North Carolina State University Athletics
TIM PEELER: Another Important Baseball Series Against Miami
4/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 28, 2006
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH - It seems there is always something important at stake when NC State and Miami meet on the baseball diamond.
Three years ago, at a NCAA Super-Regional hosted by the Hurricanes, it was the chance to go to the College World Series, as the two teams met in a best-of-three series for the right to go to Omaha, Neb.
Two years ago, the Wolfpack returned to Coral Gables for a four-team NCAA Regional, losing 19-5 to the Hurricanes.
And last year, after Miami won two of three in the regular-season series, the teams had a dramatic showdown in the ACC Tournament in Jacksonville, Fla., when then-freshman Andrew Brackman and closer Joey Devine combined for a dominating six-hit performance that led the sixth-seeded Wolfpack to a 2-1 victory over the second-seeded Hurricanes.
Along the way, there have been a few run-ins, some heated comments and plenty of emotion on both sides.
So when the Hurricanes face NC State at Doak Field at Dail Park this weekend for a three-game series that begins Friday with a 7 p.m. contest, it's not surprising that there is something involving the post-season on the line for Wolfpack coach Elliott Avent's team.
Coming off last weekend's sweep by top-ranked North Carolina, the No. 11 Wolfpack (31-13 overall, 13-8 ACC) still has some work to do if it wants to be one of 16 sites to a four-team regional when the NCAA playoffs begin in early June.
"I think Carolina is definitely going to get a regional, so to convince the NCAA that it needs to put two regionals within 25 miles of each other, I think we need to make a statement down the stretch," said Avent, whose team has a dozen regular-season games remaining. "I don't know what that will be, whether we have to win nine out of 12 or 10 out of 12.
"I think we just need to make a strong statement down the stretch to get a regional."
Following this weekend, the Wolfpack has six non-conference games remaining and two road ACC series, at Virginia Tech and at Florida State.
Avent gave a nod to the importance of his team's final home ACC series of the season, by giving his team Monday off after its return from Chapel Hill, where the Wolfpack lost three straight games to the Tar Heels.
"We played pretty well last weekend, and it wasn't good enough," Avent said. "When you lose playing as hard as you can play, like we did, there is a little bit of scar tissue there. It doesn't go away. Sometimes you can shower that off. Sometimes, it takes a couple of days.
"So we took a couple of days off to cure whatever ailments we might have had. I watched the guys walk around [in practice this week] and I think they are back and ready to go."
The Wolfpack has showed good bounce-back abilities this season, especially after suffering big setbacks. It's been swept two other times this year, at home against UCLA and at Clemson, and both times Avent's team answered by sweeping its next series (Boston College and Virginia).
"We have dealt with adversity all year long and we have been able to bounce back," said senior outfielder Brian Aragon, one of three regular starters for the Wolfpack who is a Miami native. "It's nothing new for us. We have had to bounce back from some key losses.
"You couldn't tell in practice this week whether we won or lost at Chapel Hill."
The Wolfpack will be without ailing Brackman, the dual-sport star who has been the team's Friday night starter since joining the baseball team full-time after basketball season. He is out indefinitely with an illness, but should be back in time for the ACC Tournament. Junior Gib Hobson (5-1, 4.82) will start in his place Friday night, followed by sophomore righthander Eryk McConnell (6-4, 3.39) on Saturday and freshman lefthander Eric Surkamp (2-2, 4.84) on Sunday. Miami's rotation will start with sophomore Carlos Gutierrez (8-4, 3.13) on Friday, followed by sophomore lefthander Scott Maine (6-2, 4.99) on Saturday and junior righthander Ricky Orta (2-1, 5.23) on Sunday.
Avent is confident about Hobson's ability to step into the rotation, but is concerned about the hole it will leave in the Wolfpack's sometimes shaky bullpen.
"Somebody is going to have to step in and take Gibby's place in the bullpen," Avent said.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
