NC State Baseball Clashes with No. 4 UNC-Chapel Hill This Weekend

NC STATE – UNC-Chapel Hill WEEKEND SERIES
Dates: Friday – Sunday, April 14-16
Location: Chapel Hill, N.C.
Site: Boshamer Stadium
Times: 6:30 p.m. (Fri.) | 4 p.m. (Sat.) | 2 P.M. (Sun.)
Radio: WKNC 88.1 FM
Live Video: ACC Network Extra
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast

STARTING PITCHERS
Friday: LHP Sean Adler (NCSU) vs. RHP J.B. Bukauskas (UNC-CH)
Saturday: LHP Brian Brown (NCSU) vs. RHP Luca Dalatri (UNC-CH)
Sunday: RHP Michael Bienlien (NCSU) vs. TBA (UNC-CH)

RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State baseball team will make the short trip over to Chapel Hill this weekend for a three-game series with the fourth-ranked UNC-Chapel Hill Tar Heels. Friday's game is set for 6:30 p.m., Saturday's first pitch is at 4 p.m. and Sunday's series finale is slated for 2 p.m.

All three games of the series will be broadcast live on the ACC Network Extra, as well as radio coverage on WKNC 88.1 FM and on GoPack.com for premium subscribers.

NC State enters the weekend with a 19-15 overall record and a 7-8 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play. UNC-Chapel Hill heads into the series ranked fourth in the Baseball America top-25 poll with a 27-6 record in 2017 to go along with a 12-3 clip against league opponents.

Last Time Out
In its last outing, NC State picked up a 10-1 win at home against UNCG, one of the nation's top offenses. The Spartans entered the contest averaging more than 11 hits per game and were limited to just four in the game.

UNC-CH erupted for a 20-5 win against No. 8 South Carolina in its most recent outing on Tuesday night at the Charlotte Knights Ballpark.

Johnny Flirts With No-No
Redshirt senior Johnny Piedmonte took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against UNCG on Tuesday night before having it end on an infield single. He went seven innings in the game and struck out four to earn his second win of the year.

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 998 to his credit. He would become the fifth active head coach in the ACC with 1,000 or more career wins.

Additionally, Avent would join an elite group as only 15 active Division I head coaches have reached 1,000 career wins.

#PackPair
The Wolfpack has turned 36 double plays this year, to lead the ACC and tie for the ninth-most in the NCAA. NC State has turned a double play in 24 of 34 games, highlighted by a season-high four double plays at UNCG.

HIT-ting Stride
In its last five games, NC State batters have compiled a .367 batting average complemented by 62 hits, 42 runs scored, 16 doubles and seven home runs. The Wolfpack is 4-1 during the stretch and is averaging 8.4 runs per game.

Leading the Way in the ACC
Junior Josh McLain leads the conference with 17 doubles this season and freshman Will Wilson has tallied 14 doubles to lead all freshmen in the ACC.

Last Time Versus UNC-CH
NC State won the last meeting with UNC-Chapel Hill, 10-1, on May 21, 2016 at Doak Field at Dail Park to clinch the series. The Wolfpack opened the series with a 6-4 win before the Tar Heels evened the series with a win on Saturday, but the Pack won the decisive game three.

Last Time at UNC-CH
The Wolfpack won the most recent meeting against the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, as the squad last played at Boshamer Stadium in 2015. NC State won the series finale, 6-3, to avoid the sweep.

Scouting UNC-CH
UNC-Chapel Hill has won nine consecutive games heading into the weekend and has won 12 of its last 13. The Tar Heels are 17-5 in home games at Boshamer Stadium this season.

At the plate, UNC-CH has a team batting average of .278 with 9.52 hits per game to go along with 7.24 runs per game. Logan Warmoth leads the squad offensively with a .355 clip at the plate, 49 hits, 10 doubles and seven home runs – all team highs.

The Tar Heels pitching staff is one of the toughest in the nation, ranking sixth with a 2.62 earned run average (ERA).

NC State Baseball Clashes with No. 4 UNC-Chapel Hill This Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Sean Adler

Michael Bienlien

Brian Brown

Josh McLain

Johnny Piedmonte

Will Wilson