .524 | 24-15 | .615 |
| Wake Forest | 10-11 | .476 | 29-13 | .690 |
| Clemson | 6-11 | .353 | 28-14 | .667 |
| Boston College | 3-18 | .143 | 16-26 | .381 |
Coastal Division
| Team | ACC W-L | Pct. | Overall W-L | Pct. |
| Miami | 15-3 | .762 | 31-10 | .756 |
| Virginia Tech | 12-7 | .632 | 29-9 | .763 |
| Virginia | 13-8 | .619 | 32-10 | .762 |
| Pittsburgh | 10-10 | .500 | 22-16 | .579 |
| Georgia Tech | 10-11 | .476 | 25-17 | .595 |
| North Carolina | 8-13 | .381 | 24-17 | .585 |
| Duke | 8-13 | .381 | 18-22 | .450 |
Weekend Schedule
Radford at NC State
Boston College at Notre Dame
Virginia Tech at Virginia
Clemson at Louisville
Miami at Georgia Tech
Manhattan at Pittsburgh
TCU at Florida State
Longwood at Wake Forest
NC State Baseball Midweek Recap
NC State is not considered a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament, and wins like the home victory over East Carolina Tuesday evening keeps that the case.
The Wolfpack escaped multiple jams from ECU, allowing for a lopsided 12-3 win despite the two teams nearly having the same amount of hits (13 for NC State and 11 for East Carolina). A grand slam from redshirt junior shortstop Josh Hood after the Pirates intentionally walked freshman third baseman Tommy White to load the bases with two outs in the bottom of the eighth broke the game wide open.
Entering Tuesday, Hood had been 8 for 60 at the plate in the last 15 games, while White, who had homered earlier vs. ECU, had five bombs in his past four games, perhaps explaining the decision.
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