North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Baseball Hosts The Citadel On Wednesday
3/16/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 16, 2004
RALEIGH, N.C. - The NC State baseball team will return to action on Wednesday with a home game against The Citadel. Game time at Doak Field will be 3 p.m. This is a change from the original schedule, which listed the game as a 4 o'clock start. The game will begin at 3 o'clock.
The Wolfpack (14-3) played The Citadel (7-8) once already this season, in the opening round of the Homewood Suites Tournament, with the Pack coming away with a 3-1 victory behind the three-hit pitching of Mike Rogers, who took a one-hit shutout into the ninth inning before allowing a two-out run on a pair of hits.
NC State leads the overall series with The Citadel 27-10. NC State has won six of the last eight meetings vs. The Citadel, including a split of two games a year ago. The Citadel crushed the Pack 15-2 at Riley Park on February 23, behind five RBIs from Chris Ard and six solid innings from starting pitcher John Ellis. The Pack got revenge on March 11 at Fleming Stadium in Wilson, winning 4-3 behind 7 1/3 masterful innings from starter Vern Sterry and a pair of homers and three RBIs from Justin Riley.
NC State has won four games in a row, including a three-game sweep of Northeastern this past weekend at Doak Field. The current four-game streak follows a three-game losing streak that is the Wolfpack's longest since a seven-game skid in April 2002. The Pack is hitting .290 as a team with a staff ERA of 2.68.
The Citadel this past weekend took two of three games at Elon. The Bulldogs have won three of their last five games and five of their last nine. They are hitting .258 as a team, with a staff ERA of 3.50.
TODAY'S STARTING PITCHER: Freshman righthander Gib Hobson (0-0, 8.38) will get the start for the Wolfpack. This will be Hobson's fourth appearance and his third start. He has worked 9 2/3 innings, allowing nine runs, all earned, on 15 hits. He has walked three and struck out six. In his last outing, March 10 vs. George Mason, he worked 1 2/3 scoreless innings, walking none and striking out three. In his last start, March 7 at San Diego State, he gave up six runs on eight hits in three innings, walking one and striking out one.
RECORDS FALL AT DOAK: It was Milestone Weekend at Doak Field this past weekend. Vern Sterry and Joey Devine set school records in the Wolfpack's 5-4 victory over Northeastern on Saturday. Sterry set a school record with his 14th consecutive victory, his third of the season, shattering a mark held since 1986 by lefthander Robert Toth. Devine pitched the ninth inning to record his seventh save of the season and the 21st of his career, breaking Brian Bark's school record for career saves, set from 1987-90. On Sunday, head coach Elliott Avent picked up his 500th win as a head coach.
IN THE POLLS: Following a 4-1 week, the 14-3 Wolfpack is currently ranked in two of the three major college baseball polls. The lone exception is the Baseball America poll, which did not rank NC State this week for the second week in a row. Collegiate Baseball moved the Wolfpack up from 23rd to 18th in its March 15 poll, while USA Today Sports Weekly moved the Pack up from 20th to 17th.
A LOW-HITTER: Sunday's victory over Northeastern marked the Wolfpack pitching staff's lowest hits-allowed total of the season, with Phillip Davidson, Jason Duncan and Jeffrey Stallings combining on a two-hitter. On February 28, Mike Rogers took a one-hit shutout into the ninth inning at The Citadel before allowing a two-out run on a pair of hits and settling for a three-hitter.
At the other end of the spectrum, the pitching staff on Sunday tied its season high for walks allowed with five. The Wolfpack had walked just two walks in the previous three games combined.
QUICK NOTES: The Wolfpack offense has gotten at least 10 hits in four consecutive games, and six of the last seven ... NC State has hit at least one double in every game so far this season ... Wolfpack pitchers have walked seven and struck out 46 in the last four games ... Matt Camp is riding a 13-game hitting streak, and has hit safely in every game but one ... David Hicks is on a nine-game hitting streak, and has hit safely in every game but one ... The Wolfpack bullpen has a 4-2 record, seven saves and a 1.72 ERA in 52 1/3 innings.
