After three consecutive blowout wins, N.C. State looks to continue its scorching offensive streak as it welcomes Appalachian State to Doak Field for a three-game series this weekend.
“[Appalachian State] beat us on opening day last year,” junior second baseman Logan Ratledge said. “We know this is going to be a tough series.”
After being shutout in its first game, a 3-0 loss to Canisius, the Wolfpack responded by winning its next three games in blowout fashion. On Monday, the Pack earned a series split against Canisius with an 11-4 drubbing at home. State followed suit Tuesday night with a 12-7 pounding of Elon and then demolished North Carolina A&T by a score of 15-0 Wednesday afternoon.
During the last three games, the Pack is averaging an astronomical 12.7 runs per game and has gotten strong production from its veteran leaders.
Junior shortstop Trea Turner, who has a .500 (eight-for-sixteen) batting average, is five-for-five on stolen base attempts so far this season, looking everything like the preseason first-team All-American he is.
Junior catcher Brett Austin, another member of State’s preseason All-American trio, is batting .438 (seven-for-sixteen) and is tied for second on the team in RBIs (four). And after a paltry one-for-12 start, Ratledge has also exploded onto the scene, leading the team in home runs (two) and RBIs (six).
“[Logan] hadn’t been playing that well, but he had a great preseason and had two home runs [Wednesday], but home runs are not what we’re looking for,” head coach Elliott Avent said. “We’re looking for him to go back to doing what he’s been doing. A very steady player who does everything in the game correctly.”
But perhaps the best performance of the week came from junior pitchers Patrick and Eric Peterson, a pair of transfers from Temple. The Peterson twins combined to turn in eight scoreless innings Wednesday, giving up only three hits in the Pack’s shutout of A&T.
Though Patrick Peterson’s appearance on a Wednesday game suggests that he could be the Pack’s mid-week starter, he could find himself in the weekend rotation with a couple more performances like the one against the Aggies.
“The Peterson twins pitched unbelievable,” Avent said. “That is as efficient as you can pitch, only 84 pitches over eight innings. If we pitch that like that this year, we’re going to have a chance as long as we play defense.”
The Mountaineers (0-4) were swept by the No. 25 Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville, Ar. last weekend and followed that by dropping a midweek game to Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn.
The lone bright spot for the Mountaineers in the early going has been the emergence of sophomore infielder Dillon Dobson. Dobson, an All-Southern Conference freshman team nominee in 2013, is off to a scorching start, driving in five RBIs while hitting for a home run, a triple and a double in the opening week of play.
The Wolfpack’s junior pitcher Carlos Rodon (0-1, 1.50 ERA) is expected to start Friday and will likely face off with the Mountaineers’ junior right-hander Jamie Nunn (0-1, 24.00 ERA). Rodon was bested by Nunn in the opening game of the 2013 season, with the Mountaineers going deep three times on the southpaw.
“Last year I just left some balls up, and everything just wasn’t there,” Rodon said. “They just hit me.”
Junior pitcher Logan Jernigan (0-0, 4.50 ERA) is expected to start Saturday against App’s senior right-hander Tyler Moore (0-1, 10.80 ERA), while N.C. State’s sophomore left-hander Brad Stone (1-0, 6.75 ERA) is projected to start Sunday against junior lefty Jeffrey Springs (0-0, 5.40 ERA).
The Wolfpack has an opportunity this weekend to earn three wins against a good Mountaineers team. Rodon could also bounce back well after his loss on opening day. Avent said his team is ready for the series.
“They are a very good team,” Avent said. “They beat us to open the season last year. This will be a continuation of what we never finished.”
