North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack Travels to GT for 3-Game Series
3/18/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 18, 2011
ATLANTA -- NC State plays its second consecutive road ACC series this weekend, beginning with a 7 p.m. contest Friday against Georgia Tech.
NC State will send junior righthander Cory Mazzoni (1-1, 3.29) to the mound in the first game of the series. Sophomore Danny Healey (1-1, 3.97) will pitch Saturday in the middle game against the Yellow Jackets, which is set to begin at 4 p.m.. Sophomore Ethan Ogburn (0-1, 3.97) will take the mound in the final game of the series on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Listen to the game live on GoPack All-Access or in the Raleigh area on WKNC 88.1-FM or follow the action live on Gametracker.
The Series vs. Georgia Tech
NC State and Georgia Tech have faced one another 112 times previously in baseball, with the Yellow Jackets holding a 66-46 advantage. NC State is 14-27 vs. Georgia Tech since Elliott Avent became head coach in 1997. The Wolfpack is 6-11 vs. the Jackets at Doak Field at Dail Park, 4-14 at Russ Chandler Stadium in Atlanta, and 4-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.
NC State defeated Georgia Tech twice in a three-game series last April 30-May 2 at Doak Field at Dail Park, winning the first two games by scores of 6-5 and 4-2, then dropping the finale 5-3.
Dallas Poulk drove in two runs with a single and a bases-loaded walk, and Jake Buchanan struck out a career-high 13 in the opening game of the series. Cory Mazzoni allowed four runs in seven innings of the middle game of the series, allowing two runs and striking out five. In the series finale, Dallas Poulk singled, doubled and scored twice, and Drew Poulk drove in a pair of runs with a double and a sacrifice fly. Six NC State relievers combined to allow one run on two hits over the final 5 2/3 innings.
The Yellow Jackets handed the Wolfpack a 17-5 defeat in the second round of the 2010 ACC Tournament in Greensboro, N.C., getting three RBIs apiece from Skole and Tony Plagman.
Because of the way the ACC baseball schedule is set up, NC State and Georgia Tech did not face one another during the regular season in either 2008 or 2009. The Yellow Jackets swept the Wolfpack from April 20-22, 2007, the last time the two teams faced one another in Atlanta.
Up Next
Following the trip to Atlanta, NC State returns home to Doak Field at Dail Park to host Northwestern on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 22 and 23. Game times are 6 p.m. on Tuesday and 3 p.m. on Wednesday. After that, Clemson comes to town for a three-game weekend ACC series. Former Wolfpack great Tim Stoddard serves as pitching coach for Northwestern.
The Starting Rotation
NC State will send junior righthander Cory Mazzoni (1-1, 3.29) to the mound Friday in the first game of the series. Sophomore Danny Healey (1-1, 3.97) will pitch Saturday in the middle game vs. the Yellow Jackets. Sophomore Ethan Ogburn (0-1, 3.97) will take the mound in the final game of the series on Sunday.
Mazzoni, a righthander from Evans City, Pa., has been nearly lights-out this season and would have sensational numbers were it not for the second inning. He has allowed nine runs in the second inning in three of his four starts, accounting for seven of his 10 earned runs allowed. Take those three second-inning hiccups away and Mazzoni has a 1.11 ERA.
Mazzoni gave up a three-run second-inning home run in each of his first two starts, a 17-4 win Feb. 18 vs. Elon and a 4-0 loss Feb. 26 vs. California. Mazzoni struck out a career-high 13 with no walks in seven innings March 4 vs. Penn State. In his last outing, March 11 at Duke, he allowed three runs in the second inning on two hits, an error, and two bases-loaded walks.
A righthander from Cooper City, Fla., Healey was remarkably consistent for NC State in his first three appearances, allowing no more than three hits and pitching at least five innings in all three, but got roughed up for six runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings March 12 at Duke.
Healey allowed one run on two hits in five innings Feb. 20 vs. Elon, but got no decision in a 4-2 loss. He followed that by limiting then-No. 17 Coastal Carolina to two runs on two hits in seven innings Feb. 27 in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and this time got credit for NC State's 12-3 victory. On March 6 in the first game of a doubleheader vs. Penn State, Healey worked 6 1/3 innings and allowed just one run on three hits, but again got no decision for an outstanding performance. Healey struck out six in each of his first three games.
A righthander from High Point, Ogburn is making his third start of the season this weekend vs. the Yellow Jackets. He previously started March 1 vs. Davidson and March 13 at Duke. He has made two appearances out of the bullpen.
Ogburn no-hit Davidson through five innings, allowing a third-inning walk and nothing else. He wound up pitching a career-high six innings struck out a career-best 11, and retired 15 of the first 16 men he faced, 17 of 21 overall. Ogburn worked 2 2/3 scoreless innings March 6 vs. Penn State, allowing a hit and two walks, and pitching out of an inherited one-out, first-and-third jam by throwing a double-play grounder. He went 2 1/3 innings at Duke and allowed three runs on three hits.
Nine-Game Strikeout Binge
NC State pitchers struck out 96 batters in 79 innings in a stretch of nine games that began March 1 vs. Davidson and ran through March 13 at Duke. The Wolfpack recorded double-digit strikeouts in six of those nine games. NC State pitchers averaged 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings during the nine-game span. You have to go back to the first nine games of 2009 to find a comparable stretch of strikeout prowess by the Wolfpack.
In the first nine games that year, NC State hurlers fanned 102 batters in 90 innings, an average of 10.2 K's per nine innings. The highlight of the 2009 stretch was a March 4 game vs. Akron at Lake Worth, Fla., a school-record 18-inning marathon during which 11 NC State pitchers combined to strike out an NCAA-record 31 batters. Wolfpack pitchers only reached double figures in strikeouts four times during that streak, although the Akron game should count as two games.
Mazzoni, The Second Inning, And The Aftermath
With a 1-1 record and a 3.29 ERA in four starts, Wolfpack junior righthander Cory Mazzoni has been outstanding in 2011. Were it not for three three-run second innings in his four starts, Mazzoni's stats for 2011 would be even more remarkable.
Mazzoni gave up a three-run homer to Cyle Rasmus in the second inning of the season opener vs. Elon on Feb. 18 at Doak Field at Dail Park. Cal's Andrew Knapp took Mazzoni deep, a three-run blast, on Feb. 26 at BB&T Coastal Field in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Duke scored three runs, two of them unearned, in the second inning March 11, on two hits, an error and a pair of bases-loaded walks.
Take those three second-inning hiccups off the books and Mazzoni's ERA plummets to 1.11 in 24 1/3 innings. And the three-run innings truly have been anomalies. Consider what's happened after the thrree-run innings.
Following the three-run homer by Rasmus and three harmless singles that followed it, Mazzoni set down 17 of the next 21 Elon hitters before turning the ball over to the bullpen. Mazzoni responded to the Knapp homer by retiring 21 of the next 24 Cal hitters before departing with one out in the eighth inning. After Duke's messy three-run second inning, Mazzoni settled down and retired 20 of 24 Blue Devils, then left after the seventh.
Add it all up and Mazzoni has allowed the opposition a .159 on-base percentage (11 baserunners in 69 plate appearances) following their three-run second innings.
Diaz On 10-Game Hitting Streak
NC State shortstop Chris Diaz enters play this weekend at Georgia Tech riding a 10-game hitting streak, longest by any Wolfpack hitter this season.
Diaz began his streak with a 2-for-4 performance on March 4 vs. Penn State. He has had two or more hits in four of the 10 games. Diaz is batting .412 (14-for-34) during the streak, and .529 (9-for-17) in the last six games of the streak. Prior to his current 10-game streak, Diaz's longest career streak was four games to begin the 2011 season.
Riggins Wakes Up Bats
Harold Riggins snapped out of a 1-for-13 slump in a big way March 15 vs. Buffalo. Riggins had a perfect day at the plate, reaching base in all four plate appearances with a walk, an HBP, a two-run double and a grand-slam home run.
With NC State trailing 5-0 with just one hit heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, Riggins belted a two-run double off the wall in right field to put the Wolfpack on the scoreboard. With the Pack trailing 5-3 and the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, Riggins hit a drive over the wall in straightaway center field to lift NC State to a 7-5 come-from-behind victory.
Riggins went 1-for-2 with a double, three walks, two runs scored and two RBIs the next day vs. George Mason, giving him three hits, two doubles, a home run, four walks, an HBP, three runs scored and eight runs driven in during his last two games heading into this weekend's series vs. Georgia Tech.
Ciencin Walks To Career High
Andrew Ciencin entered NC State's game March 16 vs. George Mason with six walks in 16 games all season. In five plate appearances vs. the Patriots, Ciencin walked four times, which was double his previous career high of two walks, set twice in 2010.
