North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Baseball To Tangle With George Mason
3/8/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 8, 2004
RALEIGH, N.C. - With its 10-game winning streak snapped this past weekend at San Diego State, the NC State baseball team will try to get back on the winning track on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week when George Mason comes to Doak Field for two games. Game time both days will be 2 p.m. The start time has been moved up an hour due to spring break.
Despite losing the last two games of its three-game series at San Diego State, the Wolfpack still is 10-2 for the season and off to its best start since 1996. But the Patriots are 9-1 after a three-game sweep of Canisius this past weekend in Fairfax, Va. GMU won Sunday's series finale 14-0 and outscored Canisius 43-6 in the three-game series.
NC State will bring some glittering statistics into this week's series, including a 2.46 staff ERA, and a 0.96 ERA in 37 1/3 innings by the bullpen. Junior righthander Phillip Davidson (1-0, 3.38) will get the start on Tuesday, and fifth-year senior Derek McKee (0-0, 0.00) will make his first start in two years on Wednesday.
Davidson made his first appearance of the season last Wednesday in a start vs. Le Moyne at Doak Field. He pitched 5 1/2 strong innings, allowing two runs on five hits, walking none and striking out five. McKee is coming off shoulder surgery and missed all of 2003 while undergoing rehab. He pitched two scoreless innings last Tuesday vs. Le Moyne, allowing one hit and no walks while striking out four.
The Pack pitching staff is limiting opposing hitters to a .231 average for the year, and carries a 9/2 strikeout-to-walk ratio (99 strikeouts, 22 walks).
Offensively, the Wolfpack has struggled to get the key hit, evidenced by 15 runners left on base on Saturday at SDSU, and nine more on Sunday. Sophomore second baseman Matt Camp leads the team with a .426 batting average and a .509 on-base percentage. Senior first baseman David Hicks is hitting .409 with a team-high four home runs and 11 RBIs. And junior left fielder Jason St. Julien is hitting .383 with two homers and a team-best 13 RBIs.
