The NC State baseball team heads into the weekend to host the Louisville Cardinals, having won every ACC series it has played so far.
In the Pack’s (29-5, 12-3 ACC) most recent ACC series against Boston College, it ended the series with a 3-1 loss despite owning a 13-run differential over Boston College through the first two games, both wins. The Pack will look to get back to its sweeping ways against the Cardinals.
Louisville (25-8, 10-5 ACC) will prove a difficult challenge, as the team is currently ranked 20th in the D1 Baseball Top 25. Currently, Louisville leads the ACC in ERA, with a 2.97 ERA as a team. Clemson is second with a 3.33, while NC State is third in the ACC with a 3.35.
On top of this, Louisville is second in the ACC in fielding percentage behind the Pack. Louisville has a .978 fielding percentage, which is just barely behind the Pack’s .983.
However, the Cardinals are one of the worst offensive teams in the conference, ranking 11th overall in batting average, hitting only a .258 compared to NC State’s .293, which ranks second in the ACC.
Louisville’s bad hitting should prove to be a field day for the Wolfpack pitchers, as the Pack outscored two of the teams behind Louisville in hitting, Pittsburgh and Florida State, by a combined 61-26 in six games.
Sophomore pitchers Reid Johnston and Canaan Silver and junior pitchers Andrew Blake and Jason Parker have a chance to stay consistent throughout this series and aim to get another ACC sweep under their belts.
The starting pitcher for Sunday is likely to be up in the air again due to Blake’s poor start in the last game of the Boston College series. Silver will likely start, as he is posting a solid 2.79 ERA, but nothing is guaranteed. Parker and Johnston will likely start the first two games of the series.
The series will provide a unique challenge for Wolfpack batters, Louisville’s pitching might be the best that the team has seen thus far.
Junior infielder Will Wilson, senior infielder Evan Edwards, freshman outfielder Tyler McDonough and sophomore catcher Patrick Bailey have been among the best Pack hitters this season. The tandem all hit at or above .327, which is well above every other player on the roster. If this group in particular hits well against Louisville, it will cement them as a hitting team to be reckoned with.
The Pack will begin the series on Friday, April 12 at 6:30 p.m. at Doak Field.
