The Wolfpack need a win over ECU to keep the upward momentum going on the postseason resume
East Carolina @ NC State – Tuesday, April 22nd @ 6:00pm (ACCNX | Stats)
Projected Starters: SO LHP Cooper Consiglio — SO RHP Jackson DiLorenzo
Since dropping the series finale at Duke – the only ACC series loss on the season to date for NC State – the Wolfpack have posted an impressive 9-2 record and moved themselves from NCAA Regional bubble team to firmly in the conversation for an NCAA Regional hosting bid. The remaining schedule should take care of that (assuming State can finish strong), with series looming against RPI heavyweights Clemson and North Carolina, as well as a suddenly RPI-buoyant Miami squad.
Before all that, however, the back-in-the-Top-25 Pack will have to contend with East Carolina just over two days after making the cross-country flight back from a series sweep of California. If NC State wants to keep the positive momentum going towards Regional hosting duties, a win over the Pirates is a must as ECU enters the game with an RPI ranking of just 73rd. Of course, a major factor in Tuesday night’s game will be how much the jetlag impacts the Pack9.
Much of what was said about ECU (24-17 overall, 9-6 AAC) heading into the first matchup between these two (a 4-1 Wolfpack win) still holds true (read about that here), particularly around the injury induced absence of some key players. Stud SR CF Ryley Johnson still hasn’t returned to the lineup and the pitching staff is still without SO RHP Brett Antolick and JR LHP Ryan Towers. This has just not been a season on par with the expectations of the Pirates program.
FR OF Braden Burress (.424/.526/.520, 6 2B, 2 HR, 13.5 BB%, 9.0 K%, 13-17 SB), SO 3B Colby Wallace (.289/.363/.516, 9 2B, 9 HR, 7.7 BB%, 17.7 K%, 1-2 SB), JR 2B Dixon Williams (.271/.460/.479, 6 2B, 7 HR, 19.3 BB%, 15.6 K%, 16-19 SB), SO C Walker Barron (.275/.366/.345, 4 2B, 2 HR, 7.2 BB%, 16.3 K%, 2-2 SB), and FR 1B Austin Irby (.267/.402/.450, 6 2B, 6 HR, 14.7 BB%, 15.9 K%, 1-1 SB) continue to be the driving forces in the lineup. And much as it was two weeks ago, the weakness is in the other four spots.
The longball has been the downfall of the Pirate pitching staff since last they saw State. During that 7-game span, ECU hurlers have allowed 12 home runs after surrendering just 33 over their first 34 games. Staff ace SO LHP Ethan Norby (4-3, 4.09 ERA, 55.0 IP, 7.3 BB%, 32.8 K%) has had a pair of rough starts over the last two weeks, while FR RHP Sean Jenkins (3-3, 1 SV, 5.89 ERA, 44.1 IP, 6.6 BB%, 19.2 K%) has had a start on each end of the spectrum during that span, which also marks his return to the rotation after a brief stint as a reliever. The good news is that Oklahoma transfer SO RHP Brad Pruett (3-3, 2 SV, 3.23 ERA, 47.1 IP, 10.4 BB%, 28.0 K%) moved into the starting rotation three weeks ago and the returns have been solid (15.2 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 6 BB, 2 HBP, 13 K).
JR RHP Ethan Young (4-0, 2 SV, 3.35 ERA, 48.1 IP, 9.6 BB%, 31.3 K%) and SR RHP Jake Hunter (2-2, 2 SV, 3.38 ERA, 37.1 IP, 10.5 BB%, 24.7 K%) provide the Pirates a solid 1-2 punch out of the bullpen, so if the trio of Norby, Pruett, and Jenkins can put it together come AAC tournament play, this could still be another ECU team to reach an NCAA Regional. If they can’t get it together before heading down to Clearwater, Florida, then it’ll be an early offseason in Greenville.