Following a big series win down in Clemson, South Carolina, the Wolfpack is back in the D1 Baseball rankings, currently sitting at No. 21. Let’s take a look at some takeaways from Friday night’s loss and two big victories on Saturday and Sunday.
All aboard the Sole Train
The biggest story coming out of this weekend surely has to be the success of sophomore outfielder Noah Soles.
Soles had eight hits and seven RBIs over the series against the Tigers helped power the Pack in all three games, winning him ACC Player of the Week honors.
Soles was one of three NC State players to cross home plate in game one, with a solo shot in the seventh inning.
He only continued to get better throughout the weekend, as he was responsible for all five runs scored by the Wolfpack in game two, and he had another two RBIs on Sunday in the eventual 9-7 win.
With home runs on both Friday and Sunday, Soles also more than doubled his total on the year, having only previously hit one in 2022 in the series against Georgia Tech.
One of the few players to show consistency at the plate all weekend, Soles proved how valuable he is to this lineup and how he can continue to make an impact moving forward.
Transferring the impact
Another player with an outstanding performance over the weekend is sophomore infielder LuJames Groover III, one of two transfers from UNC-Charlotte.
Particularly on Sunday, his four RBIs on three hits including a two run shot to left field were a huge part of the Pack’s success over Clemson.
His .373 batting average still leads the team through 27 games this season and he also leads the team in hits, with 44, two above freshman infielder Tommy White.
Speaking of White, while he wasn’t hitting the same homers we all know and love this past weekend, he currently sits just one home run away from tying the NC State freshman record which is something to look out for this next series at Virginia Tech.
Senior outfielder Devonte Brown also got in on the fun on Sunday with a clutch two RBI single in the seventh inning to give the Wolfpack the runs it would eventually need to win the game, continuing to prove to be reliable at his new leadoff spot.
These players have continued to step up and are making the difference for the Pack with its newfound success in ACC play.
Strikeout city and other pitching updates
Three NC State pitchers, all from the bullpen, recorded five strikeouts against the Tigers.
Left-hander senior Canaan Silver recorded a career high 5Ks in three innings during Saturday’s win and left-hander sophomore Chris Villaman, who came in to close, also recorded five of his six outs by strikeout.
In Sunday’s matchup right-hander sophomore Justin Lawson got the win with five strikeouts in 3.1 innings while Villaman added two more to his weekend total for the save.
Sophomore right-hander starter Sam Highfill switched from being the Friday night starter to a Sunday outing where he struck out two and gave up no earned runs in three innings.
As for the weekend’s other starters, sophomore right-hander Matt Willadsen struggled in game one, giving up seven earned runs in just three innings, while redshirt sophomore Logan Whitaker only gave up two earned runs in the same amount of time pitched on Saturday.
Worst fielding percentage in the ACC
Defensively, the Pack has continued its struggles in the field with three more errors over the weekend.
NC State currently has the worst fielding percentage in the ACC, and while it’s hard to really compare it to a team that may have been the best ever defensively for the Wolfpack, the current 2022 roster already has five more errors than the 2021 team had all year.
Though only one unearned run was scored throughout the Clemson series as the runner got on base off a dropped fly ball, this is still a necessary improvement moving down the stretch.
Win the weekend
Now with back to back ACC series wins against Georgia Tech and Clemson, this season is looking up for the Wolfpack.
While the Pack did have some trouble with a 14-3 loss to kick off the weekend, it showed its resilience with big back and forth victories Saturday and Sunday.
Next up, NC State will continue its ACC stretch on the road as it heads up to Blacksburg, Virginia to play Virginia Tech from April 8-10.
The Hokies most recently took two games out of three in a series in Chapel Hill but still sits at just 5-5 in conference play, making this another good matchup for the Pack.
