After an impressive start to the season, the Wolfpack baseball team will take its 11-1 record on the road as it leaves the friendly confines of Doak Field at Dail Park to take on ACC rival Clemson in a three-game series this weekend.
Playing in front of the home crowd is something State has gotten use to after starting the season playing nine of its first twelve contests at home. The Pack will set out on its longest road trip of the season, playing all of its next nine games on the road.
“It should be a great atmosphere and a great game. They can hit, they can run and they have great players,” said Russell Wilson, a senior in communication regarding the Clemson series. “But we have great players too, and I think it should be a great game. I can’t wait to go down there.”
The Tigers (9-1) are ranked No. 7 in the nation in the latest rankings and pose State’s first true road test this season. The series will mark the beginning of the Pack’s conference schedule.
“We’ve been tested this year already in the tournament at Myrtle Beach,” coach Elliott Avent said. “But now we’re talking about ACC games. It’s a completely different type of test.”
The Wolfpack does not have a particularly outstanding track record against Clemson, especially on the road, losing nine of tits last ten games played at the Tigers’ Kingsmore Stadium. State will look for better results in this year’s series compared to last year’s, which saw the Pack get swept in three games to end its season.
“These games count in the conference race, which can cause people to approach the game, an at-bat, or a groundball differently,” Avent said. “We need to make sure we keep approaching a groundball or an at-bat with the same intensity as we do in practice and we’ll see if we can’t continue to grow.”
Much of State’s success this season can be attributed to an offense that has not slowed down a bit since opening day, when the Pack downed LaSalle, 32-3. Since then, the team has averaged 13.5 runs per game and is batting an astounding .392.
A key contributor to the Pack’s offensive exploits has been senior infielder Dallas Polk. In five games since being moved to the No. 2 spot in the batting order, the second baseman is batting .400 with 10 RBIs.
Poulk, however, is not the only Wolfpack player finding success at the top of the batting order. Fellow senior Kyle Wilson has hit safely in all twelve games this season from the leadoff spot and leads the team in runs scored with 22.
With two offensive juggernauts set to clash, the series will more than likely come down to pitching. Junior Jake Buchanan and sophomore Cory Mazzoni will be called upon to take the mound this weekend and help stifle the Tigers’ bats.
Buchanan and Mazzoni have been State’s most reliable starters this season. Buchanan is 2-1 on the year and sports a 1.77 ERA along with 15 strikeouts. Mazzoni has been equally as impressive, with a 2-0 record to go along with a 2.16 ERA and 18 strikeouts.
“I feel our pitching staff has matured and our hard work is paying off,” Mazzoni said. “Coach [Tom] Holliday is a great pitching coach and really helped us all out.”
State’s first game of the series against the Tigers is scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday. The Pack will also compete against North Carolina Central, UNC Wilmington, and Wake Forest over the break.
