Following an up and down season, the NC State baseball team travels to Durham as the 6-seed in the 2015 ACC Tournament, looking to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament field.
After struggling to find consistency during the regular season, at times squandering quality opportunities and committing costly mistakes, the Wolfpack (31-20, 15-14 ACC) has turned its season around, winning 10 of its final 12 games bypass the play-in games in the ACC Tournament.
For much of the season, State struggled to register runs with runners in scoring position, leaving too many on base. The team failed to bring those runners home in clutch situations when it mattered the most, resulting in painful losses after outplaying the opposition.
An end of the season turnaround seemed improbable less than a month ago, as the Pack dropped a series opener 8-3 to Virginia (33-19, 15-15 ACC), giving the club its ninth loss in 12 games. Rather than giving up on its dim NCAA Tournament hopes, the team revealed its character with a pair of thrilling walk-off wins to steal the series from Virginia.
The Virginia series began a nine-game winning streak for the Wolfpack. During that time, the club improved its hitting with runners in scoring position and stranded fewer on base, while the already solid pitching staff stepped its play up a notch.
After sweeping ACC counterpart Wake Forest—highlighted by a 19-1 drubbing of the Demon Deacons—the team faced its toughest competition of the year when No. 2 Louisville (42-14, 25-5 ACC) visited Doak Field to close out the regular season.
NC State gave one of the nation’s top teams all it could handle, playing Louisville to three closely contested games, including a 3-2 upset over the Cardinals in Game 2.
The Pack’s victory clinched its place in pool play of the ACC Tournament, giving the club three more opportunities to improve its NCAA Tournament resume.
Despite losing the Louisville series, the Wolfpack proved it can play with and beat any team in the country when firing on all cylinders. The biggest question surrounding the Pack isn’t regarding talent, as five players recently earned 2015 All-ACC honors, but rather if the team can put together and reach its potential.
The Pack is trending in the right direction and seems to be peaking just in time for the ACC Tournament. While most experts predict NC State will make the 64-team NCAA Tournament field, the Wolfpack can help itself by earning a win or two in Durham to bolster its resume and seeding.
The team opens ACC Tournament play Thursday at 11 a.m. against Notre Dame (35-19, 17-13 ACC) at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The Irish won the series against the Pack two games to one earlier this season.
Notre Dame boasts one of the top pitching staffs in the conference, ranking fourth in ERA and supported by a defense with the best fielding percentage in the ACC.
State takes on No. 8 Miami (42-13, 22-8 ACC), which swept the Pack in March, Friday at 7 p.m. Miami holds the top team batting average in the conference led by junior third baseman David Thompson, the ACC leader in home runs and RBI.
The Wolfpack wrap up pool play Saturday at 7 p.m. against Virginia. The ACC championship game is Sunday at 1 p.m.
