The NC State baseball team made noise in the ACC Tournament this past weekend, going undefeated in pool play before falling to No. 10 Florida State in the championship game.
The Wolfpack’s (34-21) toughness and will to win was apparent throughout the tournament, as it rode solid pitching and timely hitting to a 3-0 pool play record and the opportunity to win its first ACC Championship since 1992.
The Pack opened the ACC Tournament Thursday at Durham Bulls Athletic Park with a 3-0 victory over No. 20 Notre Dame (36-21) thanks to strong pitching performances from freshman Brian Brown (7-3, 1.72 ERA) and junior Curt Britt (2-0, 2.34 ERA).
Brown started the contest, pitching six shutout innings, allowing only two hits and two walks, while striking out a career-high 10 Irish batters. Britt picked up right where Brown left off, throwing three shutout innings, surrendering one hit and fanning four to record his second save of the year.
NC State wasted no time getting going offensively, scoring two runs in the first inning. With runners on and two outs, freshman third baseman Joe Dunand and junior second baseman Ryne Willard belted back-to-back RBI singles to give the Wolfpack a 2-0 lead.
The Pack added an insurance run in the second inning after yet another clutch two-out hit, giving the club a 3-0 advantage that would stand the rest of the game.
“Timely hitting is everything,” Wolfpack head coach Elliott Avent said. “If you get two-out hits, it’s not only a pick-me-up for you, but it’s a heartbreaker for the other ball club.”
The Wolfpack headed into its contest with No. 6 Miami (44-14) Friday night, knowing a win would secure it a spot in the ACC title game.
After falling behind early, the Wolfpack’s team leader, senior shortstop Logan Ratledge came up clutch, singling to left center field to score both runners and tie the game 2-2.
“Leadership is so valuable in sports,” Avent said. “Our seniors have been phenomenal, but Logan Ratledge — he just won’t let anybody think about anything but winning.”
Down 4-2, Willard blasted a solo home run over the left field wall to shrink the Canes lead to one run.
The Pack was able to score a game-tying run in the ninth inning to send the contest into extra innings.
In the 12th inning, sophomore first baseman Preston Palmeiro drilled a ball of the wall in left field for what should have been a routine double.
The throw to second was off, and Palmeiro advanced to third where the third base coach signaled him to go home. The throw beat him home, but the ball fell from the catcher’s glove, and Palmeiro was ruled safe, winning the game for the Pack.
Earlier this season, State routinely lost close games like this one against some of the best teams in the country, but something has clicked, and the team has grown stronger during the past month.
“We’ve just gotten a little tougher, a little hungrier and a little smarter as the season wore on,” Avent said.
In addition to the exciting offense, the Pack’s relievers were instrumental in the win against Miami. Junior Jon Olczak and freshman Tommy DeJuneas combined to allow only one hit in 6.1 innings of relief work, stifling a high-octane Miami offense.
“Our bullpen has been the strength of our pitching all year,” Avent said. “We think Miami is the best offensive we’ve seen all year. [Pitching coach Scott Foxhall] did a great job calling pitches, and our guys did a great job delivering them.”
Heading into Saturday night’s game against No. 24 Virginia (34-22), the Wolfpack knew it had already secured a spot in Sunday’s title game, but that didn’t prevent them from competing hard.
Sophomore starter Ryan Williamson (4-3, 4.54 ERA) had his longest and perhaps best outing of his career when the Pack needed it the most.
Williamson pitched seven full innings, allowing the State bullpen to rest and recover for Sunday’s championship game.
The two teams played a very even game, as the contest was tied heading into the eighth inning. State went on an offensive assault, scoring eight runs on six hits to give the Pack a 10-2 lead that would last through the rest of the game.
NC State took on No. 10 Florida State (41-19) on Sunday in front of almost 10,000 fans for the 2015 ACC Championship.
FSU opened the scoring in the third when junior second baseman John Sansone blasted a three-run home run over the wall in left field, giving the Seminoles a 3-0 lead.
The Wolfpack answered in the fourth with two runs — one on a peculiar play involving the infield fly rule and the bases loaded and the other on a wild pitch — to close the gap to one.
Unfortunately for NC State, FSU scored two runs of its own in the bottom of the fourth for a 5-2 advantage, which set up the ‘Noles for a 6-2 victory and its sixth ACC title.
Although disappointed in the outcome, the Pack knows it is capable of beating any team when it begins NCAA Tournament play Friday.
“This weekend showed everybody on the team that we can win the tight games,” sophomore catcher Andrew Knizner said. “It gives us confidence heading into a regional that we can play with the best teams in the country.”
The Wolfpack’s stellar performance earned the team a 2-seed in the Forth Worth Regional pool.
No. 7 TCU is the host of the Regional, with Stony Brook and Sacred Heart rounding out the field.
State will take on Stony Brook in the first game of the double-elimination tournament Friday at 3:30pm on ESPN3.
