After dropping its first two games against the Tar Heels and giving up 17 runs the day prior, NC State baseball did not inspire confidence ahead of the series finale.
Those expectations were misplaced though as the Wolfpack rallied for the regular-season finale to beat No. 2 North Carolina 7-2 and grab a resume-defining win ahead of the NCAA Tournament.
NC State celebrated senior day by honoring the seven seniors on its roster before the game, and then dusted itself off for a matchup with one of the nation’s best teams.
“They got us the first two days but it’s really big that we bounced back” Junior infielder Chris McHugh said, “It’s one of the best teams in the country, no doubt.”
McHugh hit an RBI single in the first inning to put the Pack on the board early. Wolfpack players consistently loaded the bases, almost batting around in the first frame.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Anderson Nance — who usually plays a relief role for NC State — started on the mound and recorded the win. Nance pitched a career-high six innings and recorded four strikeouts, reaching a total pitch count of 93 before taking to the bench.
In the second inning Nance gave up his only run of the game, a home run by Tar Heel Cooper Nicholson. Catching for Nance was freshman catcher Vincent DeCarlo, starting behind the plate for the first time in the series.
“I don’t think I’ve actually ever caught Anderson…this year, at all.” DeCarlo said. “I was excited for that, kind of on autopilot there when he’s on the bump.”
DeCarlo got his share of action at the end of the second, catching a pass from infielder Christian Serrano to complete a 7-6-2 relay and put out North Carolina’s Tyler Howe just short of home plate.
“I love big games, big moments,” DeCarlo said. “I feel like I play better in those kinds of environments.”
In the bottom of the fifth, NC State delivered a couple more big moments when McHugh and junior infielder Sherman Johnson opened the inning with back-to-back home runs.
In the seventh, Serrano got an RBI single to bring in McHugh before stealing second base himself. Then DeCarlo singled to left field, bringing home both Serrano and sophomore outfielder Ty Head to push the lead to 7-1.
Gavin Gallaher hit the Heels’ second home run — and the last run of the day — in the top of the eighth before the bullpens took care of business for both sides.
Freshman Rett Johnson kept his 27-game hitting streak alive in his first at-bat, but fell just short of batting .400 on the season. The young star has the 13th-highest batting average in the country, and is one of the Wolfpack’s biggest assets.
Another Wolfpack asset, head coach Elliot Avent, holds an uncertain future with NC State as he nears the end of his final year on contract — and his 30th season with the program. His 1,103 wins as the Wolfpack skipper are by far the most of any NC State baseball coach.
“I don’t know what the future holds,” Avent said. “All I know this is as big a win as I’ve had since I’ve been here. I’m gonna go home tonight and enjoy this thing tonight with my wife, and then go to Charlotte and get ready for the ACC tournament and hopefully a regional.”
Next, NC State prepares to head to Charlotte, North Carolina to compete in the ACC Tournament as the No. 9 seed. The Wolfpack will take on 16-seed Duke in a first round game set for 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 19. The game will be available on the ACC Network.
