Ronald Nause
N.C. State (30-10, 13-5 ACC) sits in a tie for the best record in the ACC with Atlantic Division foe Florida State. But before turning their attention to the ACC stretch run, the Pack have unfinished business with East Carolina (25-13).
State took the first game of three game season series with the Pirates with a 5-4 comeback victory at home on March 29. ECU returned the favor on April 12 with a 2-1, 13-inning win. The rubber match is tonight at 7:00 at Doak Field.
Coach Elliott Avent said even with vital ACC play looming, the Pack remains excited to play ECU.
“It’s a great rivalry. It’s fun for the fans, and it’s fun for both sets of players. Anytime you can compete in athletics at a high level, it’s fun,” Avent said.
Wolfpack players said the State-ECU game is more of rivalry for the fans not the players.
“To be honest, I think they make more a big deal out of it than we do. We got bigger problems, bigger fish to fry in the ACC,” sophomore outfielder Chris Engle said. “Worrying about winning an ACC Championship, going to Omaha — those kinds of things. But it’s definitely there. It’s fun to see the fans coming out, you know, the atmosphere and everything.”
Sophomore pitcher Matt Payne agreed with that assessment.
“It’s probably more the fans. We definitely want to beat them. I don’t think it’s as much as what the fans make it out to be a lot of times,” Payne said.
Avent went a step further and said the rivalry is more important to the ECU fans and players.
“It’s important to our fans. Anytime there’s a rivalry, and there’s certainly a rivalry between East Carolina and N.C. State baseball, it’s bragging rights. And that’s important for fans,” Avent said. “It’s a much bigger rivalry for the fans, especially from the East Carolina standpoint and much more from their players’ standpoint than ours.”
Engle, a native of Kernersville, N.C., said he is ready to stop playing ECU, but he noted that it is a good mid-week game for the Pack.
“It’s kind of good to have them during the middle of the week because it keeps you on top of your game going into a tough ACC series like we’re going into. We got Carolina, Miami, Florida State — those teams. Do I like them? No. Am I tired of seeing them? A little, but it’s always a fun game,” Engle said.
Avent said he wants to win the season series, but he added that the ACC games that follow ECU are more important as the Pack tries to earn the chance to host a regional.
“It’d be nice to win the series tomorrow night no doubt about that. We’ll get a regional at home anyway. But I don’t think this has any bearing on that,” Avent said. “Every loss you get weighs into it, but I don’t think us winning this East Carolina game is going to have any bearing on us getting a regional at home. We’re in good shape to getting that if we can do well in the conference throughout the rest of the year.”
Payne said the game is important to keep momentum going into the series with North Carolina.
“We want to get another win and get rolling going into Carolina this weekend. It’s definitely more than just saying we beat East Carolina,” Payne said.
ECU will send left-hander Brody Taylor (5-1, 1.55 ERA) to the mound and State will counter with Gib Hobson (5-1, 5.66 ERA).
In the last meeting with Pirates, State’s offense scored only one run. Avent said he hopes that will change in the final game of the series.
“We hit some balls hard, but we had not much to show for it. It’s unusual for us to play 13 innings and only score one run. You got to tip your hat to T.J. Hose and their pitching staff and, hopefully, we can find a way to score some runs tomorrow night,” Avent said.