NC State advances to Regional final, but needs to win back-to-back games against the Tigers
More on this one later, but NC State topped Stetson, 17-12, in an elimination game on Sunday afternoon in the 2025 Auburn Regional. The Wolfpack will now play Auburn at 8:06pm Sunday evening in the Regional final, although State will need to win tonight and again tomorrow if they are to advance to a Super Regional while the Tigers just need to win one game to advance.
The Regional host is the #4 national seed with the #2 ranked RPI in the country. Auburn (40-18 overall, 17-13 SEC) finished 6th in the SEC and played the #2 strength of schedule nationally.
Offensively, the Tigers are hitting a collective .304/.410/.503, 118 2B, 84 HR, 11.6 BB%, 17.4 K%, 63-80 SB with four players sporting batting averages north of .300 and OBPs north of .400 and a couple other players sitting just south of meeting those thresholds.
Those four batters are rSR 1B Cooper McMurray (.327/.429/.590, 15 2B, 14 HR, 13.4 BB%, 22.2 K%, 0-0 SB), JR LF Ike Irish (.355/.460/.675, 11 2B, 16 HR, 12.2 BB%, 14.3 K%, 10-11 SB), FR C Chase Fralick (.342/.433/.480, 15 2B, 4 HR, 11.6 BB%, 16.8 K%, 0-0 SB), and FR RF Chris Rembert (.346/.475/.571, 13 2B, 10 HR, 14.6 BB%, 14.6 K%, 6-9 SB). Irish earned 1st Team All-SEC honors while Rembert earned 2nd Team honors. Rembert and Fralick both earned SEC All-Freshman honors, as did FR CF Bub Terrell (.290/.360/.446, 14 2B, 5 HR, 8.1 BB%, 19.0 K%, 4-6 SB).
NC State is set to see FR RHP Andres Alvarez (2-1, 6.00 ERA, 36.0 IP, 9.5 BB%, 17.7 K%) on the mound, with the Tigers likely saving FR RHP Christian Chatterton (4-1, 4.47 ERA, 52.1 IP, 8.4 BB%, 28.0 K%) for a potential winner-take-all game on Monday should the Wolfpack win tonight. Alvarez features a low-to-mid-90’s fastball as part of a four-pitch mix. The 5’10, 192 lbs Florida native last pitched on May 13th, tossing 5.0 innings of 1-hit, shutout ball in a midweek win over Jacksonville State.
Auburn did have to burn stud reliever SR LHP Carson Myers (3-2, 3 SV, 2.90 ERA, 49.2 IP, 4.8 BB%, 30.8 K%) in the opening win over Central Connecticut State after starter SO RHP Cam Tilly (3-3, 1 SV, 5.48 ERA, 46.0 IP, 13.5 BB%, 27.9 K%) was ineffective, but the Tigers still have many high-end arms at the ready for this one, including control artists SO RHP Ryan Hetzler (2-0, 7 SV, 3.98 ERA, 31.2 IP, 3.1 BB%, 16.9 K%) and SR RHP Parker Carlson (3-1, 1 SV, 4.00 ERA, 27.0 IP, 4.7 BB%, 27.1 K%).