North Carolina State University Athletics
Baseball Follows Exam Week With Four-Game Weekend
4/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
RALEIGH, N.C. - Following five days off for final exams, NC State returns to the baseball diamond this weekend for a pair of two-game, non-conference series. The Wolfpack will play Campbell on Friday and Saturday, then face North Carolina Central in a Sunday doubleheader.
The Friday game vs. Campbell will be at Doak Field at Dail Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday’s game will be at Taylor Field at Buies Creek, with a 4 p.m. start time. Sunday’s first game vs. N.C. Central will be at noon. There will be approximately 30 minutes between games.
The Wolfpack (20-24) will look to build this weekend on the momentum it gained from its come-from-behind 7-6 victory last Sunday at Virginia. The Pack downed the Cavaliers in an up-and-down affair when Pratt Maynard drilled an opposite-field, two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning to overcome a 6-5 deficit. Both teams led three times during the game, and there were three ties. Maynard’s blast made a winner of reliever Sam Brown, but the entire pitching staff had a good weekend, posting a 3.60 ERA for the three-game series against the ACC’s leading offensive team.
Junior lefthanders Jimmy Gillheeney (5-3, 3.18) and John Lambert (1-2, 4.82) will start against Campbell for the Wolfpack. Gillheeney worked six extraordinary innings in the series opener at UVa. He allowed just four hits, only one of which left the infield, but wound up being charged with six runs, all of them unearned, thanks to nine errors by his teammates. Gillheeney did not allow a hit to the first 15 hitters he faced, and counting six errors that should have resulted in outs (the other three advanced runners), he pitched the equivalent of eight shutout, four-hit innings.
Lambert pitched the middle game of the series, and for the first time in four weekend starts he struggled to control his curveball and lasted just 3 1/3 innings. In his previous two starts, however, at Duke and against Florida State, he allowed just two earned runs on eight hits in a combined 11 1/3 innings.
Campbell’s probable starters will be junior righthander Logan Davis (6-1, 5.53) and junior lefty Jeff Rydman (4-0, 6.07). They are the top starters on a pitching staff with a 7.15 ERA, but the Camels sport a 22-19 overall record thanks to a very prolific offense. Campbell is batting .349 as a team and is averaging 10.3 runs per game.
Senior outfielder Ryan Hamme leads the Camels in batting with a .455 average. He has 20 doubles, three home runs, 37 RBIs and 11 steals in 13 attempts. Hamme is hardly a one-man show, however. Junior designated hitter Zach Johnson is the team’s leading power threat. He is hitting .311 with 27 doubles, 11 home runs and 48 RBIs, and has eight steals in as many attempts. Sophomore infielder Ellis Lowe is hitting .383 with 11 doubles, five home runs and 50 RBIs. He has stolen 14 bases in 16 attempts.
N.C. Central is 5-29 pending a game Thursday at Appalachian State. The Eagles have lost nine in a row and 17 of their last 18 games. In stark contrast to Campbell, N.C. Central is hitting .237 as a team and is scoring just 3.6 runs per game.
Freshman outfielder Akeem Hood leads Central with a .313 batting average. He has four doubles. three triples, nine RBIs and 12 steals in 15 attempts. Sophomore catcher Blake Murray is at .281 with six doubles, two home runs and 12 RBIs. He has five steals in as many attempts. Junior infielder Kurt Wilson is hitting .269 with seven doubles, one homer, 12 RBIs and eight stolen bases in 13 attempts. Sophomore outfielder Edward Pegues is hitting .264 with 11 RBIs.
Pitching plans for Sunday are still TBA, but Central’s options are limited. The Eagles come into the weekend with a 10.46 staff ERA, led by freshman righthander Timothy Rennard, who is 1-1 with a 6.59 ERA.
Senior outfielder Devon Cartwright, riding a seven-game hitting streak, continues to lead the Wolfpack offensively, Cartwright is batting .300 with 10 doubles, five home runs and 27 RBIs. Maynard leads the team with six homers and 35 RBIs, and is batting .275. Freshman DH John Gianis is batting .307. Sophomore catcher Chris Schaeffer is hitting .291 with six doubles, three homer and 18 RBIs. Senior first baseman Pat Ferguson is hitting .261 with four doubles, four home runs and 21 RBIs. The Pack is batting .262 as a team and scoring 6.5 runs per game.
All four game this weekend will be broadcast live on WKNC-FM (88.1) and on-line at gopack.com via Pack Pass.
The Friday game vs. Campbell will be at Doak Field at Dail Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday’s game will be at Taylor Field at Buies Creek, with a 4 p.m. start time. Sunday’s first game vs. N.C. Central will be at noon. There will be approximately 30 minutes between games.
The Wolfpack (20-24) will look to build this weekend on the momentum it gained from its come-from-behind 7-6 victory last Sunday at Virginia. The Pack downed the Cavaliers in an up-and-down affair when Pratt Maynard drilled an opposite-field, two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning to overcome a 6-5 deficit. Both teams led three times during the game, and there were three ties. Maynard’s blast made a winner of reliever Sam Brown, but the entire pitching staff had a good weekend, posting a 3.60 ERA for the three-game series against the ACC’s leading offensive team.
Junior lefthanders Jimmy Gillheeney (5-3, 3.18) and John Lambert (1-2, 4.82) will start against Campbell for the Wolfpack. Gillheeney worked six extraordinary innings in the series opener at UVa. He allowed just four hits, only one of which left the infield, but wound up being charged with six runs, all of them unearned, thanks to nine errors by his teammates. Gillheeney did not allow a hit to the first 15 hitters he faced, and counting six errors that should have resulted in outs (the other three advanced runners), he pitched the equivalent of eight shutout, four-hit innings.
Lambert pitched the middle game of the series, and for the first time in four weekend starts he struggled to control his curveball and lasted just 3 1/3 innings. In his previous two starts, however, at Duke and against Florida State, he allowed just two earned runs on eight hits in a combined 11 1/3 innings.
Campbell’s probable starters will be junior righthander Logan Davis (6-1, 5.53) and junior lefty Jeff Rydman (4-0, 6.07). They are the top starters on a pitching staff with a 7.15 ERA, but the Camels sport a 22-19 overall record thanks to a very prolific offense. Campbell is batting .349 as a team and is averaging 10.3 runs per game.
Senior outfielder Ryan Hamme leads the Camels in batting with a .455 average. He has 20 doubles, three home runs, 37 RBIs and 11 steals in 13 attempts. Hamme is hardly a one-man show, however. Junior designated hitter Zach Johnson is the team’s leading power threat. He is hitting .311 with 27 doubles, 11 home runs and 48 RBIs, and has eight steals in as many attempts. Sophomore infielder Ellis Lowe is hitting .383 with 11 doubles, five home runs and 50 RBIs. He has stolen 14 bases in 16 attempts.
N.C. Central is 5-29 pending a game Thursday at Appalachian State. The Eagles have lost nine in a row and 17 of their last 18 games. In stark contrast to Campbell, N.C. Central is hitting .237 as a team and is scoring just 3.6 runs per game.
Freshman outfielder Akeem Hood leads Central with a .313 batting average. He has four doubles. three triples, nine RBIs and 12 steals in 15 attempts. Sophomore catcher Blake Murray is at .281 with six doubles, two home runs and 12 RBIs. He has five steals in as many attempts. Junior infielder Kurt Wilson is hitting .269 with seven doubles, one homer, 12 RBIs and eight stolen bases in 13 attempts. Sophomore outfielder Edward Pegues is hitting .264 with 11 RBIs.
Pitching plans for Sunday are still TBA, but Central’s options are limited. The Eagles come into the weekend with a 10.46 staff ERA, led by freshman righthander Timothy Rennard, who is 1-1 with a 6.59 ERA.
Senior outfielder Devon Cartwright, riding a seven-game hitting streak, continues to lead the Wolfpack offensively, Cartwright is batting .300 with 10 doubles, five home runs and 27 RBIs. Maynard leads the team with six homers and 35 RBIs, and is batting .275. Freshman DH John Gianis is batting .307. Sophomore catcher Chris Schaeffer is hitting .291 with six doubles, three homer and 18 RBIs. Senior first baseman Pat Ferguson is hitting .261 with four doubles, four home runs and 21 RBIs. The Pack is batting .262 as a team and scoring 6.5 runs per game.
All four game this weekend will be broadcast live on WKNC-FM (88.1) and on-line at gopack.com via Pack Pass.
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