NC State baseball weekend recap: Pack sweeps shortened series
The final non-conference weekend series of the season for NC State baseball ended up being shortened by rain, a foreseen development given the weather forecasts. As a result, Sunday’s game was canceled, and NC State took the Friday and Saturday games against The Citadel.
Game one was the bigger challenge. The Citadel led 2-1 before the Pack brought across 4 runs in the fourth and held on for a 7-4 victory. Game two was a runaway for NC State, who scored five times in the second and cruised to a 12-3 win.
NC State baseball improved to 28-14 overall on the season.
At The Plate For NC State Baseball
Sophomore catcher Jacob Cozart had a huge weekend at the plate, going 6 for 8 with a homer and a triple plus drawing a walk. Cozart scored twice and drive in two runs.
Sophomore second baseman Payton Green may have broken out of his prolonged slump that saw his batting average fall from .328 on April 2 to .266 going into the weekend. Green went 4 for 7 at the plate and drew a walk. He had 2 doubles and scored 4 runs while also getting a stolen base.
Also shining for NC State was senior outfielder Trevor Candelaria, who went 3 for 8 with a homer and a double. He drove in 2 runs and scored twice. Freshman catcher/designated hitter Cannon Peebles walked four times in the opener and went 2 for 5 with a solo homer in game two.
On The Mound
Redshirt junior righty Sam Highfill was expected to start Sunday, but perhaps in anticipation that Sunday’s game would not happen, NC State baseball coach Elliott Avent gave Highfill an extended relief outing Saturday.
Highfill went 4.0 innings, allowing 4 hits and 1 earned run while walking one and striking out three.
ACC Standings And Weekend Results
Atlantic Division
| Team | Overall Record | Conference Record |
| Wake Forest | 37-6 | 16-4 |
| Boston College | 29-13 | 13-10 |
| Notre Dame | 25-17 | 13-11 |
| Clemson | 28-17 | 11-10 |
| Louisville | 28-15 | 9-12 |
| NC State | 28-14 | 8-12 |
| Florida State | 15-27 | 6-18 |
Coastal Division
| Team | Overall Record | Conference Record |
| Duke | 31-13 | 14-9 |
| Miami | 28-16 | 14-10 |
| Virginia | 35-11 | 13-11 |
| North Carolina | 28-16 | 11-12 |
| Virginia Tech | 25-16 | 11-11 |
| Pittsburgh | 20-21 | 8-11 |
| Georgia Tech | 26-18 | 8-13 |
Weekend Series Results:
NC State 2, The Citadel 0
Miami 2, Louisville 1
Clemson 2, Boston College 1
Notre Dame 2, Florida State 1
Duke 2, Virginia 1
North Carolina 2 Virginia Tech 1
Georgia Tech 3, Gardner-Webb 0
Pittsburgh 3, California 0
NC State Baseball In The Polls
USA Today Sports baseball coaches: Not updated (previously receiving votes)
NCBWA: Unranked (previously unranked)
Collegiate Baseball: Unranked (previously unranked)
Perfect Game: Unranked (previously unranked)
D1Baseball.com: Unranked (previously unranked)
Baseball America: Unranked (previously unranked)
Midweek Action Ahead For NC State Baseball
The last of what has been a lengthy stretch of predominantly home games for the Pack is Tuesday at 2 p.m., against North Carolina A&T.
The Aggies are 17-23 overall and after being swept over the week at Stony Brook fell to 9-13 in the Colonial Athletic Association. NC A&T is 9th out of 11 teams in the league standings. The preseason picks had them finishing last.
NC State is 2-1 against teams in the Colonial, having beaten second-place team UNC Wilmington twice and losing at home to current third place squad Elon.
