Coming off of its biggest series win of the season against No. 22 Florida State last weekend, the NC State baseball team looks to build on its recent momentum as it heads down the road to take on archrival No. 5 UNC-Chapel Hill in a three-game series this weekend.
The Wolfpack (19-15, 7-8 ACC) had a lackluster start to the season, winning just one of its first four ACC series and losing ugly nonconference games against Rhode Island, UNC-Charlotte, Campbell and Western Carolina. However, the Pack is on the rise coming off of back-to-back wins over Florida State and a mid-week 10-1 throttling of UNC-Greensboro.
The Tar Heels (27-6, 12-3 ACC) are playing their best baseball right now, having won their last nine games, including an impressive 20-5 victory over No. 14 South Carolina Tuesday night. The Heels have won all five of their ACC series so far this season and have swept Florida State and Boston College in their previous two.
UNC has four starters batting over .300 this season, with Logan Warmoth leading the way at .355. Warmoth has been the Heels’ most consistent all-around hitter, as he also leads the team with seven homeruns. Warmoth, a right-handed batter, should have even more success against the Pack, who will likely roll out two left-handed starters this weekend.
For State, the offensive leaders this season have been freshman Brad Debo and junior Josh McLain. Debo is hitting .380 with three homeruns, while McLain boasts a .333 batting average and leads the team with 17 doubles. However, the Pack offense has been limited beyond these two this year, as only one other member of the team is hitting over .300, a trend that could very well continue against the Heels.
While UNC is a tough team to beat offensively, its overwhelming strength is in the pitching staff. The Tar Heels’ staff ERA sits at 2.62, compared to the Wolfpack’s 4.20, and opposing hitters are batting just .216 against Carolina.
The strength of Carolina’s pitching is highlighted by right-hander J.B. Bukauskas, who will likely get the ball for the Heels on Friday night. Bukauskas is widely regarded as one of the top pitching prospects in the upcoming MLB Draft, as he has posted a 5-0 record with a 1.41 ERA this season. Bukauskas also has 75 strikeouts in just 51 innings pitched.
Bukauskas will likely square off against senior Sean Adler. The lefty has a 4.17 ERA and a 3-4 record in his first year as a starting pitcher for the Pack, and faces a tall challenge of having to pitch against Bukauskas. Adler will have to throw one of the best games of his career for the Pack to have a chance.
The Tar Heels will roll out another great pitcher on Saturday in Luca Dalatri. Dalatri has been effective this season and boasts a 3-2 record with a 2.48 ERA. Dalatri’s numbers are solid and he will be another tough test for the Pack.
Left-handed junior Brian Brown will be on the mound to face Dalatri, and like Adler, will have to bring his best game if the Pack wants to win. Brown picked up his first win of the season against Florida State and now sits at 1-0 with a 3.13 ERA after missing the first part of the season with an injury. Brown has struggled with command, walking 15 batters in 23 innings.
The Sunday starters are less certain for both teams, and if the Pack is to pick up a win in the series, it will likely come in the final game. Freshman Michael Bienlien should go for the Wolfpack, having started the Sunday game of the previous two series. Bienlien has a 4.19 ERA but a winning 2-1 record so far this year.
Carolina has thrown a number of different pitchers on Sundays this season. Last weekend, Austin Bergner got the call against Boston College and threw five innings, allowing just one run and two hits. Bergner is 3-1 with a 2.88 ERA this season, and if it is him on the mound against the Pack on Sunday, it will be another tough matchup for NC State.
The Wolfpack started the season ranked No. 6 in the country and has failed to live up to expectations so far. However, the team has a great opportunity to throw itself back into the national spotlight against an incredible Carolina team this weekend. The Pack is the clear underdog in the series; if it could scrape out two wins, it would be right back in the mix with just over one month left in the regular season.
