The NC State baseball team will host the No. 17 Florida State Seminoles for a three-game series from Thursday, May 20 to Saturday, May 22. This will be the final series of the regular season for the Wolfpack before the ACC Championship.
The Wolfpack (26-14, 17-13 ACC) swept the No. 16 Pittsburgh Panthers in its three-game series and is riding a five-game win streak, winning nine of its last 10 games. In the series against Pitt, the Pack produced three straight games of 10 or more hits. Junior pitcher Evan Justice, who recorded two more saves and brought his season total up to six, tied for third in the ACC with strong pitching in the final innings of the first two games. The Pack continues to be a force on the road as its record with a 15-3 record away from the Doak.
In its last series, Florida State (28-19, 19-14 ACC) won two of three games against the Clemson Tigers in its home finale and currently sits just above the Pack in the ACC Atlantic standings. The Seminoles scored at least five runs in each of the three games, allowing them to win two of the games, despite inconsistent pitching. Florida State trailed at some point in all three games and allowed 18 total runs in the final two games of the series.
On offense, Florida State is ranked last in the ACC in batting average and strikes out more than any other ACC team. In order to find success against NC State, the Seminoles will have to continue to rely on their star catcher Matheu Nelson, who leads the ACC in home runs and RBIs, batting .319 for the season. He is the regular in the starting lineup with a batting average above .300 and one of only two batters with at least double-digit home runs with left fielder Elijah Cabell behind him in 14 home runs. Cabell is also second on the team behind Nelson in slugging percentage.
Pitching for the Seminoles is on the other side of the spectrum; they rank first in the ACC with a team ERA of 3.20 and dominate many other pitching categories. The staff’s success is backed by the pitching of Parker Messick and Bryce Hubbart, as these two combine for a 12-6 record and sport 2.78 and 3.26 ERAs, respectively. Both pitchers are also strong when it comes to strikeouts; Messick has 109 and Hubbart has 86. Messick and Hubbart are also currently in the top 10 of most pitching categories.
For the Pack, offense has been no issue as its batting average ranks first in the ACC at .290, with junior outfielder Jonny Butler leading the way, batting .387. Butler also led the team in RBIs and slugging percentage. The Pack has also enjoyed consistent production from junior designated hitter Terrel Tatum, junior first baseman Austin Murr and sophomore center fielder Tyler McDonough.
In addition to being second on the team in batting average, McDonough is enjoying a run of reaching base safely in 39 of 40 games this season. Overall, this series is shaping up to be a good matchup for both teams as they go into tournament play starting next week.
The Wolfpack’s last regular season series will start Thursday, May 20, at 6:30 p.m., continuing on Friday at the same time, before concluding on Saturday, May 22, at 1 p.m. at Doak Field. Each game of the series will be available to watch on the ACC Network Extra.
