North Carolina State University Athletics
Baseball Begins ACC Play With Home Series Vs. Maryland
3/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
RALEIGH, N.C. — Struggling on offense, NC State will begin Atlantic Coast Conference action this weekend with a three-game series vs. Maryland at Doak Field at Dail Park. Games times are 3 p.m. on Friday, 2 p.m. on Saturday, and 1:30 p.m on Sunday.
NC State (11-4) comes into the series having lost four of its last seven games after an 8-0 start to the season. Maryland (9-3) comes into the weekend on a bit of a roll, having won five of its last six games.
NC STATE VS. MARYLAND: The Wolfpack holds a 91-47-2 overall lead in the series against the Terrapins, and has won the last five games in the series and nine of the last 10. NC State is 21-10 against Maryland since Elliott Avent became head coach in 1997. The Wolfpack swept the series at College Park last April 14-16 by scores of 11-4, 15-4 and 7-4.
THE ROTATION: NC State will send junior righthander Andrew Brackman (3-0, 2.01) to the mound on Friday to face Maryland’s Casey Baron (2-0, 4.50), a senior lefthander. Brackman had his first difficult outing of the season last Saturday vs. East Carolina in the Keith LeClair Classic in Greenville. ECU got to Brackman for four runs, all earned, on six hits in five innings on the mound. He walked five and struck out six. The four runs and five walks all exceeded Brackman’s season totals to that point.
Sophomore lefthander Eric Surkamp (2-1, 2.45) will start for NC State on Saturday against junior righthander Ryan Moorer (2-0, 3.15) for Maryland. Surkamp turned one of his best outings statistically last Sunday against then-13th-ranked Pepperdine in the LeClair Classic, but wound up taking the loss in a 5-2 defeat. Surkamp was charged with two runs, one earned, on seven hits in a career-high six innings against the Wave, walking one and striking out six.
Junior righthander Jeff Stallings (2-0, 3.44) will take the hill for the Pack on Sunday, opposing Maryland’s Kevin Biringer (1-2, 5.52), junior righthander. Stallings had the shortest start of his career last Friday in the Keith LeClair Classic, allowing three runs on six hits in just 3 1/3 innings in a 6-5 loss to Western Carolina. Stallings walked one and struck out one.
AVENT CLOSING IN: Wolfpack head coach Elliott Avent heads into action this weekend against Maryland with a 389-239 record in his 10-plus seasons at NC State. Not only is Avent just 11 wins shy of joining Sam Esposito as the only two coaches in Wolfpack history with 400 wins at the school, he is six wins shy of tying Ray Tanner for second place in school history for wins at NC State. Tanner went 395-173 in his nine years as the Wolfpack’s head coach before he moved on to South Carolina. Esposito’s career record, both overall and at NC State, was 513-253. Avent’s overall career record stands at 612-447 in 18-plus seasons.
THE KEITH LeCLAIR CLASSIC BLUES: NC State had a tough weekend March 2-4 at the Keith LeClair Classic in Greenville. In dropping two of three games over the weekend, the Wolfpack batted .212 (21-for-99) as a team with a .283 slugging percentage and a .345 on-base percentage. The Pack scored 12 runs in the four games. The Pack has struggled to recover from the weekend, hitting .217 (13-for-60) while splitting games this week vs. UNC Greensboro (lost 10-8) and North Carolina A&T (won 6-2. In its last five games, dating back to the Keith LeClair Classic, NC State is hitting .214 (34-for-159) and has scored just 26 runs.
TOP OF THE ORDER BLUES: After scoring 56 runs in the first five games of the season, NC State has scored just 48 runs in the last 10 games, dropping from 11.2 runs per game through five games to 4.8 runs per game the last 10 games. In the last 10 games, the Wolfpack’s 1-2-3 hitters are batting .181 (19-for-105), with the leadoff hitters batting .081. For the season, the top three spots in the order are hitting .213 (34-for-160).
EVEN-ODD: More on the batting order. Through 15 games, NC State has struggled in the odd-numbered spots in the order, hitting .161 from the leadoff spot, .218 from the three hole, .216 from the five hole, .259 from the seven hole, and .245 from the bottom spot in the order. The only spots in the batting order that have produced consistently all season have been the cleanup spot (.339 with 13 RBIs), the six spot (.358 with 4 home runs and 16 RBIs) and the eight spot (.400).
BIG INNINGS: UNC Greensboro scored more runs (7) in the fifth inning of its 10-8 victory over the NC State on March 6 than the Wolfpack had allowed in an entire game prior to that this season. Much of the NC State pitching staff’s success so far has been its ability to avoid those kinds of innings. Even counting the loss to UNCG, opponents have scored more than one run in an inning against the Wolfpack just eight times in 15 games, and have scored more than two runs in an inning just five times. NC State pitchers have allowed two or more hits in an inning just 21 times in 133 innings pitched, and have allowed more than three hits in an inning just once, during the seven-run inning to UNCG.
LONG BALLS: In 15 games this season, Wolfpack pitchers have kept the ball in the ballpark, allowing just seven home runs and limiting the damage by holding the opposition to six solo homers and one two-run blast.
LOW-HIT GAMES: On March 8, Clayton Shunick, Andrew Taylor and Eryk McConnell limited North Carolina A&T to four hits in defeating the Aggies 6-2. That marked the third four-hitter by Wolfpack pitchers this season. Andrew Brackman teamed up with Jimmy Gillheeney and Sam Brown on February 17 to throw a four-hitter at Gardner-Webb. On February 23, Jeff Stallings, Jake Kensmoe and Kyle Rutter combined on a four-hitter vs. West Virginia. Those four-hitters mark the lowest hit totals allowed by NC State pitchers since McConnell and three relievers tossed a four-hitter at Wake Forest on April 9, 2006, in a 17-2 laugher. The last time NC State pitching allowed fewer than four hits in a game was February 4, 2006, when McConnell and three relievers combined on a one-hitter in a 12-2 win over Delaware State.
STARTING PITCHERS: NC State’s starting pitchers have combined for an 8-2 record and a 2.76 ERA. Opponents are hitting .239 against the starters, who have walked 24 and struck out 70 in 71 2/3 innings. The Wolfpack’s starters have worked at least five innings in nine of 15 starts, and one of the other six was a planned split in which the starter was schedule to work just two innings.
SEEKING RELIEF: When NC State’s starting pitchers have needed assistance, the bullpen has come to the rescue. NC State’s relievers have a 3-2 record, six saves and a 2.35 ERA in 61 1/3 innings over 39 appearances. The pen has allowed 43 hits, 22 runs, 16 of them earned, with 23 walks and 41 strikeouts. Jimmy Gillheeney, Eryk McConnell, Joey Cutler, Andrew Taylor, Jeff Stallings, Clayton Shunick and Joel Brookens have combined to throw 43 2/3 innings in relief (out of 61 1/3 by the bullpen as a whole), allowing just eight runs, five earned (1.03 ERA), on 22 hits while walking 17 and striking out 31.
BRACKMAN UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: Under scrutiny from scouts and fans, junior righthander Andrew Brackman has quietly fashioned a strong 2007 season. Brackman has turned in three excellent starts and one not-so-excellent start, at least by his standards. In his first three starts, Brackman went 3-0 with a 0.52 ERA. He worked 17 1/3 innings and allowed opposing hitters a meager .194 batting average with 4.5 strikeouts for every walk he issued. On February 24, he shut down Coastal Carolina at Coastal Federal Field in Myrtle Beach, S.C., holding the Chanticleers scoreless on six hits in 7 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out seven. Brackman’s one sub-standard performance was March 3 at East Carolina in the Keith LeClair Classic. He lasted five innings and allowed four runs on six hits with five walks and six strikeouts. The runs and walks allowed numbers exceeded his season totals entering the game.
PITCHING DEPTH: NC State’s pitching staff posted a 2.57 ERA in 15 games this season. Thirteen pitchers have seen action, and seven have pitched at least nine innings. Of those seven, none has an ERA higher than 3.86, and five have ERAs under 3.00
NC State (11-4) comes into the series having lost four of its last seven games after an 8-0 start to the season. Maryland (9-3) comes into the weekend on a bit of a roll, having won five of its last six games.
NC STATE VS. MARYLAND: The Wolfpack holds a 91-47-2 overall lead in the series against the Terrapins, and has won the last five games in the series and nine of the last 10. NC State is 21-10 against Maryland since Elliott Avent became head coach in 1997. The Wolfpack swept the series at College Park last April 14-16 by scores of 11-4, 15-4 and 7-4.
THE ROTATION: NC State will send junior righthander Andrew Brackman (3-0, 2.01) to the mound on Friday to face Maryland’s Casey Baron (2-0, 4.50), a senior lefthander. Brackman had his first difficult outing of the season last Saturday vs. East Carolina in the Keith LeClair Classic in Greenville. ECU got to Brackman for four runs, all earned, on six hits in five innings on the mound. He walked five and struck out six. The four runs and five walks all exceeded Brackman’s season totals to that point.
Sophomore lefthander Eric Surkamp (2-1, 2.45) will start for NC State on Saturday against junior righthander Ryan Moorer (2-0, 3.15) for Maryland. Surkamp turned one of his best outings statistically last Sunday against then-13th-ranked Pepperdine in the LeClair Classic, but wound up taking the loss in a 5-2 defeat. Surkamp was charged with two runs, one earned, on seven hits in a career-high six innings against the Wave, walking one and striking out six.
Junior righthander Jeff Stallings (2-0, 3.44) will take the hill for the Pack on Sunday, opposing Maryland’s Kevin Biringer (1-2, 5.52), junior righthander. Stallings had the shortest start of his career last Friday in the Keith LeClair Classic, allowing three runs on six hits in just 3 1/3 innings in a 6-5 loss to Western Carolina. Stallings walked one and struck out one.
AVENT CLOSING IN: Wolfpack head coach Elliott Avent heads into action this weekend against Maryland with a 389-239 record in his 10-plus seasons at NC State. Not only is Avent just 11 wins shy of joining Sam Esposito as the only two coaches in Wolfpack history with 400 wins at the school, he is six wins shy of tying Ray Tanner for second place in school history for wins at NC State. Tanner went 395-173 in his nine years as the Wolfpack’s head coach before he moved on to South Carolina. Esposito’s career record, both overall and at NC State, was 513-253. Avent’s overall career record stands at 612-447 in 18-plus seasons.
THE KEITH LeCLAIR CLASSIC BLUES: NC State had a tough weekend March 2-4 at the Keith LeClair Classic in Greenville. In dropping two of three games over the weekend, the Wolfpack batted .212 (21-for-99) as a team with a .283 slugging percentage and a .345 on-base percentage. The Pack scored 12 runs in the four games. The Pack has struggled to recover from the weekend, hitting .217 (13-for-60) while splitting games this week vs. UNC Greensboro (lost 10-8) and North Carolina A&T (won 6-2. In its last five games, dating back to the Keith LeClair Classic, NC State is hitting .214 (34-for-159) and has scored just 26 runs.
TOP OF THE ORDER BLUES: After scoring 56 runs in the first five games of the season, NC State has scored just 48 runs in the last 10 games, dropping from 11.2 runs per game through five games to 4.8 runs per game the last 10 games. In the last 10 games, the Wolfpack’s 1-2-3 hitters are batting .181 (19-for-105), with the leadoff hitters batting .081. For the season, the top three spots in the order are hitting .213 (34-for-160).
EVEN-ODD: More on the batting order. Through 15 games, NC State has struggled in the odd-numbered spots in the order, hitting .161 from the leadoff spot, .218 from the three hole, .216 from the five hole, .259 from the seven hole, and .245 from the bottom spot in the order. The only spots in the batting order that have produced consistently all season have been the cleanup spot (.339 with 13 RBIs), the six spot (.358 with 4 home runs and 16 RBIs) and the eight spot (.400).
BIG INNINGS: UNC Greensboro scored more runs (7) in the fifth inning of its 10-8 victory over the NC State on March 6 than the Wolfpack had allowed in an entire game prior to that this season. Much of the NC State pitching staff’s success so far has been its ability to avoid those kinds of innings. Even counting the loss to UNCG, opponents have scored more than one run in an inning against the Wolfpack just eight times in 15 games, and have scored more than two runs in an inning just five times. NC State pitchers have allowed two or more hits in an inning just 21 times in 133 innings pitched, and have allowed more than three hits in an inning just once, during the seven-run inning to UNCG.
LONG BALLS: In 15 games this season, Wolfpack pitchers have kept the ball in the ballpark, allowing just seven home runs and limiting the damage by holding the opposition to six solo homers and one two-run blast.
LOW-HIT GAMES: On March 8, Clayton Shunick, Andrew Taylor and Eryk McConnell limited North Carolina A&T to four hits in defeating the Aggies 6-2. That marked the third four-hitter by Wolfpack pitchers this season. Andrew Brackman teamed up with Jimmy Gillheeney and Sam Brown on February 17 to throw a four-hitter at Gardner-Webb. On February 23, Jeff Stallings, Jake Kensmoe and Kyle Rutter combined on a four-hitter vs. West Virginia. Those four-hitters mark the lowest hit totals allowed by NC State pitchers since McConnell and three relievers tossed a four-hitter at Wake Forest on April 9, 2006, in a 17-2 laugher. The last time NC State pitching allowed fewer than four hits in a game was February 4, 2006, when McConnell and three relievers combined on a one-hitter in a 12-2 win over Delaware State.
STARTING PITCHERS: NC State’s starting pitchers have combined for an 8-2 record and a 2.76 ERA. Opponents are hitting .239 against the starters, who have walked 24 and struck out 70 in 71 2/3 innings. The Wolfpack’s starters have worked at least five innings in nine of 15 starts, and one of the other six was a planned split in which the starter was schedule to work just two innings.
SEEKING RELIEF: When NC State’s starting pitchers have needed assistance, the bullpen has come to the rescue. NC State’s relievers have a 3-2 record, six saves and a 2.35 ERA in 61 1/3 innings over 39 appearances. The pen has allowed 43 hits, 22 runs, 16 of them earned, with 23 walks and 41 strikeouts. Jimmy Gillheeney, Eryk McConnell, Joey Cutler, Andrew Taylor, Jeff Stallings, Clayton Shunick and Joel Brookens have combined to throw 43 2/3 innings in relief (out of 61 1/3 by the bullpen as a whole), allowing just eight runs, five earned (1.03 ERA), on 22 hits while walking 17 and striking out 31.
BRACKMAN UNDER THE MICROSCOPE: Under scrutiny from scouts and fans, junior righthander Andrew Brackman has quietly fashioned a strong 2007 season. Brackman has turned in three excellent starts and one not-so-excellent start, at least by his standards. In his first three starts, Brackman went 3-0 with a 0.52 ERA. He worked 17 1/3 innings and allowed opposing hitters a meager .194 batting average with 4.5 strikeouts for every walk he issued. On February 24, he shut down Coastal Carolina at Coastal Federal Field in Myrtle Beach, S.C., holding the Chanticleers scoreless on six hits in 7 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out seven. Brackman’s one sub-standard performance was March 3 at East Carolina in the Keith LeClair Classic. He lasted five innings and allowed four runs on six hits with five walks and six strikeouts. The runs and walks allowed numbers exceeded his season totals entering the game.
PITCHING DEPTH: NC State’s pitching staff posted a 2.57 ERA in 15 games this season. Thirteen pitchers have seen action, and seven have pitched at least nine innings. Of those seven, none has an ERA higher than 3.86, and five have ERAs under 3.00
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