The undefeated NC State baseball team welcomes the Florida State Seminoles to Doak Field in Raleigh for a three-game series this weekend.
Collegiate Baseball Poll ranks the Seminoles (13-2, 2-1) No. 1 in the country and the Wolfpack (17-0, 3-0) No. 2.
The ‘Noles began ACC play winning two of three against Virginia Tech last weekend before traveling to face Florida and getting embarrassed 20-7 in their first game away from Tallahassee this season.
On the other hand, the Wolfpack swept Pittsburgh last weekend before beating Charlotte and George Mason during the midweek. Along with Arizona State, NC State is one of two remaining unbeaten teams in the country.
The pitching matchups haven’t been announced yet, but junior Jason Parker and sophomore Reid Johnston will assuredly get starts for the Pack while Drew Parrish and CJ Van Eyk will start for Florida State. The third starter for each team will likely be a last-minute decision.
Johnston has been the star he was expected to be, with a 1.35 ERA so far, while Parker has been everything the Pack could’ve hoped for, and more, as the surprise Friday night starter. He has a 0.93 ERA in 19.1 innings and the short starts have clearly been by design of the coaching staff.
Parrish and Van Eyk were expected to be one of the top duos in the country, and while they haven’t lived up to that yet, they’ve been solid with a 3.86 and 4.05 ERA, respectively.
Offensively, the Pack and ‘Noles have different styles but are tied for first in the ACC in runs scored with 128. NC State is second in the ACC in batting average, at .290, and is balanced across the board. Florida State leads the conference in home runs, 28, and slugging percentage, .536.
Two of the best draft prospects in the country will play on the left side of the infield in this series. Wolfpack junior shortstop Will Wilson is hitting .348 with a 1.062 OPS. For the Seminoles, third baseman Drew Mendoza has been one of the most heralded prospects in the country since he was in high school and has finally lived up to his reputation as a junior. He is hitting .340 with five home runs and a 1.303 OPS.
Even though it’s early, this is obviously a massive series for both teams that will go a long way towards determining the ACC regular-season champion and which ACC teams will host regionals in the NCAA Tournament. Aside from that, the Wolfpack is looking to validate its magical 17-0 start while the Seminoles have not played well in their last four games, culminating in their beatdown against the Gators.
First pitch on Friday and Saturday will be at 6:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. All games will be broadcast online on the ESPN app.
