As the fourth week of baseball concludes for No. 10 NC State, the team is cruising through nonconference play, only losing two games. The Pack is trending up, but it still has to weather the storm of ACC play.

The Wolfpack (14-3) awaits its campaign through a formidable ACC conference, which boasts seven teams in the D1Baseball top 25. Here is a breakdown of some tough conference opponents before the Wolfpack dive in.

The Pack will face 10 different ACC teams, with four of those teams sitting in the top 25. Georgia Tech is currently favored to win the ACC, as they are fourth in the country, but the Wolfpack is hot on the Yellow Jackets’ heels, climbing up three spots since last week.

No. 20 Florida State
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A first real road matchup for the Wolfpack comes March 20-22, as the Seminoles are treating non-conference play just like the Wolfpack, only losing two matchups and trending up in the rankings. Florida State will have something to prove against the Wolfpack, and head coach Elliott Avent has to prepare his team for it.

The young talent of Florida State is what stands out, as they have a plethora of sophomores that are putting up big numbers this season with Myles Bailey leading the Noles. Bailey leads the team in batting average, hitting .391 and also leading in home runs with six.

Florida State has a lower overall batting average than the Wolfpack, but they excel at grabbing base-hits and grinding through the bullpen. Juniors Jacob Dudan and Ryan Marohn will have to bring their “A-game” against the Noles’.

The Seminoles have yet to lose a home game, and the Wolfpack have historically struggled inside Dick Howser Stadium with a road record of 12-34. The Wolfpack have the chance to turn the tables and extend their win streak against the Seminoles, but it won’t come easy.

No. 4 Georgia Tech

After the Wolfpack travels on from Tallahassee, the Wolfpack will only have one game back in the Doak before it packs its bags and heads to Atlanta March 27-29 to take on the fourth best team in the country.

The Yellow Jackets have been off to an electric start, as they come in with a 14-2 overall record and a 2-1 start to conference play. Georgia Tech was the preseason No. 5 team, and so far, they have proved that ranking accurate.

Georgia Tech is the only team in the ACC with five preseason All Americans, and they are absolutely lighting up the ball-field. Center fielder Drew Burress and Right-hander Mason Patel were named to the 1st team All-American, and they have put the league on notice. However, it’s been junior infielder Ryan Zuckerman who has been tearing up the bats, posting a MLB blushing .448 average.

The red-and-white is currently losing the overall history with the Yellow Jackets, and this is the second straight road opponent that it has historically struggled with on the road. The Wolfpack didn’t play Georgia Tech last season, so it is looking to heat the bats up and snap a three game losing streak.

If NC State can pull away the series in Atlanta, it would be a major resume boost for NCAA Regional hosting considerations.

No. 12 Wake Forest

The Wolfpack will face a familiar foe in Wake forest, as they will meet in Winston Salem for their 109th matchup April 17-19.

Wake is currently the 12th best team in the nation, and they have only lost one matchup in their 16 games, falling to Georgia State 9-4. The Demon Deacons love to put the ball into play, as they have totaled 169 hits with 22 homers already this season.

The Wolfpack has to worry about the bullpen that the Deacons possess, as Wake Forest is known for their pitching development and sending pitchers such as Chase Burns to the big leagues. Junior right-hander Blake Morningstar had a slow start to his season, but over his last couple of games, he has really settled in.

Morningstar is one of the many pitchers that have excelled at Wake Forest, and he will be a definite problem for the Wolfpack lineup. He recently posted 11 strikeouts in a win against Stanford, and is up to 28 on the season.

The Wolfpack will have to rely on its power and ability to get the ball out of the park against the disciplined bullpen of Wake Forest. A series sweep against Wake would extend the win streak to six, and likely seal the Pack for a double-bye in the conference tournament, depending on the situation later in the season.