No. 13 NC State baseball lost to UNC-Wilmington 6-3 at Doak Field on Tuesday night.
The first of two matchups this season against the Seahawks (24-20), the Wolfpack (30-13) came into the game looking to build momentum off a huge series sweep against then-No. 2 Clemson and strengthen its case to host a Super Regional.
This game marked the annual “Strike Out ALS” game honoring former NC State Baseball player Chris Combs, who passed in 2020 from ALS. Serving as a way to raise awareness for the Wolfpack Club’s Chris Combs Endowment and Project ALS, every player wears 26 on their jerseys, Combs’ number at State.
“We were supposed to play it last Tuesday with East Carolina, and the game got cancelled because of inclement weather,” said NC State head coach Elliott Avent. “As a tribute to Chris Combs, and obviously you think about his family… It was very meaningful to put this on for all the people that we have known who have been afflicted with this heart disease.”
The Seahawks got off to a hot start in the first inning, hitting a two-run homer to put them up early. The Wolfpack quickly responded with an RBI single from sophomore first baseman Chris McHugh. UNCW held onto a lead for the entire contest, but did not lead by more than two until the ninth inning. The Seahawks took a 6-3 lead in the final frame and the Wolfpack’s bats were too cold to respond.
Despite another midweek loss, Avent was proud of the way his team has battled recently.
“I’m once again just proud of the way the guys played, going out to California, leaving at four in the morning, getting back on Easter Sunday at 7:00,” Avent said. “Then you have exams starting Thursday with Clemson coming in, and then you have the rain out against East Carolina. They had a lot, so how they handled that mentally, I thought was incredible.”
The biggest standout for the Pack was senior pitcher Carson Kelly. Kelly came in during the fourth inning and pitched 2.2 innings, striking out three batters, giving up zero runs and giving the Pack a chance to get back into the game.
“Carson has been good all year,” said Avent. “He’s a veteran. He handles things the right way. He takes the game for what it is. He understands who he is and what he does. Carson was outstanding, but he’s been outstanding all year.”
Standing at the top of the conference standings with a regular season title in its grasp, the Pack looks ahead toward a big road series this weekend against the Miami Hurricanes, who have won their last four series’ in ACC play.
“Miami’s on fire,” said Avent. “They’re playing with a lot of energy, a lot of confidence and figuring things out. They started out slow a little bit this year, and they’ve been on fire lately. So that’s gonna be a big test out of Miami.”
The Pack is set to face the Hurricanes May 2-4 in Coral Gables, Florida. First pitch is slated for 7 p.m on Friday.
