The No. 7 NC State baseball team will travel to Tallahassee to take on No. 14 Florida State this week in its final regular season series.
The Wolfpack (39-12, 18-9 ACC) is coming off an impressive sweep of Wake Forest and will be riding an eight-game winning streak heading into the series after dropping five straight beforehand.
The Seminoles (37-16, 14-12 ACC) have had a fine season, carrying impressive series victories against the likes of UNC-Chapel Hill and Louisville, and will enter the series squarely in the ACC Tournament field but in a battle for seeding.
In the series sweep over Wake Forest, head coach Elliott Avent deployed freshman Reid Johnston and senior Brian Brown on the mound as the starters for games one and two with a “bullpen” game to clinch the sweep.
The formula has been a winning one for the Wolfpack. Johnston tossed 4.2 innings and surrendered three runs against the Demon Deacons, just enough to get the ball to redshirt junior Nolan Clenney and then sophomore left-hander Kent Klyman to finish out the game. Brown didn’t have his best start in his final appearance at Doak Field, but he did strike out 10 and went six innings.
Avent has leaned on Klyman heavily as of late with promising results. The Williamsburg, Virginia native turned in 6.2 innings in last weekend’s sweep, yielding just one run while earning a win and a save. He owns an excellent 2.29 ERA in 51 innings while striking out 55 batters and walking just 17 and has become the Pack’s most effective middle reliever.
Expect more of the same against the Seminoles, as the starting rotation has been thin in depth but effective this season, while the bullpen has been exceptional.
Florida State does boast one of the best offenses in the conference, led by catcher Cal Raleigh. The junior has had a stellar campaign, slashing .326/.456/.579 with 11 home runs and a team-high 46 walks to just 35 strikeouts. His plate discipline is mirrored by his teammates, as the Seminoles outpace the entire ACC with 351 team walks.
The Seminoles’ .400 on-base percentage is second only to NC State in the ACC, and could present a problem for Wolfpack pitchers.
NC State will have its hands full at the plate as well. The Seminoles have a solid trio of starters in Cole Sands, Andrew Karp and Drew Parrish. Parrish has been the best of the bunch, logging a 2.42 ERA in 81.2 innings and allowing just a .194 opponent batting average. Florida State pitchers have struck out an ACC-best 517 batters and own a collective 3.94 ERA.
While the pitching will have its chance to shine for both squads, the offense should be the story this weekend, as NC State and Florida State both come in as two of the best hitting teams in the conference.
The Pack is in a good position to host a regional in the NCAA Tournament and could vault itself into first place in the ACC with a sweep and series losses by Clemson and UNC.
The first game of the series is scheduled for Thursday at 6 p.m. with the second game Friday at 6 p.m. and the series finale Saturday at 1 p.m. at Dick Howser Stadium.
