Weekend Preview: North Carolina State
A pair of teams aiming to avoid staying in the bottom of the Atlantic Division square off at Harrington Athletics Village.
North Carolina State was a preseason heavyweight, ranked in the top 15 across basically every poll after a 14-3 abbreviated 2020 season. The Wolfpack was pegged as the second-best team in the conference by most, trailing only Louisville, but have struggled to find its footing this season.
N.C. State (11-11, 5-10 Atlantic Coast) enters the weekend an even .500 on the season, having dropped two of three to Clemson in its most recent series. The Wolfpack started conference play just 1-8 and righted the ship briefly with a three-game sweep of North Carolina, but have otherwise struggled.
For Boston College (14-13, 4-11), it’s a big series against a team they’re competing with to escape the Atlantic Division cellar. The Eagles dropped two of three to No. 23 Virginia Tech this past weekend, despite leading for much of the series, and sit seven games under .500 in conference play.
“We let one get away in game two and game three was just a really well-played ballgame all the way through,” head coach Mike Gambino said. “We had a couple chances, they had a couple chances. Game three was just really good ACC baseball.”
“You’d like to hold the lead in the eighth there, but again we had a chance. That was a fun baseball game to play. You’d like it to go our way.”
We’re now past the halfway point of the season, so it’s do-or-die time for teams attempting to build postseason resumes. The Eagles have been strong in the second half of previous seasons and Gambino is confident that trend will continue.
“We always know that we’re a great second half team,” he said. “We just always are. We did it in ‘16, ‘17, and ‘19. We know that when April hits we start rolling. In 2016, with less weekends left, we were 5-11. Then we won our last four weekends. This year, we have six weekends, we have more time.”
Friday afternoon’s game also holds a lot of meaning for the program as it’s the ninth annual ALS Awareness Game, honoring Pete Frates '07.
“It’s crazy to think that this whole thing started 10 years ago with Pete,” Gambino said. “I see pictures of that first ALS game at Shea Field and think about what it was like back then. It’s a combination of sadness and reminiscing, but also I’m just so proud of everything Pete accomplished.”
“Everybody knows we’re not done yet. We’re not done until we don’t have to play ALS games anymore. But to think of how proud I am of everything Pete accomplished, and what we’re able to do with this building to honor him—it’s a combination of those two emotions.”
Here’s what you need to know about the three-game set with the Wolfpack:
When are the games and how can I watch them?
Friday’s first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. and will be aired on ACC Network. Saturday and Sunday will both be on ACC Network Extra at 3 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively. For those inclined, Friday’s game will be streamed on WZBC Sports while the next two are on 1120 AM/102.9 FM via TuneIn Radio.
Projected lineup
N.C. State (AVG/OBP/SLG, OPS+)
C) Luca Tresh — .300/.360/.578, 129
1B) Austin Murr — .358/.424/.679, 151
2B) J.T. Jarrett — .277/.344/.373, 99
SS) Jose Torres — .279/.306/.471, 107
3B) Vojtech Mensik — .291/.356/.380, 101
LF) Jonny Butler — .303/.402/.485, 122
CF) Tyler McDonough — .326/.423/.539, 132
RF) Devonte Brown — .205/.340/.346, 94
DH) Terrell Tatum — .227/.358/.394, 103
Who are the starting pitchers?
Friday
Two years ago from this past Wednesday, Mason Pelio toed the rubber against then-No. 1 N.C. State in just his seventh career start and pitched into the eighth. Pelio held the Wolfpack to one earned run on two hits and two walks while striking out seven. After a strong start against Virginia Tech, he’ll face off against N.C. State’s Reid Johnston, who shifted from the bullpen into the rotation and has had mixed results.
“He scuffled early and then we talked about how he was getting there,” Gambino said about Pelio. “He had a really good outing last weekend and I think we’re going to start to see Mason be Mason again.”
Johnston had 12 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings and a sub-3.00 ERA as the team’s top reliever, but he’s made two starts since. He hurled a complete game against North Carolina with four strikeouts, then gave up eight earned runs in a 114-pitch outing against Clemson. Expect to see Johnston stay in the game for a while to try and alleviate the pressure on the Wolfpack bullpen.
Saturday
Emmet Sheehan has taken the crown of staff ace over the last few weeks, turning in four straight outings of six-plus innings. He was lights out for almost the entirety of Friday’s loss to Virginia Tech, striking out 12 with just one walk over 6 1/3 innings. Since giving up eight runs in two innings against Auburn, Sheehan has 34 strikeouts to just eight walks in 26 innings. Sheehan faces off against Wolfpack right-hander Sam Highfill, who was a reliever in 2020’s shortened season but has taken on a Saturday starter role in 2021. He’s started every weekend for N.C. State and has displayed impeccable command, walking just six in 33 2/3 innings. Highfill’s been up-and-down, tossing seven innings of one-run ball against UNC before allowing six runs in a loss to Clemson.
Sunday (TBA)
Neither team released a probable starter for Sunday, but based on the last few weekends, the best bet is Alex Stiegler against N.C. State’s Matt Willadsen. Stiegler, save for a pair of home runs allowed, was impressive against Virginia Tech. He pitched into the seventh, striking out three.
“Other than one hiccup this year, Alex has been great every time he’s thrown the ball,” Gambino said. “He’s great out of the bullpen and in a starting role. We’re going to go TBD for Sunday—if we have a chance to use Alex to close out a game and win a series, we’ll do it—if not, he’ll get the start on Sunday.”
Willadsen, meanwhile, has evolved from a relief pitcher last year into a Sunday starter. He threw a season-high 110 pitches last weekend against Clemson across 6 2/3 innings with six strikeouts. Willadsen is also multi-faceted as he closed out a win on one Saturday against UNC with two scoreless innings, then started the Sunday game and pitched into the eighth. Should he be pushed into action in a relief role, N.C. State might opt for someone like Evan Justice, who was hit hard in starts against Miami and Louisville.
How will the N.C. State bullpen line up after the starters?
Like BC, the bullpen has been one of the biggest struggles for the Wolfpack this season. As a whole, the Wolfpack bullpen—with Johnston and Willadsen included—have a 6.98 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP. Take out the two reliever-to-rotation converts and that skies to an 8.78. ERA with 40 walks in just 54 1/3 innings. Throw in the fact that the team took a hit when two relievers were suspended and face charges for an off the field incident and you’re looking at a serious area of weakness. It’s no wonder that head coach Elliott Avent often keeps his starters in for long outings. One thing we do know is southpaw Canaan Silver will likely feature at some point—he leads the bullpen in innings pitched albeit with an ERA hovering just below 8.
Who’s hot and who’s not?
In his last four games, Wolfpack second baseman J.T. Jarrett is 7-for-15 (.467) with two doubles, a home run, and four RBI. Center fielder Tyler McDonough has been similarly impressive, piling up eight hits, three doubles, and a home run. McDonough was second on the team in average last season and an All-ACC Second Team selection in 2019 and has continued that strong pace. He trails only first baseman Austin Murr on the year in OPS (1.103). On the colder side, catcher Luca Tresh is 5-for-26 (.192) in his last six games while designated hitter Terrell Tatum has just one hit in his last 20 plate appearances.
Images courtesy of Boston College and N.C. State Athletics