North Carolina State University Athletics
Baseball Prepares for Florida State
3/15/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
NC STATE BASEBALL (10-9, 2-1) vs. Florida State (16-5, 3-0)
March 16-18, 2001
NC STATE VS. FLORIDA STATE: The Seminoles hold a 27-12 advantage in the series with the Wolfpack, including three wins in four games a year ago.
At Tallahassee last April 28-30, NC State defeated FSU 5-4 in the opening game of a three-game ACC series. Daniel Caldwell started and worked six strong innings, and Mike Prochaska got the win with two scoreless innings of relief. Brian Wright's RBI double in the top of the ninth drove in the game-winning run.
The rest of the series belonged to Seminoles third baseman Marshall McDougall, who homered twice and drove in four runs in Florida State's 8-2 win in the middle game. McDougall then hit four doubles to pace the Noles to a 6-5 win in 12 innings in the rubber match of the series.
NC State and Florida State met again May 17 in the opening round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament in Fort Mill, S.C. This time, McDougall got just one hit, a double, and drove in two runs to lead the Seminoles to an 8-6 victory.
THE PITCHING ROTATION: Junior righthander Ryan Combs (1-1, 4.01) will start for the Wolfpack in Friday's series opener. Combs has made five appearances this season, three of them starts, and has allowed 26 hits, walked six and struck out a team-high 26 in 24 2/3 innings. In his last start,. March 9 at Georgia Tech, Combs allowed five runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out two. He was not around for the decision in NC State's 9-7 victory over the Yellow Jackets. Combs will be opposed by Florida State's Blair Varnes (3-1, 2.92), a junior righthander.
Junior lefty Dan D'Amato (2-2, 4.76) will take the mound for the Wolfpack in the middle game of the series. D'Amato has made seven appearances for the Wolfpack, including four starts. He has worked 28 1/3 innings, allowed 32 hits, walked 12 and struck out 27. In his last outing, a start on March 10 at Georgia Tech, D'Amato went the distance and pitched well, only to absorb a tough-luck 5-1 loss to the Yellow Jackets. D'Amato allowed five runs, four of them earned, on 10 hits in eight innings. He walked one and struck out five. D'Amato will face Florida State's Robby Read (4-2, 3.34), a sophomore righthander.
Sophomore righthander Daniel Caldwell (2-2, 4.64) will pitch the series finale for NC State. Caldwell has made six appearances, all starts, and has allowed 38 hits in 33 innings. He has walked 10 and struck out 10. In his last start, March 11 at Georgia Tech, Caldwell was roughed up for five runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings. Freshman righthander Marc LaMacchia (3-0, 2.05) will start for Florida State.
WOLFPACK TAKES TWO AT TECH: NC State opened the 2001 Atlantic Coast Conference season in grand style this past weekend, defeating Georgia Tech twice in a three-game conference series at Tech's Chandler Stadium. The Wolfpack won the opener 9-7, dropped the middle game 5-1, and then pounded the Yellow Jackets 16-8 in the finale behind a six-hit performance by Brian Wright.
NC State took the series opener 9-7 by scoring six runs in the final four innings of the game. Freshman center fielder Joe Gaetti drilled a big three-run home run in the top of the sixth, and Wright and Justin Riley picked up RBIs in the seventh and eighth. Senior righthander Josh Miller pitched scoreless baseball over the final 2 1/3 innings to pick up the win.
Georgia Tech's Rhett Parrott was simply too much in the middle game, allowing just one run on four hits in eight strong innings as the Jackets won 5-1. NC State's Dan D'Amato went the distance and turned in a solid performance, allowing four earned runs in eight innings, but was outpitched by Parrott.
Wright went 6-for-6 with two home runs and seven RBIs in the finale to lead a 17-hit attack for the Wolfpack, which won going away, 16-8. Freshman catcher Colt Morton had four hits and four RBIs, both career highs, and junior second baseman Jeremy Dutton doubled twice and scored three runs. Junior reliever Mike Sollie worked 2 2/3 scoreless innings to get the win, and Miller did not allow an earned run in three innings to get his fourth save.
THE WRIGHT STUFF IN ATLANTA: While the ACC Basketball Tournament got the lion's share of attention in Atlanta the weekend of March 9-11, NC State junior outfielder Brian Wright put on a show of his own at Georgia Tech's Chandler Stadium.
Wright, an All-ACC outfielder as a sophomore a year ago, lit up Georgia Tech pitching in NC State's three-game ACC series with the then-No. 1-ranked Yellow Jackets, collecting eight hits and eight RBIs in the three games, and leading the Wolfpack to its first-ever series win over Georgia Tech in Atlanta. He made NC State history in the series finale, going 6-for-6 with two home runs, five runs scored and seven RBIs, each of which tied or established career highs, in a 16-8 rout for NC State.
Wright's six hits in a game tied a school record set by Brian Bark (1987-90) in the 1988 NCAA East Regional vs. Florida, which was ranked No. 4 nationally at the time.
Great feats deserve great rewards, and Wright was rewarded for his performance, earning ACC Player of the Week honors from the ACC office, and National Player of the Week from the National College Baseball Writers of America.
FIVE RUNS VS. GEORGIA TECH: Maybe it's something about Georgia Tech's school colors, but on the subject of Brian Wright's 6-for-6 game against the Yellow Jackets, his five runs scored in that game tied his career high. The first time Wright scored five runs in a game was May 21, 1999, in the third round of the ACC Tournament against ¯ you guessed it ¯ Georgia Tech. Wright's five runs in that game set an ACC Tournament record.
WRIGHT STREAKING ALONG: Although NC State outfielder Brian Wright was named National Player of the Week for his remarkable performance March 9-11 at Georgia Tech, the fact is that Wright was already red-hot heading into that series, and essentially has been hot ever since he came to NC State in the fall of 1998.
Wright began the 2001 season with well-established credentials as one of college baseball's most productive and dangerous hitters. Through 19 games in the '01 campaign, he has done nothing but embellish those credentials.
Heading into action vs. Florida State this weekend, Wright is batting .427 with eight doubles, four home runs and 24 RBIs. He leads the Wolfpack in batting, doubles, RBIs, runs scored (23), slugging percentage (.720), on-base percentage (.488) and total bases (54).
During his first two seasons at NC State, Wright established a reputation for being an extraordinarily streaky hitter, and he has continued that trend again in 2001. His 6-for-6 game on March 11 at Georgia Tech marked the end of a six-game streak during which Wright batted .577 (15-for-26) with two doubles, a triple, four home runs and 14 RBIs. That lifted his average for the season to .470.
Wright has gone on a reverse streak since then, with just one hit in his last nine at-bats, but history suggests that his current struggles may be a sign of imminent danger for upcoming opponents. Wright has a lengthy history of breaking out of slumps with torrid hot streaks.
During one eight-game stretch a year ago, Wright batted .529 with five doubles, three homers and 15 RBIs. That streak gave way to an agonizing 1-for-26 slump, but when Wright broke out of his slump, he gave new meaning to the notion of breaking out. Over his next 11 games, Wright batted .625 with seven doubles, five homers and 21 RBIs. He had three or more hits in eight of the 11 games, and four RBIs in three of them. During one span of 18 at-bats, he had 13 hits, including five doubles.
For the 2000 season, Wright batted .366 with 17 doubles, 12 home runs and 52 RBIs.
Wright was pretty good as a freshman, also, batting .363 with 14 doubles, six homers and 35 RBIs. He did not move into the starting lineup for keeps until the midpoint of the season. During one stretch late in the year, he had a 21-game hitting streak, the longest ever by an NC State freshman and the third longest in school history.
A BELIEVER: It didn't take too long for Wolfpack outfielder Brian Wright to earn the respect of the opposition this season. Wright began the 2001 campaign by going 7-for-12 with three doubles, three runs scored and six RBIs in three games against Cincinnati. He got base hits in four of his last five at-bats vs. the Bearcats, and reached base safely in eight of his last 10 plate appearances in the series. He also drew a walk, stole a base in his only attempt, and hit a sacrifice fly.
Despite winning two of three games against the Wolfpack, Cincinnati coach Brian Cleary was glad to be out of Raleigh and away from Wright.
"Brian Wright is one of the top hitters we'll face all season. He is a quality player who could stand in the middle of any lineup in the country and produce at a high level. Some people were born to hit, and he is one of them. He is absolutely one of the top players in the ACC and the country."
TRIPLE PLAY: NC State's series victory over Georgia Tech the weekend of March 9-11 had many highlights, one of which was the Wolfpack's first triple-play in at least 35 years.
The Pack took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth inning of the first game of the series, only to see Tech start the inning with three straight singles to score a run and cut the lead to 3-1.
With runners at first and second, Tech coach Danny Hall put the hit-and-run play on, and Jason Basil responded by scorching a line drive. Unfortunately for Basil, he hit the ball right into the glove of Wolfpack shortstop Adam Miller, who flipped the ball to second baseman Jeremy Dutton to double up Richard Lewis for the second out. Dutton then threw to first baseman David Hicks to record the out on Bryan Prince and complete the triple play.
ABOUT THOSE EARLY LOSSES: Heads have been scratched and eyebrows raised by some of NC State's early-season losses, but knowledgeable college baseball fans should know better.
In particular, the Wolfpack's losses to Cincinnati (2-of-3 games February 9-11), Rutgers (3-game sweep February 23-25), Elon (February 28) and Winthrop (March 13) have had many casual fans wondering what the heck was going on. Again, knowledgeable fans should know better.
Let's take a look at some of those losses. Cincinnati, coming off a 35-25 season in 2000, returned virtually everyone from that team, including seven of their top nine hitters and five of their top seven pitchers. The 2001 Bearcats are dominated by seniors, and this is expected to be the best baseball team in school history. Through games of March 14, Cincinnati was 11-4 and was one of the favorites in Conference USA.
Rutgers is a perennial power in the Northeast. The Scarlet Knights had a 40-18 record a year ago and not only played in the NCAA Tournament, but hosted a regional. Rutgers went 110-54 the last three years and 18 letterwinners from last year's NCAA Tournament team ¯ including righthander pitcher Bobby Brownlie, listed as the top sophomore college prospect in the country by Baseball America ¯ are back this season.
Through games of March 14, Rutgers was 10-5 with three wins at Old Dominion, one at Georgia Tech, and two at Miami. The Scarlet Knights are ranked No. 24 nationally, and still have not played a home game.
The Elon team that defeated the Wolfpack on February 28 is basically the program that current NC State assistant coach Billy Best built before coming to NC State in 1997.
Elon went 33-25 a year ago, and since the 1994 season, the Phoenix has posted a 195-152 record. Through games of March 14, Elon was 11-8 with five of those eight losses coming on the road at Georgia Tech and Miami, neither of which is an easy road venue. Elon already has won seven of 10 games against ACC teams this season.
The most recent "puzzling" loss for the Wolfpack was a 5-3 decision at Winthrop on March 13. Don't look now, but that victory lifted Winthrop to 16-4 on the season, and that record includes a two-game series sweep of Florida at Gainesville, and a win over Alabama at Tuscaloosa.
Over the last six seasons, Winthrop has gone 214-140 (almost 36 wins per season), has won 40 or more games three times, and has gone to the NCAA Tournament twice.
Thus far, seven of NC State's nine losses have been at the hands of Cincinnati, Rutgers, Elon and Winthrop, four teams with a combined record of 48-21.
So how do you lose to teams like that? By playing them.
The moral of the story: It's better to lose a baseball game to Syracuse than to Winthrop or Rutgers. And Syracuse does not have a baseball program.
D'AMATO BACK ON THE BEAM: After struggling through the second half of the 2000 season, junior lefthander Dan D'Amato appears to be back to his old self in 2001, even if he has been plagued by bad luck.
Thus far in '01, D'Amato has a 2-2 record in seven appearances, four of them starts, but with a solid 4.76 ERA. In his two losses, the Wolfpack scored a combined total of three runs.
In his most recent start, March 10 at Georgia Tech, D'Amato pitched a complete game, allowing five runs, four of them earned, on 10 hits in eight innings, a tremendous performance against the No. 1 team in the country (and an outstanding hitting team) in a notorious hitters' ballpark.
In his last three starts, D'Amato has allowed 10 earned runs on 24 hits in 19 1/3 innings for a 4.66 ERA. He has walked seven and struck out 18.
A year ago, D'Amato went 5-6 with a 5.19 ERA, but as a freshman in 1999, he fashioned a 7-2 record and a 5.11 ERA, earning Freshman All-America honors.
A SET LINEUP: Partly by design and partly because of circumstances beyond his control, NC State coach Elliott Avent has used his bench extensively the last three years.
While Avent does like to keep everyone fresh and give playing time to as many players as possible, injuries and ineffectiveness have forced him to juggle different players in and out of the lineup the last few years. As a result, Avent has used more than 50 different lineups each of the last three seasons.
That trend seems to be reversing itself in 2001. With David Hicks settling in at first base, Adam Miller at shortstop, Jeremy Dutton at second base, and Colt Morton and Justin Riley alternating at catcher and DH, NC State's lineup has stabilized itself this season, with eight players more or less in the lineup every day, and two others alternating in right field.
Over the last six games, the 1-5 spots in the order have been the same (1-6 in five of the six games), as has the No. 9 spot. During those six games, the Pack has batted .288 (63-for-219), compared to .260 the first 13 games of the year. The Wolfpack has scored in double figures in three of those six games, compared to twice the first 13 games.
TWO HOT FRESHMEN: NC State has had three players earn Freshman All-America status the last two years, and the early indications are that two more Wolfpack freshmen could vie for postseason honors in 2001.
First baseman David Hicks and catcher Colt Morton have both gotten their collegiate careers off to excellent starts. Hicks enters play this weekend vs. Florida State hitting .333 with five doubles, a home run and 11 RBIs in 15 games. Hicks, an excellent lefthanded pitcher as a high schooler, has made one appearance on the mound and retired the only two men he faced.
Morton, who has the unenviable task of replacing Dan Mooney behind the plate, is hitting .288 and leads the team with five home runs. He also has four doubles, a triple and 16 RBIs. Defensively, Morton has not allowed a passed ball, and with him logging most of the action behind the plate, Wolfpack pitchers have thrown just 11 wild pitches in 19 games.
Of the two, Morton has provided far more raw fire-power, but has not made contact as consistently as Hicks. In particular, the 6-foot-6 Morton has given the Wolfpack a long-ball threat. With five thus far, Morton already has hit more home runs than any Wolfpack freshman since Craig Lee hit seven in 1997. The NC State record for home runs by a freshman is 11, by Pat Clougherty in 1991.
Hicks has hit just one home run, but it was a big one. Leading off the bottom of the 10th inning March 5 vs. Ball State, Hicks hit a first-pitch walk-off bomb that gave the Wolfpack a 4-3 win over the Cardinals.
Instead of home runs, Hicks has proven to be an excellent contact hitter, having struck out just twice in 61 total plate appearances. Hicks's ability to put the ball in play has enabled him to maintain a high batting average, despite not playing against lefthanded pitchers earlier in the season.
MILLER TIME: There once was an old pitching coach whose motto was: "Work fast, throw strikes, and Babe Ruth is dead."
Although the identity of this apochryphal pitching coach is unknown, he most assuredly would have loved NC State senior righthander Josh Miller. You want the game speeded up, bring in Miller. He works very fast, largely because he pounds the strike zone, and he's yet to face the Bambino.
A year ago, Miller went 5-1 with a 2.35 ERA and two saves. He allowed 10 earned runs on 40 hits in 38 1/3 innings while recording 27 strikeouts. Most remarkable about Miller, however, is the following stat: He faced 155 batters in 2000 and walked just one of them.
He faced 97 batters last season before Miami's Kris Clute worked him for a base on balls, and then faced another 57 men without issuing a walk.
In 12 appearances this season, Miller has worked 17 2/3 innings, allowing 17 hits and four earned runs. He has, however, issued four walks (to his credit, one of them was intentional) while facing 79 batters, still a terrific ratio. He is 1-1 with a 2.04 ERA and a staff-high four saves.
Miller issued the intentional walk to the ninth man he faced this season, Cincinnati's preseason All-America third baseman Kevin Youkilis.
Heading into play vs. Florida State, the Miller Meter reads: 234 career batters faced, five walks, one intentional. Not too shabby.
An interesting aside to the Miller story, he came to NC State from Brevard Community College in Orlando, Fla., the same junior college that produced former Wolfpack righthander Brett Black, another noted control freak.
Black pitched for the Wolfpack from 1996-97, won 22 games in two seasons, and walked just 29 of the 977 batters he faced in 238 innings on the mound. Black once faced 143 consecutive batters without issuing a walk.
TWO-HOMER GAMES: NC State's doubleheader sweep of Richmond on March 2 featured the first two-homer games by Wolfpack players this season.
Freshman catcher Colt Morton went deep twice in the opener, bashing a two-run blast in the bottom of the first inning and a solo shot in the bottom of the seventh. Junior outfielder Brian Wright hit a pair of big flies in the second game of the twin-bill, both two-run shots, in the fifth and seventh innings.
Wright became the first Wolfpack player to homer twice in a game more than once when he ripped two bombs on March 11 at Georgia Tech in his record-setting 6-for-6 game. Wright hit a two-run homer in the top of the second inning and a solo shot in the top of the eighth. He finished the game with a career-high seven RBIs.
BIG INNINGS: With its slow start at the plate this season, NC State has not piled up the big innings the way past Wolfpack teams often have. In fact, through 19 games, the Pack has batted around in an inning just four times.
The first came on February 10 vs. Cincinnati, a four-run, nine-batter uprising in the eighth inning of the Wolfpack's 11-9 loss to the Bearcats. Seven days later, the Pack again sent nine men to the plate in the eighth inning, this time scoring five runs during a 13-4 win over The Citadel in Charleston, S.C.
On March 2 in the second game of a doubleheader vs. Richmond, the Pack had its biggest inning of the season, sending 11 men to the plate and scoring seven times in the seventh inning of a 10-3 win over the Spiders.
The Wolfpack's latest inning through the order came on March 14 at Buies Creek against Campbell, a five-run, nine-batter outburst in the Wolfpack's 10-1 win over the Camels.
PROCHASKA OUT FOR SEASON FOLLOWING SHOULDER SURGERY: Sophomore outfielder and lefthanded pitcher Mike Prochaska will miss the remainder of the 2001 season following surgery March 6 to repair a slight tear in his left labrum. The surgery, performed by Dr. James Andrews of Birmingham, Ala., was considered a success, but Prochaska will face a lengthy rehabilitation of at least seven months.
A freshman All-American a year ago, Prochaska batted .250 in 11 games in 2001. He had not appeared on the mound this season. Prochaska batted .350 with 15 doubles and 37 RBIs as a freshman. He was 4-4 with a 5.67 ERA on the mound.
NC State will apply to the NCAA for a medical hardship that would restore Prochaska's sophomore year of eligibility.
