North Carolina State University Athletics
Baseball Prepares For Home Midweek Games vs. UNCG, Liberty
3/23/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
RALEIGH, N.C. - Looking to build upon its first ACC series win of the season, NC State will host a pair of non-conference midweek games this week in preparation for next weekend’s home conference series vs. Virginia Tech.
The Wolfpack (12-10) will face UNC Greensboro (7-9) on Tuesday and Liberty (15-5) on Wednesday. Both games will be at Doak Field at Dail Park, with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch set for both games. Probable pitchers for both games were uncertain as of Monday evening.
NC State defeated Wake Forest twice in a three-game ACC series this past weekend, and the offense began to get untracked in the process. The Wolfpack batted .297 (33-for-111) during the three games, hit six doubles and four home runs, and scored 26 runs. Junior outfielder Drew Poulk swung the biggest bat of the weekend, hitting .444 (4-for-9) with a home run and six RBIs. Freshman infielder Andrew Ciencin went 4-for-7 with a pair of doubles and drove in three runs. Junior shortstop Dallas Poulk hit .333 (5-for-15), drove in three runs and scored three. Senior third baseman Drew Martin also hit .333 (4-for-12).
The pitching, meanwhile, was its usual stout self. For the weekend, NC State pitching allowed 12 earned runs in 26 innings of work. Sophomore righthander Jake Buchanan tossed a complete game in the middle games of the series, retiring 21 men in a row at one point, and 25 of the final 27 men he faced.
UNC Greensboro comes to the Doak having won five games in a row after a 2-9 start. The Spartans swept Albany this past weekend and won a two-game midweek series last week from Lafayette. UNCG comes into the week batting .258 as a team and scoring 5.3 runs a game. The Spartans have hit just five home runs in 16 games.
First baseman Ed Jayjack leads UNCG with a .321 average. He has two doubles, one triple, one home run and seven RBIs. Catcher Trevor Edwards is the team’s leading run-producer. He is hitting .293 with two doubles, a home run and 14 RBIs. Shortstop Rey Quinones is hitting .318 with four doubles, one triple, one homer and 12 RBIs.
Liberty also comes to Raleigh riding a five-game winning streak. The Flames, who swept High Point this past weekend, are hitting .330 as a team and are scoring 9.0 runs per game. Sophomore first baseman Doug Bream is hitting .426 with nine doubles, four home runs and 21 RBIs. Junior outfielder Curran Redal is hitting .384 with three doubles, three home runs and 23 RBIs. Freshman third baseman Tyler Bream is hitting .363 with 11 doubles, two homers and a team-high 26 RBIs.
The Flames are coaches by former NC State catcher and assistant coach Jim Toman, who is in his second season on the job.
