The NC State baseball team will stay in the state of North Carolina for the first phase of the NCAA Tournament this weekend, as the Wolfpack was selected as the two seed in the Greenville Regional, hosted by East Carolina at Clark-LeClair Stadium.
The Wolfpack (42-17) will kick things off against third-seeded Campbell (35-19), while the host Pirates (43-15) will matchup with Quinnipiac (29-27) in their first game. The double-elimination regional will begin Friday, with the NC State and Campbell game starting off the entire NCAA Tournament with a noon first pitch.
With its selection into the field this year, NC State has now made the NCAA Tournament in five straight seasons, but has fell out in the regional stage each of the four previous years. While the Wolfpack hosted regionals in 2018 and 2016, the Pack did have to travel to Lexington, Kentucky in 2017 and Fort Worth, Texas in 2015.
In all four of those seasons, NC State made it to the regional final, but couldn’t get over the hump to return to super regionals for the first time since 2013. Heading to Greenville this weekend, the Wolfpack will be looking to right the wrongs of the past four seasons.
The winner of the Greenville Regional will move on to take on the winner of the Louisville Regional, hosted by the No. 7 national seed Cardinals. Here’s a breakdown of all four teams in the Greenville Regional, and what NC State will need to do to try to move on in the NCAA Tourney for the first time in six years:
NC State
The Wolfpack has mostly had a great season, with only a short rough spell through the middle of April really holding NC State down. The Pack started the season on a tear, winning its first 19 games and holding a 29-3 record overall into the first weekend of April. The Pack regressed back to the norm though, dropping nine of its next 13 games including series against Louisville, Wake Forest and Notre Dame.
NC State did end the season well, though, finishing up the regular season 8-3 with series wins over Clemson and UNC-Chapel Hill. The Pack fell out of the ACC Tournament in the semifinals, getting blown out by Georgia Tech, 9-2.
Despite the ACC Tourney loss, NC State has been playing very good baseball down the stretch, and should be able to carry some of that momentum with it into this regional. As it has all year, the Pack will need to rely heavily on the power-hitting trio of junior Will Wilson, sophomore Patrick Bailey and senior Evan Edwards.
Wilson, Bailey and Edwards have propelled the Pack lineup all year, and the three have combined for 38 homers and 159 RBIs. They each have an on-base plus slugging percentage of over .900, and have been the catalyst in the middle of the Wolfpack order, along with freshman outfielder Tyler McDonough.
NC State has been slightly less impressive on the mound, with a team ERA of 4.08. Sophomore righty Reid Johnston (6-1, 3.91 ERA) and junior righty Jason Parker (4-3, 4.28 ERA) have been the Wolfpack’s most consistent starters, but both have been very hittable at times this season. The Pack has some good arms in the bullpen as well, and it will need everyone to be on their game if it wants a chance of getting out of the Greenville Regional.
Campbell
The Camels will be the Wolfpack’s first opponent, and is the only team in the regional that NC State has played this season. Campbell and NC State split their season series, with the Wolfpack taking the first game 10-1 and the Camels winning the second meeting 5-3. However, neither team used a top starting pitcher in either one of those games, so both teams will be facing a new arm.
Campbell’s top two starting pitchers are a force to be reckoned with, and the Wolfpack will be tasked with a tough matchup in the first game of the regional. Righty Michael Horrell (9-3, 2.73 ERA) or lefty Ryan Chasse (7-2, 2.66 ERA) will likely get the ball for the Camels, and both have been very good. Horrell has been Campbell’s Friday starter, and boasts 74 strikeouts compared to just 13 walks. There’s a very good chance it will be Johnston against Horrell Friday afternoon.
At the plate, Campbell has four guys batting over .300, with two of those boasting an OPS greater than .900. Outfielder Matthew Barefoot leads the charge for the Camels, and is Campbell’s leader in virtually every offensive statistic. He is hitting .313 with an OPS of .995, and has slugged 13 home runs with 47 RBIs to go along with them.
Campbell is a tough draw for NC State in game one, and should give the Wolfpack all it can handle as the teams try to gain an early advantage in the regional. NC State has had its fair share of struggles against the Camels over the past few years as well, with the teams 4-4 against each other in the regular season dating back to 2014.
East Carolina
The Pirates ran through the American Athletic Conference in the regular season on their way to earning a hosting bid in the NCAA Tourney, and have been a strong national contender all season. With a potent offense scoring well over 6.5 runs per game, and a pitching staff boasting five guys with sub-3.00 ERAs, the Pirates are a well-rounded and complete team.
The main weapon in the Pirates’ pitching staff is lefty starter Jake Agnos (10-2, 2.00 ERA), who has been one of the top pitchers in the nation all season. With 131 strikeouts, Agnos ranks seventh in the NCAA. Lefty Jake Kuchmaner (6-2, 2.83 ERA) has also been a very efficient starter for the Pirates.
On offense, ECU has six players batting over .300, led by Alec Burleson who is hitting .370 with a team-leading 81 hits. To go along with all the guys who can get on base, the Pirates have a slugging duo of Spencer Brickhouse and Jake Washer, who have combined for 25 homers this year.
ECU is incredibly well-rounded, and will be a tough task for NC State to try and beat. Despite the proximity of the two schools, the Pirates and the Wolfpack haven’t met since 2017, so familiarity won’t play a role in this one. If NC State can get to Agnos, or avoid him altogether, the Wolfpack has a chance against the Pirates.
Quinnipiac
If things go according to plan for NC State, there’s a decent chance that the Wolfpack won’t even play the Bobcats. The MAAC champions overcame a fairly pedestrian regular season to win the MAAC Tournament, finishing things off with a 13-inning win over Fairfield.
Like most four seeds in the NCAA field, Quinnipiac doesn’t really match up to the rest of the teams in the regional on paper. On the mound, the Bobcats have a team ERA of 5.23, which should lead to plenty of runs for whoever they are playing.
At the plate, Quinnipiac does have some firepower, led by Andre Marrero, who a .314 batting average and 10 home runs, both second best on the team. Quinnipiac isn’t likely to upset ECU in its opening game, but even if it does, doesn’t look to have the legs to make a real run at this regional.
