Wolfpack Baseball Heads to Notre Dame for Three-Game Series

NC STATE – NOTRE DAME WEEKEND SERIES
Dates: Friday, March 31 – Sunday, April 2
Location: Notre Dame, Ind.
Site: Frank Eck Stadium
Times: 6:05 p.m. (Fri.) | 4:05 p.m. (Sat.) | 1:05 P.M. (Sun.)
Radio: WKNC 88.1 FM
Live Video: Watch ND
Live Stats: Gametracker

STARTING PITCHERS
Friday: LHP Sean Adler (NCSU) vs. RHP Brandon Bielak (UND)
Saturday: LHP Brian Brown (NCSU) vs. LHP Michael Hearne (UND)
Sunday: TBA (NCSU) vs. RHP Brad Bass (UND)

RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State baseball team will head to the state of Indiana this weekend for a three-game series against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Friday's game is set for 6:05 p.m., Saturday is slated for 4:05 p.m. and Sunday's first pitch is 1:05 p.m. at Frank Eck Stadium.

A free live stream of all three games is available at WatchND.com or by clicking here. Radio coverage will also be available on WKNC 88.1 FM and on GoPack.com for premium subscribers for all three games.

NC State enters the weekend with a 14-12 overall record and a 4-5 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play. Notre Dame heads into the series with an 8-15 record in 2017 to go along with a 2-7 clip against league opponents.

Last Time Out
In its most recent outing, the Wolfpack scored a season-high 15 runs to earn the win against the Charlotte 49ers at the Charlotte Knights Ballpark.

Notre Dame also won its last outing, collecting a 7-4 victory against Chicago State at home.

The Series
NC State and Notre Dame have met 11 times in the history of the programs with nine of those meetings since the Irish joined the conference prior to the 2014 season.

The Wolfpack leads the all-time series, 8-3.

Last Time Versus Notre Dame
The Irish visited Raleigh last season and NC State won two of three games to take the series. In the most recent matchup in last year's series finale NCSU won, 16-6. Stephen Pitarra led the Wolfpack at the plate in the contest with a 4-for-5 performance, highlighted by four runs scored and two RBI.

In the first game of the 2016 series with Notre Dame, Joe O'Donnell threw a complete game to earn the win with four strikeouts, allowing just one extra-base hit which was a home run as the only run scored in the contest for the Irish.

As a result of his strong outing, O'Donnell was named ACC Pitcher of the Week.

Last Time at Notre Dame
NC State last visited Notre Dame in 2015 when the Irish took the series by winning the decisive game three, after the teams split the first two games. The Wolfpack's win in the series was a 4-2 victory in 14 innings on Saturday.

Scouting Notre Dame
Notre Dame has played just five games on its home field this season, compiling a 2-3 mark in those contests. The Irish were swept by Florida State at home last weekend in the only ACC series they have played at home.

The Irish won a pair of games at Pittsburgh to take the series and were swept at Clemson in their first conference series of the year.

Notre Dame owns a team batting average of .228, while opponents have been hitting at a .258 clip. Nick Podkul leads the squad at the plate with a .315 average to go along with a team-best 28 hits.

The Fighting Irish average 7.70 hits per game and are scoring 4.26 runs per game. On the mound, Notre Dame's pitchers have tallied a staff ERA of 5.03.

Avent Approaching 1,000 Career Wins
NC State head coach Elliott Avent is approaching 1,000 career wins, as he heads into the weekend with 993 to his credit. He would become the fifth active head coach in the ACC with 1,000 or more career wins.

Dunand Times Two
Junior Joe Dunand tallied his first multi-home run game in NC State's 15-run outburst at Charlotte Tuesday night. He hit a solo home run in the fourth inning and launched a two-run blast in his next at-bat in the fifth inning.

It was also the first multi-homer game of the year for a Wolfpack player.

Career Best for Debo
Brad Debo, a freshman from Durham, N.C., recorded a career-best six RBI in Tuesday's win against the 49ers. His six runs batted in are the most by a freshman in the ACC this season.
He hit a sacrifice fly in the first inning, a bases-clearing double in the fourth and a two-run homer in the fifth.

Seven-Run Fourth
NC State scored seven runs in the fourth inning at Charlotte on Tuesday, sending 11 batters to the plate in the frame. It was the most runs the Wolfpack has scored in an inning this season.

Double Trouble
The Wolfpack has hit 59 doubles as a team in 2017, tied for the third most in the conference behind Duke with 65 and Wake Forest with 62.

In addition, junior Josh McLain leads the ACC with 13 doubles this season.

First to Score
The Wolfpack is 9-2 when scoring the first run of a game this season.

#PackPair
The Wolfpack has turned 28 double plays this year, the third most in the ACC. NC State turned a season-high four double plays in the win at UNCG.

The More, The Better
NC State has recorded more hits than its opponent in 10 games this year and has won all 10 contests. Additionally, the Wolfpack is 3-1 when hits are tied and 1-11 when the opponent tallies more hits.

Wolfpack Baseball Heads to Notre Dame for Three-Game Series

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sean Adler

Brian Brown

Brad Debo

Joe Dunand

Josh McLain

Joe O'Donnell

Stephen Pitarra