Despite its first true road loss of the season, the NC State baseball team won its fifth straight ACC series of the year this past weekend, beating Boston College 2-1 in a three-game series in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
The Wolfpack (29-4, 12-3 ACC) survived a late Boston College (15-17, 6-9 ACC) rally Friday to win 6-5, before overpowering the Eagles with a 16-4 victory Saturday. The Pack’s bats cooled off Sunday, as Boston College salvaged a 3-1 win in the series finale.
Here are some takeaways from the Pack’s series win over the Eagles:
Evan Edwards is among the ACC’s best
With the superstar duo of junior shortstop Will Wilson and sophomore catcher Patrick Bailey tearing it up for the Wolfpack, it’s easy to sometimes overlook senior first baseman Evan Edwards on the NC State squad. However, Edwards’ talent was on full display against the Eagles, as the left-handed first baseman had perhaps the Pack’s best performance against Boston College.
Edwards finished the weekend hitting 5 for 13, driving in a team-high six runs to go along with three runs scored. He had a two-run homer in the Pack’s 16-run offensive outburst Saturday, and he only struck out one time over the course of the three games.
Edwards is putting together quite the season for the ACC-leading Wolfpack. He’s slashing .333/.433/.628, and his 1.061 on-base plus slugging percentage is third on the team behind only Bailey and Wilson. At 41 RBIs, Edwards is tied for second-most in the ACC. His nine home runs are tied for third. He also has the sixth-best slugging percentage in the league.
NC State has gotten absurd production from the three guys in the middle of its order, and Edwards has been just as much a part of the success as Bailey and Wilson. After going undrafted last year, Edwards has staked his claim as a top ACC talent and is definitely moving himself onto draft boards.
Parker, Johnston are a great one-two punch
There’s no question who the top two arms in the starting rotation are for the Wolfpack, as junior Jason Parker and sophomore Reid Johnston are putting together great seasons for head coach Elliott Avent’s squad.
Parker and Johnston were again fantastic against the Eagles. On Friday, Parker tossed 6.1 innings, allowing just five hits and one run in the Pack’s series opening win. On Saturday, Johnston threw seven innings of three-run baseball, giving up seven hits in the Pack’s big win. They both only issued one walk.
Together, Johnston and Parker have given NC State two reliable arms to start out weekends in the ACC. Parker is 3-1, and has posted a miniscule 1.98 ERA on the season. His K/BB ratio is fantastic at 36/12, and he’s thrown five innings per start.
Johnston has moved back into a starting role as the season has progressed, and he’s pitched great for the Pack. Johnston is 5-0 with a 2.47 ERA, and is striking batters out at a rate of 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.
Pitching depth becomes more and more important as the season goes along, and with Johnston and Parker holding down the front end of the Pack’s pitching staff, NC State is in a great position to continue winning games.
The ACC is NC State’s to lose
At 12-3 in conference, the Wolfpack sits alone atop the ACC standings at the midway point of the league’s season. Two Atlantic Division foes follow closely on the Pack’s heels, with Clemson one game back at 11-4 and Louisville two back at 10-5.
NC State hasn’t won a regular season ACC title since 1986, but finds itself in prime position with this team to make a run for the regular season crown. With Clemson and Louisville looking like the Pack’s only contention, NC State’s schedule plays into the hands of the Wolfpack; both the Tigers and Cardinals have to come to Doak Field for their meetings with the Pack.
One of those series will take place this coming weekend, as Louisville will visit Doak Field for an incredibly important three-game series starting Friday.
