North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Begins ACC Stretch Drive This Weekend
5/12/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 12, 2005
RALEIGH, N.C. - Two games out of fourth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference with six games to play, time is of the essence if 23rd-ranked NC State (34-13, 13-11) hopes to make a move out of sixth place in the conference standings. The Wolfpack hopes to begin that move this weekend with a three-game series at Duke (13-33, 4-20).
Clemson and Florida State are tied for fourth place in the conference with 15-9 marks, but both have a tough stretch of games in front of them. Clemson is at Wake Forest this weekend before heading home to conclude the regular season with No. 3 Miami. The Seminoles host No. 8 North Carolina this weekend in Tallahassee, then travel to Raleigh to finish the regular season with a three-game set against the Wolfpack at Doak Field.
So the stage is set, but first the Pack must take care of business at Duke, which has not been a kind venue for NC State in recent years. Aside from a three-game sweep of the Blue Devils at Jack Coombs Field two years ago, the Wolfpack has not won a series in Durham since 1995.
THE STARTING PITCHERS: Sophomore righthander Gib Hobson (5-1, 5.29) will start on Friday for the Wolfpack in the first game of the series. This will be Hobson's 14th appearance, all starts, with one complete game, a no-hitter vs. Maryland on March 12. He has worked a staff-high 64 2/3 innings and allowed 47 runs, 38 earned, on 72 hits. He has walked 22 and struck out 40. Hobson's last start was May 1 in the finale of the North Carolina series. While he did not figure in the decision, an 8-7 win for the Wolfpack, he gave NC State 5 1/3 solid innings, allowing four runs, three of them earned, on nine hits. He walked three and struck out one.
Junior lefthander Branden Knapp (2-3, 4.75) will start on Saturday for NC State in the middle game of the series. Knapp has made 11 previous appearances, eight of them starts. He has thrown one complete game, shutting out Virginia 6-0 in Charlottesville on April 9. Knapp has allowed 32 runs, 25 earned, on 56 hits in 47 1/3 innings. He has walked nine and struck out 32. In his last outing, April 30 vs. North Carolina, he allowed just two runs, both unearned, on six hits in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out three and did not issue a walk.
Freshman righthander Andrew Brackman (2-0, 1.44) will start the series finale on Sunday. This will be Brackman's seventh appearance overall and his fourth start. He has worked 25 innings since joining the baseball team on March 26 and has allowed six runs, four of them earned, on 15 hits. He has walked 11 and struck out 29. He is one of just three Wolfpack pitchers with more strikeouts than innings pitched. In his last outing, May 10 at East Carolina, he combined with Jason Duncan and Joey Devine on a five-hit shutout, the second time in three weeks that those three pitchers combined to shut out the Pirates in Greenville by a 3-0 score. In the May 10 game, Brackman allowed two hits, walked three and struck out three in five innings. In 12 innings against ECU this season, he has allowed no runs on five hits, walking six and striking out eight.
NC STATE VS. DUKE: The Wolfpack and Blue Devils have a lengthy rivalry in baseball, with NC State holding a 136-118-1 advantage. NC State has won seven of the last 10 meetings in the series, and 15 of 26 since Elliott Avent became the head coach in 1997. Under Avent, the Wolfpack is 7-5 against Duke at Doak Field, 6-6 against the Blue Devils at Jack Coombs Field, and 2-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.
Duke took two of three games from the Wolfpack at Doak Field a year ago. The Pack took the opener 8-1 behind the masterful pitching of Michael Rogers, who allowed just one run on three hits in eight innings. He walked one and struck out 10. David Hicks had a pair of doubles and two RBIs, and Marc Maynor had a triple and drove in two runs. The Blue Devils came back to take the middle game of the series 3-1, snapping Vern Sterry's school-record 15-game winning streak in the process. Sterry allowed just two earned runs on four hits in eight-plus innings, but Zach Schreiber tossed a five-hitter for the Blue Devils, who got RBIs from Bryan Smith and Michael Golom. In the series finale, Duke scored five runs in the final two innings to overcome a 3-2 deficit and take a 7-4 victory. Javier Socorro's three-run homer in the ninth sealed the deal for the Blue Devils.
Last year's series win for Duke marked the first time the Blue Devils won a three-game series at Doak Field since 1992, when the ACC went to its current format of weekend series for all conference games. Two years ago, NC State swept Duke at Jack Coombs Field, the first regular-season sweep in the series since NC State swept Duke in 1991, and the first time that NC State had beaten Duke in a series in Durham since 1995.
SCOUTING THE PACK: NC State has recovered nicely since being swept March 18-20 at Georgia Tech, winning 19 of 24 games since then. The sweep at the hands of the Yellow Jackets still marks the only time this season that the Wolfpack has lost consecutive games. Remove NC State's 1-5 record against Miami and Georgia Tech and the team's record for the season is 33-8.
Redshirt-sophomore first baseman Aaron Bates leads the Pack in virtually every offensive category, including batting average (.400), doubles (14), home runs (7), RBIs (46), slugging percentage (.624) and on-base percentage (.512). Bates has batted .444 (32-for-72) with seven doubles, one triple, four home runs and 23 RBIs in 21 games since March 30. Freshman second baseman Ramon Corona, who is at .336 for the season with 12 doubles, two home runs and 26 RBIs, is hitting .488 (20-for-41) with five doubles, one homer and eight RBIs in 10 games since April 17. Junior catcher Jake Muyco is hitting .346 for the season with 11 doubles and 33 RBIs. Senior third baseman Matt Devine has come out of the exam break swinging the bat well. He had three hits in four at-bats in games this past week vs. East Carolina and The Citadel. Sophomore shortstop Jonathan Diaz, hitting .303 for the season, has batted .364 (12-for-33) in nine games since April 20.
The key to NC State's turnaround since the Georgia Tech series has been its pitching, especially since April 1. Wolfpack pitchers have a 3.55 ERA in 20 games since then, have held opposing hitters to a .253 batting average, and have struck out 163 and walked 63 in 185 innings. NC State pitchers have tossed five shutouts since April 1 and held opponents to five runs or less 11 times in 20 games, to three runs or less seven times.
FIVE GAMES AHEAD: Despite losing two All-America pitchers and the team's three leading home run hitters from a year ago, NC State is five games ahead of the pace the 2004 squad set through 47 games. The Wolfpack 29-17 at this point in '04. comparing this year's record to previous Wolfpack teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament, this year's club is three games behind the 2003 team through 47 games, four games ahead of the 1999 team, four games ahead of the 1998 team, one game behind the 1997 team, one game behind the 1996 team, a half-game behind the 1994 team, four games behind the 1993 team, one game behind the 1992 team, two games behind the 1991 team, three games behind the 1990 team, one game behind the 1988 team, one game behind the 1987 team, and one game behind teh 1986 team.
LOSING STREAKS: NC State baseball coach Elliott Avent preaches to his team about keeping losing streaks to a maximum of three games. This year's team has taken Avent's words to heart. Through 47 games, the 2005 Wolfpack has had just one losing streak all season, a three-game sweep March 18-20 at the hands of a Georgia Tech team that was in the process of winning a mind-numbing 25 conference games in a row.
Aside from that sweep in Atlanta, NC State has not lost back-to-back games all season, a remarkable accomplishment. How remarkable? The last NC State team to go this far into the season without at least two losing streaks was the 1993 team, which played 46 games before losing back-to-back games for the first time and did not have its second losing streak until games 49-50. That team, which wound up with three losing streaks all season, finished the year with a 49-17 record, the winningest campaign in school history.
In the last 35 years, only the 1975 Wolfpack has gone through an entire season without losing back-to-back games, and that team only played 34 games. The 1988 team has just three losing streaks in 61 games, and the 1986 team had just two in 60 games. The 1984 squad had just one losing streak in 40 games.
TWO LONG WEEKENDS: NC State went 10-6 in the month of March, and five of those six losses came on the road at the hands of a pair of top 10 opponents -- Miami and Georgia Tech, then ranked 6th and 5th respectively. The Wolfpack lost twice in three games at Miami and got swept by the Yellow Jackets. Take those two series out of the picture and NC State went 9-1 in March. In fact, without those two series, the Wolfpack would be 33-8 for the season.
B-RACK RACKS 'EM UP: No one wanted to believe Andrew Brackman during basketball season when he said that he had always been a better baseball player than a basketball player. One month into his college baseball career, people are beginning to understand what he was talking about.
Brackman has made six appearances thus far, but he has been at his best in his three starts -- twice at East Carolina and once vs. North Carolina at Doak Field -- going 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA. In the three starts, he allowed three runs on eight hits in 18 innings, walking eight and striking out 20.
Brackman has been impressive from the get-go, but if his first start -- six shutout innings, two hits at East Carolina -- wasn't enough to convince people that Brackman is the real deal, then his second start probably did the trick. On April 29 in the first game of a three-game ACC series vs. then-seventh-ranked North Carolina, Brackman tossed seven innings and dominated the Tar Heels. He allowed three runs in seven innings, but one run scored thanks to a wild pitch on a strikeout, while another was the result of a bunt single, a balk, a wild pitch and a groundout. The other run scored on a double, a groundout and a sacrifice fly. The Tar Heels did not exactly light him up.
When the final box score came out, Brackman had limited the hard-hitting Tar Heels to four hits in seven innings while striking out 12 and walking just two. The 12 punchouts were the most by an NC State pitcher since March 5, 2004, when Michael Rogers fanned 12 at San Diego State. The last time a Wolfpack pitcher recorded more than a dozen strikeouts in a game was March 16, 2003, when Vern Sterry struck out 14 vs. Princeton. Brackman's 12 K's were the most by an NC State freshman since April 26, 1987, when Preston Woods fanned 13 in a 6-1 loss to Georgia Tech.
In six appearances, including two dominating starts, he is 2-0 with a 1.44 ERA. In 25 innings, he has allowed 15 hits, walked 11 and struck out 29. He is one of just three Wolfpack pitchers averaging more than a strikeout per inning pitched.
STRIKEOUTS: When Andrew Brackman, Jason Duncan and Joey Devine combined to strike out 18 vs. North Carolina on April 29, it marked the most strikeouts by the Wolfpack since February 20, 1993, when Shawn Senior struck out 19 in a complete-game 10-0 win over Howard.
The 18 K's is the most strikeouts by NC State against an Atlantic Coast Conference team in at least 25 years. The Wolfpack struck out 17 in 10 2/3 innings vs. Florida State on April 3, 2004, in a 7-6 loss in Tallahassee.
THE BIG THREE: The names Brackman, Duncan and Devine almost sound like a law firm, and in three games of pitching as a trio, righthanders Andrew Brackman, Jason Duncan and Joey Devine have laid down the law to a pair of tough in-state opponents. In three games against East Carolina (twice) and North Carolina, Brackman, Duncan and Devine have allowed just three earned runs on 14 hits in 27 innings, walking 10 and striking out 36.
On April 20 at East Carolina, Brackman, Duncan and Devine combined to pitch a two-hit shutout against the Pirates. Brackman, in his first college start, worked the first six innings, allowing both hits and walking three while striking out five. Duncan pitched the seventh and eighth innings, and retired all six men he faced. Devine pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning, striking out the side. The combination of Brackman, Duncan and Devine retired the last 15 East Carolina batters they faced, and 17 of the last 18.
The Wolfpack's big three teamed up once again on April 29 against then-seventh-ranked North Carolina in the first game of a three-game ACC series. The result this time was not a shutout, but the Wolfpack prevailed 6-5 and set an unofficial school record for strikeouts in an ACC game with 18. Brackman pitched the first seven innings and allowed three runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out 12. The three runs were the result of a wild pitch on a strikeout; a double, a groundout and a sacrifice fly; and a bunt single, a balk, a wild pitch and a groundout. Duncan faced three hitters, walking one and striking out two. Devine got the final four outs, all on strikeouts, and although he was tagged with a blown save thanks to a pair of unearned runs in the nint. He got the win thanks to his brother Matt's walk-off RBI-single in the bottom of the ninth.
Brackman, Duncan and Devine worked as a threesome again May 10 at East Carolina, beating ECU 3-0 on a combined five-hitter. Brackman (5 innings) and Duncan (3 innings) allowed two hits apiece, while Devine notched his 10th save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning.
DAVIDSON HITS K PLATEAU: Senior righthander Phillip Davidson hit a milestone May 1 against North Carolina. Davidson's eighth-inning strikeout of Matt Ellington was the 200th of his college career, making him the 14th NC State pitcher ever to notch 200 K's.
SAVES LEADER: With 11 saves in 13 opportunities in 2005, Wolfpack closer Joey Devine has passed former Clemson hurler Scott Winchester and has taken sole possession of third place in conference history with 35 career saves. Former Wake Forest ace and current Toronto Blue Jays starter David Bush ranks second in ACC history with 38 saves, four behind Thad Chrismon, who saved 41 games for North Carolina from 1992-95.
With 11 saves this season, Devine is the only pitcher in NC State history to record 10 saves in a season three times, and has joined Winchester and Chrismon as the only pitchers in conference history to record 10 or more saves in a season in three different seasons.
Devine became NC State's career saves leader last March 13 in a win over Northeastern.
MORE Joey Devine: So far in 2005, junior reliever Joey Devine has been money in the bank for the Wolfpack. Devine has made 23 appearances this season, 15 of them scoreless, and 11 of his 13 one-inning appearances have been scoreless. In 39 1/3 innings, he has walked six (two intentionally) and struck out 61. For his career, Devine has allowed 109 hits and struck out 195 in 140 2/3 innings.
Prior to walking UNC's Matt Ellington on April 29, Devine had faced 79 consecutive hitters without issuing a walk. His walk of Reid Fronk on April 30 ended a streak of 95 consecutive hitters faced without an unintentional walk.
STILL MORE Joey Devine: With his two appearances against North Carolina on April 29-30, Joey Devine moved into second place in Wolfpack history for career appearances, and has 82 following Wednesday's save vs. The Citadel. He needs one more appearance to tie and two more to break the school record of 83 career appearances, set by Daniel Caldwell from 2000-04.
DUNCAN'S DOUGHNUTS: Junior lefthander Jason Duncan has emerged as a legitimate stopper in the middle and late innings for the Wolfpack. Duncan had a streak of 20 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings snapped April 30 vs. North Carolina, and has allowed just two runs in his last 27 2/3 innings. During the scoreless innings streak, he allowed 10 hits, walked five and struck out 27.
Duncan, who has held opposing hitters to a .194 batting average, is 4-0 with a 2.52 ERA for the season, but take away a four-batter disaster (4 ER, 0 IP) March 20 at Georgia Tech and his ERA is 1.51 over 35 2/3 innings.
SPRINGTIME PITCHING: On March 30, NC State's ERA stood at a not-so-impressive 5.06. Just 19 games later, the Wolfpack's ERA has fallen to 4.40, a significant drop this late in the season. In 20 games since April 1, the staff has gone 15-5 with a 3.55 ERA. NC State hurlers allowed 97 runs, 73 earned, on 176 hits in 185 innings, walking just 63 and striking out 163. The Wolfpack have thrown five shutouts in those 20 games, including back-to-back shutouts of Virginia on April 9-10.
The starting pitchers are 8-3 with a 3.69 ERA since April 1, led by Jeff Stallings (2-1, 0.93) and Andrew Brackman (1-0, 2.08). The bullpen is even better in April, posting a 7-2 record, a 3.36 ERA and seven saves. Jason Duncan (2-0, 0.47 in 19 1/3 innings) and Joey Devine (2-2, 2.14, 7 saves in 21 innings) anchored the pen for the last month.
The key to the staff turnaround? How about walks, or lack thereof. Prior to April, NC State pitchers averaged 3.25 walks per nine innings. Since April 1, the Pack has averaged 3.06 walks per nine innings, and eight of the Wolfpack's 63 walks since then came in a span of two miserable innings April 15 at Wake Forest. Take those two innings out of the equation and NC State averaged 2.70 walks per nine innings since April 1.
HOME SWEET HOME: With an 24-4 record at Doak Field this season, NC State is having one of its greatest seasons ever at its home ballpark.
Head coach Elliott Avent's first team, 1997, holds the distinction of posting the best home record in school history, a 30-3 mark that included single losses to Ohio, Florida State and Radford. That team won 30 of its first 32 home games before losing its home finale to Radford.
The 1994 Wolfpack was 22-1 at home before taking its second and third home losses. The '94 team wound up 27-4 at home. The 1987 Wolfpack got off to a 22-2 start at home before losing its final home game to finish 22-3 at the Doak. The 1990 team was 23-3 before finishing 27-4 at home. The '93 team was 20-3 before splitting its last six home games and finishing 23-6 at home.
