The Wolfpack will be taking on Virginia from Saturday to Monday in four straight games on the road in Charlottesville, Virginia. The two teams will battle in a doubleheader Saturday, March 20, with one game Sunday and Monday to follow.
NC State (12-6, 7-6 ACC) is coming off a 1-3 series against Virginia Tech, which was played at home this past weekend. In the last two games, the Pack allowed double-digit runs, with 12 in the third game and 17 in the fourth. The offense was not much better, scoring eight runs combined in their three losses. The only game it won was an 8-0 shutout Saturday.
The Cavaliers (6-13, 2-11 ACC) have not had the best of luck in conference play and have been swept in each of the last two series. Its eight-game losing streak was set up by Clemson and Duke, who outscored UVA 26-7 and 26-13, respectively.
Virginia has a large pitching staff, complete with seven pitchers, an average ERA of 4.23 and only one pitcher with less than 13 innings pitched. With the workload spread evenly across these pitchers, the Wolfpack will have to adapt quickly to continue to put up runs. Mikayla Houge has the most innings pitched and will likely pitch against the Pack the most.
On the offensive side, UVA has three hitters above .300 at the plate, and two of them are starters; however, the Cavaliers also have seven hitters with averages in the .100s. Leading the team in hits, average and runs is Katie Goldberg. Another big hitter, who leads in slugging percentage and RBIs, is Donna Friedman. These two hitters will be the focus for the Pack pitching and defense.
The Wolfpack recently marked 30 home runs for the 2021 season. With this home run mindset, NC State must continue to focus on the long ball and defense in order to beat Virginia. Although on a losing streak, Virginia has only been shutout in one game and consistently hits 1-3 runs each game.
The doubleheader Saturday will start at 1 p.m. followed by a game Sunday at the same time. The last game will be Monday at 2 p.m. All games will be available on ACCNX.
