North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Set To Host Richmond This Weekend
3/7/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 7, 2002
RALEIGH, N.C. -
NC State (12-3) vs. Richmond (10-0)
March 8-10, 2002
Doak Field * Raleigh, N.C.
THE STARTING ROTATION: Junior righthander Daniel Caldwell (3-1, 3.54) will start for the Wolfpack in the first game of the series on Friday. In his last start, March 1 vs. George Mason at Doak Field, Caldwell tossed his second complete game of the season, allowing three runs on 10 hits in an 8-3 Wolfpack victory. Caldwell walked three and struck out six. In his last three starts, Caldwell has allowed seven earned runs on 25 hits in 23 innings, walking six and striking out 24. Caldwell will be opposed by Richmond righthander Mike McGirr (2-0, 2.08), who picked up the win in Richmond's 4-3 victory over the Wolfpack on February 16 in the Charleston Crab House Shootout. He allowed the Wolfpack one run on seven hits in six innings of work. He walked two and struck out six.
Freshman righthander Michael Rogers (2-1, 1.50) will start on Saturday for the Pack. In his last start, March 1 vs. George Mason, Rogers threw his second shutout in a row, running his string of consecutive scoreless innings to 17. He held the Patriots to just four hits, walked two and struck out 11. In his last two starts, Rogers has allowed just seven hits in 16 scoreless innings, walked four and fanned 21. He took the loss in the Wolfpack's loss to the Spiders in Charleston after allowing four runs, three of them earned, on five hits in six innings. It was his first collegiate start, and Richmond is the last team to score a run against him. Rogers will be opposed by Richmond righthander Jason Bolinski (2-0, 1.93).
Junior righthander Derek McKee (2-1, 5.85) will take the ball for NC State on Sunday. In his last outing, March 3 vs. George Mason, McKee got off to a rough start for the second outing in a row, allowingfour runs in the first inning and two more in the second before the Wolfpack scored seven in the bottom of the second. He wound up working six innings and allowed seven runs on eight hits. He walked two and struck out seven. In his last two starts, McKee has given up an average of 4.5 runs in the first inning, but has been bailed out by the NC State offense, which averaged 10.5 runs in the second inning of those two starts. Righthander Tim Stauffer (4-0, 1.32) will start for the Spiders in the series finale on Sunday.
TUESDAY VS. WILLIAM & MARY: Outfielders Brian Wright and Marc Maynor drove in three runs each, and Mike Prochaska worked 6 1/3 solid innings as NC State secured its 10th consecutive victory with a 13-5 pounding of William & Mary at Doak Field. Prochaska (2-0) allowed seven hits and three earned runs while walking two and striking out three. Starter Whitt Farr (1-3) took the loss for the Tribe, allowing seven runs on 10 hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out none. Wright had three hits in four at-bats, including a pair of doubles, and Maynor, Jeremy Dutton, Chad Orvella and Prochaska had two hits apiece for the Wolfpack.
WINNING STREAK AT 10 GAMES: NC State's current winning streak of 10 games is the longest by a Wolfpack team since a 14-game streak from February 17 through March 12, 1999. NC State had one five-game winning streak a year ago, and one during the 2000 season.
SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE: This weekend's series between Richmond and NC State would seem to be a matchup of an irresistable force and an immovable object. The Wolfpack comes into the game batting .403 as a team and averaging 13.1 runs per game. Richmond, on the other hand, has a staff ERA of 1.82 and has allowed just 60 hits in 84 innings while walking 25 and striking out 73. Opponents are hitting just .197 against the Spiders.
In their previous meeting, the Wolfpack did manage to mount some offense against Richmond, banging out 12 hits and drawing six walks, but NC State hitters managed just five hits in 21 at-bats with runners on base and went 0-for-3 with the bases loaded.
Both teams come into the series with 10-game winning streaks.
TONS OF RUNS: How hot is the NC State offense? Pretty doggone hot. Through 15 games, the Wolfpack is hitting .403 as a team with a .495 on-base percentage and a .622 slugging percentage. NC State is averaging 13.1 runs per game, and six Wolfpack regulars are hitting .400 or better, led by freshman center fielder Marc Maynor at .571 (20-for-35).
NC State has scored in double figures 10 times in 15 games, and gotten 10 or more hits 14 times in 15 games. The Pack has scored 15 runs or more six times, including three games of more than 20 runs.
The Wolfpack has had numerous big innings this season. Heading into play this weekend vs. Richmond, NC State has batted around in an inning 22 times in 15 games, or once every 5.4 innings (118 total innings). The Wolfpack has scored three runs in an inning six times, four runs in an inning 10 times, five runs in an inning eight times, six runs in an inning twice, seven runs in an inning twice, eight runs in an inning once, nine runs in an inning once, and 14 runs in an inning once.
A GOOD HOMESTAND: Over the last two weeks, NC State hitters have ripped the cover off the baseball, hitting .427 (141-for-330) with 31 doubles and 13 home runs during the first nine games of the current homestand. Wolfpack hitters have drawn 54 walks and struck out just 23 times during those nine games.
Individually, seven NC State players are hitting .400 or better on the homestand, led by freshman center fielder Marc Maynor, who is hitting .613 (19-for-31) with 18 runs scored, 14 RBIs and six stolen bases. He has drawn nine walks, raising his on-base percentage for the homestand to .700.
Also ripping the ball during the homestand are sophomore right fielder Joe Gaetti (.500, 3 doubles, 1 homer, 7 RBIs), junior third baseman Jeremy Dutton (.471, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 17 runs scored, 15 RBIs), senior left fielder Brian Wright (.469, 4 doubles, 2 homers, 15 runs scored, 18 RBIs), sophomore first baseman David Hicks (.415, 9 doubles, 12 RBIs). junior second baseman Adam Hargrave (.414, 12 runs scored, 6 RBIs), senior outfielder Matt Butler (.412, 4 doubles, 1 home run), and junior shortstop Chad Orvella (.389, 21 runs scored, 8 RBIs).
MAYNOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Maybe it's a coincidence, but NC State really began to roll offensively when freshman center fielder Marc Maynor was inserted into the starting lineup.
Maynor made his first start February 17 against The Citadel, and the Wolfpack has not lost a game since. Maynor went 0-for-2 in his first start, but he is hitting .576 (19-for-33) overall since breaking into the starting lineup. Seven times in his 10 games as a starter, Maynor has amassed two or more hits, including three hits in a game four times. He has been on base 25 times in the 10-game winning streak and has scored 19 runs, including five runs in a game once, three runs in a game twice, and two runs in a game three times.
WRIGHT OF WAY: It should come as no surprise to anyone that NC State left fielder Brian Wright is off to a strong start. Through 15 games, Wright is hitting .464 (26-for-56) with eight doubles, four home runs and 30 RBIs.
Wright, a two-time first-team All-ACC selection, has hit safely in every game but one - he went 0-for-4 on February 12 vs. Gardner-Webb - and has now hit safely in 13 straight. He has nine multiple-hit games to his credit thus far, and has driven in two or more runs in a game eight times, including a six-RBI game, a pair of four-RBI games and a pair of three-RBI games. His career high for RBIs in a game is seven, which he did twice last season.
Wright drove in 16 runs the first seven games of the season. Only once previously in his career had Wright driven in as many as 16 runs in a seven-game span. From April 25 through May 5 a year ago, he drove in 16 runs in seven games against East Carolina, Duke and Clemson.
HAGER OUT FOR SEASON AFTER EYE SURGERY: Junior righthander Ben Hager, a transfer from Appalachian State University, will miss the remainder of the 2002 season after undergoing surgery to repair damage to his right eye and jaw. Hager was struck flush in the face by a line drive off the bat of The Citadel's Chip Cannon during the ninth inning February 17 at Charleston, and suffered a fractured jaw, a fractured zygomatic arch, and a fractured orbital blowout. Surgery was performed February 28 at the HealthSouth Blue Ridge Surgery Center. The surgery was successful and Hager is expected to make a full recovery.
HICKS HITTING STREAK STOPPED AT 14: The Wolfpack got 13 runs on 13 hits March 5 vs. William & Mary, but sophomore first baseman David Hicks was not part of the hit parade, taking an 0-for-5 and snapping a 14-game hitting streak, the longest by an NC State player this season and the longest of Hicks's career. Hicks batted .508 (31-for-61) with 14 doubles, one homer and 20 RBIs during his streak.
ACTIVE STREAKS: The two longest active hitting streaks for the Wolfpack are a 13-game streak by senior outfielder Brian Wright and an 11-game streak by senior outfielder Matt Butler.
During his streak, Wright is hitting .479 (23-for-48) with seven doubles, three home runs and 23 RBIs.
Butler is hitting .400 (18-for-45) during his streak, which entails the entire season. He walked on one plate appearance February 23 vs. Coppin State, so that game does not count against his hitting streak.
EIGHT DOUBLES: In thrashing The Citadel 14-8 on February 17, NC State hitters belted eight doubles, including three by Jeremy Dutton, two by David Hicks, and one apiece by Chad Orvella, Colt Morton and Brian Wright.
That was the most doubles by a Wolfpack team in almost 11 years, since a 13-8 thrashing of UNC-Wilmington that featured nine NC State doubles on April 10, 1991. In that game, Pat Clougherty hit three doubles, Jeff Monin and Scott Snead hit two each, and Paul Borawski and Rob Bark each hit one.
SPEAKING OF DOUBLES: On the subject of two-base hits, sophomore first baseman David Hicks was on a doubles rampage earlier this season, belting 10 two-baggers in the Wolfpack's first eight games. He has added four more since then and has 14 doubles through 15 games.
Hicks hit just 10 doubles in 50 games as a freshman a year ago. The school record for doubles in a season is 31, set by Brian Ward in 1998.
MORE DOUBLES NEWS: Through 15 games, NC State has hit at least two doubles in every game but one this season, including two doubles in a game four times, three doubles in a game three times, four doubles in a game three times, five doubles in a game twice, and eight doubles in a game once.
The school record for doubles in a season is 161, set in 1991. With 55 doubles through 15 games, the Pack is on a pace to hit 213 doubles in 58 games.
COFFIELD SNEEZES RBIs: Pitcher Paul Shuey once said that former Cleveland Indians teammate Manny Ramirez "sneezes RBIs."
Well, for the week of February 22-27, NC State freshman outfielder Tim Coffield did a lot of sneezing.
In four games that week, three vs. Coppin State and one vs. Appalachian State, Coffield batted .688 (11-for-16) with two doubles, four home runs and 21 RBIs.
He had six RBIs vs. Coppin State on February 22, five RBIs vs. Coppin State on February 23, six RBIs vs. Coppin State on February 24, and four RBIs vs. Appalachian State on February 27.
Coffield was named the ACC's co-Player of the Week after the Coppin State series, during which he went 8-for-13 with a double, three home runs and 17 RBIs.
TWO-GAME THUNDER: NC State scored 40 runs in its first two games this season, an eruption that is somewhat historic. This season marks the first time that a Wolfpack team ever has scored 40 runs in its first two games, and only the fifth time the Pack has scored 40 or more in any two-game span.
The school record for total runs in consecutive games is 50, set in 1997 when Elliott Avent's first Wolfpack team blasted Maryland 28-9 on April 13 and then ripped Davidson 22-4 two nights later.
PITCHING NOTES: While the Wolfpack's offense has put up some gaudy numbers the Pack's pitching has been quietly effective, especially the starters.
In fact, through the first 15 games of the season the starting quartet of Daniel Caldwell, Michael Rogers, Derek McKee and Phillip Davidson is 9-3 with a fine 3.49 ERA. In 85 innings as starters, they have allowed 33 earned runs on 79 hits, walked 28 and struck out 93.
AND PROCHASKA MAKES FIVE: Add sophomore lefthander Mike Prochaska (2-0, 3.00) to the aforementioned quartet of hurlers and you have a five-man group that has carried the load quite well for the Pack. Those five pitchers have worked all but 24 of the staff's 126 2/3 innings, and have a combined 11-3 record and a 3.51 ERA (40 ERA/102.2 IP). They have allowed 97 hits, walked 34 and struck out 106.
ROGERS TOSSING ZEROES: Freshman righthander Michael Rogers has very quickly emerged as the early star of the NC State pitching staff, having compiled a 2-1 record and a sterling 1.50 ERA in three starts and four overall appearances. Rogers enters play this weekend vs. Richmond with a scoreless innings streak of 17. He has thrown complete-game shutouts in his last two games, one of them a seven-inning game against Coppin State.
Even in his lone loss this season, ironically enough against Richmond on February 16 in Charleston, S.C., Rogers was quite impressive. Making his first college start, the freshman from Hamilton, N.J., may have been a little too pumped up to start the game and allowed three runs in the bottom of the first inning. He settled down after that and retired 21 of the last 26 men he faced, but was tagged with a 4-3 loss.
A week later against Coppin State, Rogers allowed just three hits and two walks in seven shutout innings. He struck out 10. A week ago against George Mason, Rogers threw a nine-inning shutout, allowing four hits, walking two and striking out a career-high 11.
Heading into play this weekend, Rogers has allowed just 11 hits and three earned runs in his last 22 innings. He has retired 69 of the last 86 men has faced.
CALDWELL FANS 13: On February 15 vs. The Citadel, junior righthander Daniel Caldwell struck out 13, eclipsing his previous career high for K's in a game by five. Caldwell's 13 punchouts were the most by an NC State pitcher since Kurt Blackmon struck out 15 at Maryland on March 15, 1998.
