NC State baseball weekend recap: Another sweep

NC State baseball is once again off to a hot start. The Pack is 7-0 after a weekend sweep of visiting Belmont. That is the fourth time in the past five seasons that NC State has started 7-0 or better.

Once NC State broke open a 7-4 contest in game one with a 4-run eighth to prevail 11-4, there was not much contest between the Pack and the Bruins the rest of the weekend. The Wolfpack won 7-0 on Saturday in a game delayed at the start due to rain and then completed the sweep with a 7-1 triumph Sunday.

NC State Baseball In The Polls

Perfect Game: 17th (up from 21st)

Collegiate Baseball: 19th (up from 30th)

USA Today Sports baseball coaches: 20th (up from 22nd)

NCBWA: 20th (up from 22nd)

D1Baseball.com: 21st (no change)

Baseball America: 24th (up from 25th)

At The Plate For NC State Baseball

Sophomore shortstop Payton Green continued his phenomenal start for NC State baseball, and as a result was named the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper National Player of the Week.

Green hit a grand slam in game one against Belmont, then added two more bombs Saturday.

Thus far this season, Green is torching opposing pitching, hitting 13 for 27 (.481 average) with 3 home runs and 3 doubles. He’s added 5 walks for an on-base percentage of .563 and is 4 for 4 on stolen bases. He has also yet to commit an error in the infield while starting all seven games.

His fellow middle infielder junior Kalae Harrison, a transfer from Texas A&M, went 4 for 12 over the weekend with a double and walked three times. Like Green, Harrison has yet to have an error.

The weekend also saw freshman catcher Cannon Peebles and classmate first baseman Eli Serrano III hit their first career NC State homers. The highly touted Serrano is 5 for 11 on the year overall and has added a double.

On The Mound

After going all of 2021 and 2022 without having a game free of walks, NC State baseball pitching has done that twice this season already.

The latest was Sunday, when freshman lefty starter Dominic Fritton and junior right-handed reliever Justin Lawson combined to accomplish that, giving up just 1 earned run on 6 hits while compiling 10 strikeouts.

On Saturday, junior righty starter Matt Willadsen threw six innings of one-hit shutout ball, striking out eight while walking two in the process. Oregon transfer and junior lefty Rio Britton then threw 2 perfect innings with a strikeout in his NC State baseball debut, and freshman right-handed pitcher Everette Harris completed the shutout despite giving up a walk and a hit in the ninth.

The bullpen was strong in game one after starter Logan Whitaker lasted 3.2 innings. Righties Baker Nelson, Sam Highfill and Carson Kelly combined to go 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing just 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out three.

Midweek Action Ahead For NC State Baseball

Clemson transfer and lefty P.J. Labriola will make his second start for the Pack in a midweek game, taking first pitch at 3 p.m. Tuesday against Longwood. Labriola threw 3.2 innings at Coastal Carolina in a 16-4 NC State win last week, giving up 5 hits and 3 earned runs. He did not walk a batter and fanned five.

Longwood started the season 0-5 before taking 2 of 3 over the weekend at home against Delaware State. In midweek games vs. Virginia and North Carolina a week ago, the Lancers lost by a combined score of 36-2.

A starter for Wednesday’s 3 p.m. game vs. Radford has not been announced. Radford is 2-5 after being swept by Wagner, whom NC State baseball took all three from during opening weekend. Radford also lost a midweek game at UNC last week, 14-2.