NC State baseball is getting to the end of its season, with the most important games ahead of it. With ACCs coming up from May 22-27, there is still a lot of seeding to be determined and an NCAA Regional bid could be soon to come.
The Pack (39-12,18-9 ACC) just finished up a sweep over Wake Forest at Doak Field on Sunday. The series finale marked the eighth straight win for NC State and its eighth ACC series win of the season.
Here are some takeaways as the Pack heads into its final week of the regular season:
Returning pieces
As the Pack heads into the final stretch of the season, it is more important than ever to have everyone healthy. Senior infielder Stephen Pitarra has been a huge boost off the bench since returning from injury.
Pitarra has recently fit back into the leadoff spot where he was last season. Pitarra is posting a .302 batting average and more importantly a .507 OBP. Pitarra’s move to the top of the lineup pushed senior outfielder Josh McLain back one spot in hopes he will come up more often with runners on base.
There are also players coming back in the pitching staff. Redshirt junior pitcher Austin Staley made his first appearance of the year against James Madison on May 9. Staley pitched 47.2 innings with a 3.59 ERA last season. The bullpen got a little better with that addition.
An area of concern for the Pack has been graduate pitcher Johnny Piedmonte and his injured back. The pitcher had made a couple successful bullpen appearances since his last start. Because of his limited ability, this could be something we see more as the postseason comes.
Junior outfielder Brett Kinneman has had a key role all season, but his bat has heated up again after a month without a home run. Through the James Madison and Wake Forest series, Kinneman went 5 for 13, with two doubles, a triple and a home run. He also knocked in 10 RBIs, scored five times and walked 10 times.
Road Ahead
The Pack has three more regular season games in Tallahassee, Florida against Florida State (37-16, 14-12 ACC), which could determine the seeding in the ACC Championship.
NC State sits only a game behind Clemson for the lead in the Atlantic division. In fact, the top four teams (Clemson, UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke and NC State) are separated by two or less games.
Beyond the ACC, the Pack is optimistic for hosting a regional and even a super regional for the NCAA Tournament in Raleigh. The ceiling for this year’s Pack could be higher than many recent seasons.
NC State closes out the season against Florida State. The series starts on Thursday, May 17 at 6 p.m. with the ACC Championship starting the following Tuesday, May 22.
