North Carolina State University Athletics
Baseball To Host Duke
4/14/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 14-16, 2000 * Doak Field / Raleigh, N.C.
* The Series vs. Duke: NC State leads the series with Duke by a 126-112 margin. The Wolfpack held a commanding lead in the series during the decade of the 1990s, winning 23 of 33 meetings between the two schools. Current Wolfpack coach Elliott Avent has split 10 games with the Blue Devils.
A year ago, NC State went to Durham for a critical late-season series and nearly had its season derailed. The Wolfpack won the first game 11-5, but in a Saturday doubleheader to conclude the series, Duke won the first game 3-2 in extra innings when a pop fly fell untouched at the feet of an NC State outfielder and then trounced the Pack 8-4 in the second game. That doubleheader loss put the Wolfpack's postseason hopes in serious doubt, but the Pack recovered to defeat East Carolina in a neutral-site game at Wilson, N.C., won two of three from Clemson in the final ACC series of the season, and then won two games in the ACC Tournament to lock up the team*s fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in a row.
* The NC State Pitching Rotation: Sophomore righthander Ryan Combs (2-3, 3.64) will start in the series opener on Friday against the Blue Devils. Combs has made 12 appearances, including eight starts, and has allowed 55 hits, walked 23 and struck out 30 on 54 1/3 innings. In his last start, April 7 at Clemson, Combs dominated the Tigers, allowing just one run on two hits in 7 1/3 innings. He walked four and struck out six, tying his season high, to pick up the win in NC State*s 5-1 victory. In his last five outings, Combs is 1-0, but with a 2.29 ERA. He has allowed 12 hits, walked seven and struck out 13 while working 19 2/3 innings in that span.
Sophomore lefthander Dan D'Amato (5-4, 3.98) will work the middle game of the series. D'Amato has made 11 appearances, 10 of them starts, and has allowed 63 hits, walked 23 and fanned 42 in 61 innings of work. His last outing was not one to remember -- five runs on six hits in 2 2/3 innings in a start on April 8 at Clemson, but D'Amato has been the Wolfpack*s most consistent starting pitcher this season. In his last six outings, he is 3-2 with a 3.83 ERA. He has allowed 38 hits, walked nine and struck out 23 in 42 1/3 innings in those six appearances.
Sophomore righthander Mike Sollie (4-4, 4.37) will start the series finale on Sunday. Sollie has made 13 appearances, including 10 starts, worked 57 2/3 innings, allowed 76 hits, walked 12 and struck out 38. In his last outing, a start April 11 vs. High Point, he allowed three runs, two of them earned, on five hits in six innings. He gave up hits to the first two men he faced, then set down the next 10, and 13 of the next 14. In his last six outings, Sollie is 0-4 with a 5.03 ERA. He has allowed 32 hits, walked two and struck out 15 in 20 2/3 innings over the course of those six games.
* Wright Sizzling At The Plate: NC State sophomore outfielder Brian Wright continues to sizzle at the plate. After a sensational series this past weekend at Clemson, Wright had two more three-hit games this week against High Point and Old Dominion. He went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs against High Point, and 3-for-4 with a homer and two more RBIs against ODU. Wright, who has 10 hits in his last 14 at-bats, has five two-hit games, three four-hit games, and a five-hit game.
A sophomore from Ramseur and a Freshman All-American last season, Wright went 7-for-13 with a pair of doubles and seven RBIs in the three games this past weekend against Clemson, including a 4-for-5 performance in the series finale on Sunday.
So far, Wright's 2000 season has been an on-or-off affair, mostly on. He began the year slowly, despite a 15-game hitting streak from February 12 through March 8. He batted just .268 through the first 17 games of the season, and just .296 during the 15-game hitting streak.
Things began to fall into place for Wright after that. Beginning March 12, he went on an eight-game hitting streak, hitting .529 (18-for-34) with five doubles, two home runs and 15 RBIs.
Over his next five games, Wright had just one hit, a leadoff home run April 1 against Georgia Tech, in 26 at-bats, but snapped out of his slump last week and has been terrorizing pitchers ever since, batting .633 (19-for-30) with three doubles, three home runs and 11 RBIs in his last seven games.
For the season, he is now hitting .358 with eight doubles, eight home runs, and 35 RBIs. He leads the team in homers, RBIs, slugging percentage (.560), and base hits (57).
* Wolfpack Bullpen Killing Rallies: While NC State*s starting pitchers have been consistent and solid from the outset of the season, the bullpen really began to assert itself in March. In 28 games dating back to March 3, Wolfpack relievers are 6-2 with two saves and a 3.51 ERA. In 74 appearances over that time, Pack relievers have worked 107 2/3 innings, allowed 42 earned runs on 109 hits, walked 29 and fanned 91.
For the season, the NC State bullpen is 9-2 with six saves and a 4.10 ERA. Relievers have made 99 appearances and worked 142 2/3 innings. They have allowed 148 hits, walked 42 and struck out 110. Wolfpack relievers have inherited 92 runners and stranded 63.
Wolfpack Relievers And Inherited Runners
Pitcher IR Scored
Jason Blanton 2 0
Daniel Caldwell 14 3
Conrad Clark 10 3
Ryan Combs 6 3
Corey Mattison 10 4
Derek McKee 2 1
Josh Miller 14 5
Mike Prochaska 5 1
Josh Schmitt 9 0
Mike Sollie 2 1
Ryan Steadham 8 3
Kyle Stephenson 10 5
* Hitting Streaks: Three NC State players have had hitting streaks of 10 games or more during the 2000 season, including a pair of 15-game streaks.
Sophomore outfielder Brian Wright had the first long hitting streak of the season, a 15-game streak from February 12 through March 8, during which he batted a modest .296. Wright had a much more impressive eight-game hitting streak from March 12 through March 29 and batted .529 (18-for-34) with five doubles, three home runs and 15 RBIs during this streak. Wright had a 21-game hitting streak a year ago, the longest ever by an NC State freshman and the third longest in school history.
Freshman first baseman Mike Prochaska had the Wolfpack's other 15-game hitting streak, from March 5 through March 29. During his 15-game streak, Prochaska batted .400 (24-for-60) with seven doubles and 15 RBIs. Heading into the Duke series, Prochaska has the longest htting streak of any NC State player, a nine-game streak, during which he has batted .400 (14-for-35).
Senior center fielder Josh Schmitt had a 12-game hitting streak from March 11 through March 29 and batted .412 (14-for-34) with two doubles, three homers and seven RBIs during his streak.
Senior outfielder Craig Lee had a 10-game streak from February 13 through March 3 and batted .484 (15-for-31) during his streak.
* Liberty Game Rained Out, To Be Made Up May 12: NC State's game with Liberty scheduled for Tuesday, March 21, in Lynchburg, Va., was rained out. The game will be made up in Raleigh the second weekend in May, when Liberty already is scheduled to play the Wolfpack at NC State*s Doak Field.
The rained-out game will be played at Doak Field on Friday, May 12 at 7 p.m. The two teams then will play their regularly scheduled game at Doak Field the following night, Saturday, May 13, also at 7 p.m.
NC State Baseball Hitters' Recent Performances
* Andy Baxter: Went 0-for-1 vs. Old Dominion ... Did not play vs. High Point ... Went 2-for-6 in the Clemson series ... Went 1-for-4 in the Charleston series ... Is hitting .259 (7-for-27) in his last 10 games.
* Jeremy Dutton: Went 2-for-2 with two doubles and two RBIs vs. Old Dominion ... Went 1-for-4 with two RBIs vs. High Point ... Went 3-for-9 with an RBI in the Clemson series ... Went 2-for-5 with two RBIs in the Charleston Southern series ... Is hitting .321 (9-for-28) with two doubles, a triple and nine RBIs in his last 10 games.
* Chris Goodman: Went 1-for-2 with an RBI vs. Old Dominion ... Went 1-for-3 with a two-run double vs. High Point ... Went 0-for-5 in the Clemson series ... Went 1-for-6 in the Charleston Southern series.
* Craig Lee: Went 1-for-2 vs. Old Dominion ... Went 2-for-4 vs. High Point ... Went 3-for-10 in the Clemson series ... Went 2-for-6 in the Charleston Southern series ... Is hitting .375 (12-for-32) with a double, a triple and four RBIs in his last 10 games.
* Dan Mooney: Went 3-for-5 with a career-high three doubles vs. Old Dominion ... Did not play vs. High Point ... Went 2-for-11 with a double and an RBI in the Clemson series ... Went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI in the Charleston Southern series ... Is hitting .389 (14-for-36) with six doubles, one homer and eight RBIs in his last 10 games.
* Eric Mosley: Did not have a plate appearance vs. Old Dominion ... Did not play vs. High Point ... Went 0-for-1 in the Clemson series ... Went 0-for-4 in the Charleston Southern series.
* Mike Prochaska: Went 2-for-4 with an RBI vs. Old Dominion ... Went 1-for-3 with two RBIs vs. High Point ... Went 4-for-12 in the Clemson series ... Went 3-for-8 in the Charleston Southern series ... Is hitting .359 (14-for-39) in his last 10 games.
* Josh Schmitt: Went 1-for-5 vs. Old Dominion ... Did not play vs. High Point ... Went 2-for-11 in the Clemson series ... Went 2-for-5 in the Charleston Southern series ... Is hitting .250 (10-for-40) with six RBIs in his last 10 games.
* Jamey Shearin: Did not play vs. Old Dominion ... Went 0-for-4 with an RBI vs. High Point ... Went 0-for-1 in the Clemson series ... Went 1-for-7 in the Charleston Southern series.
* Jason Smith: Went 0-for-4 with an RBI vs. Old Dominion ... Went 1-for-4 with an RBI vs. High Point ... Went 2-for-10 with a three-run home run in the Clemson series ... Went 1-for-1 and scored a run in the Charleston Southern series ... Is hitting .185 (5-for-27) in his last 10 games.
* Ryan Strain: Went 0-for-3 in the Old Dominion series ... Was hit by a pitch in his only plate appearance vs. High Point ... Went 2-for-13 in the Clemson series ... Went 2-for-6 with an RBI in the Charleston Southern series ... Is hitting .250 (7-for-28) in his last 10 games.
* John Whitley: Went 2-for-3 vs. Old Dominion ... Went 2-for-5 with two RBIs vs. High Point ... Went 0-for-1 in the Clemson series ... Did not have a plate appearance in the Charleston Southern series ... Is hitting .455 (5-for-11) in his last 10 games.
* Brian Wright: Went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs vs. Old Dominion ... Went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs vs. High Point ... Went 7-for-13 with two doubles and a pair of RBIs in the Clemson series ... Went 6-for-8 with two home runs and five RBIs in the Charleston Southern series to break out of a 1-for-26 slump ... Has 10 hits in his last 14 at-bats (.714) and has gone 19-for-30 (.633) since breaking out of that 1-for-26 slump ... Is hitting .455 (20-for-44) with three doubles, four home runs and 12 RBIs in his last 10 games.
