NC State Baseball Battles Clemson in Final ACC Regular Season Series

CLEMSON - NC STATE WEEKEND SERIES
Dates: Thursday – Saturday, May 18-20
Location: Raleigh, N.C.
Site: Doak Field at Dail Park
Times: 6:00 p.m. (Thurs.) | 6:30 p.m. (Fri.) | 1:00 P.M. (Sat.)
Radio: WKNC 88.1 FM
Live Video: ACC Network Extra
Live Stats: SideArm Stats

STARTING PITCHERS
Thursday: LHP Charlie Barnes (CU) vs. RHP Johnny Piedmonte (NCSU)
Friday: RHP Alex Eubanks (CU) vs. LHP Brian Brown (NCSU)
Saturday: TBA (CU) vs. TBA (NCSU)

RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State baseball team will host the 12^th-ranked Clemson Tigers in its final Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) series of the 2017 regular season this weekend at Doak Field at Dail Park. As the final series of the season, game one of the three-game set is Thursday at 6 p.m., game two is Friday at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday's contest is slated for 1 p.m.

The Wolfpack will observe its senior day recognition prior to the start of Saturday's game.

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.

The Wolfpack enters the weekend with a 31-21 overall record and a 14-13 mark in ACC play, while the Tigers head to Raleigh with a 38-15 ledger, including a 16-11 clip in conference action.

Last Time Out
In its last outing, NC State picked up a 14-6 win at Pittsburgh to complete the sweep against the Panthers. The Wolfpack raced out to a 10-0 lead in the contest en route to the victory.

Clemson rallied for an 11-8 win in its most recent game on Tuesday night against Coastal Carolina. The Tigers were swept by the second-ranked Louisville Cardinals in their last ACC series.

The Series
NC State and Clemson have met 197 times in the history of the programs with the Tigers leading the all-time series, 116-80-1. Clemson owns a slim 43-40 margin in matchups held in Raleigh.

Last Time Versus Clemson
Clemson won two of three games last year at Doug Kingsmore Stadium to take the series, but the Wolfpack won the second game, 20-9, to even the series before being edged in the series finale, 2-1.

Last Time Clemson Visited Raleigh
NC State won the series the last time the two teams met in Raleigh during the 2015 season. Clemson took the series opener, 6-4, but the Wolfpack countered with wins in the second and third games.

NCSU hit four home runs en route to the 8-3 win in game two and Curt Britt picked up the win on the mound with 5.1 innings in relief. Johnny Piemonte helped lift the Pack to a 14-6 win in the series finale with 5.2 innings pitched to earn the win. Jake Armstrong, Andrew Knizner and Preston Palmeiro each had three RBI to lead NC State at the plate.

Scouting Clemson
Clemson has compiled a 38-15 overall record, including a 10-6 mark in road games. In conference play, the Tigers are 6-6 in games away from their home stadium. Clemson has lost its last two ACC series at UNC-Chapel Hill and at home against Louisville.

At the plate, Clemson owns a team batting average of .286 to go along with 9.79 hits per game and 6.30 runs per game. Reed Rohlman headlines the squad at the plate with a .387 clip, highlighted by a team-high 72 hits and 18 doubles. The Tigers' lineup also features Seth Beer, the 2016 Dick Howser Trophy winner, who is tied for the team lead with 13 homers.

Clemson's pitching staff has charted an ERA of 3.26, the third best in the conference. Thursday starter Charlie Barnes is 5-4 on the year with a 2.83 ERA while Friday starter Alex Eubanks is 6-4 with a 3.76 clip.

Getting Hot at the Right Time
The NC State baseball team is getting hot at the right time, as the Wolfpack has won 11 of its last 12 games including six consecutive ACC games to post successive sweeps. During the stretch, the Pack has a team batting average of .329 and has limited opponents to a .214 clip.

Seven of NC State's nine batters in the lineup are batting better than .300 during the streak, highlighted by Joe Dunand with a .400 batting average to go along with 20 RBI.

Shutting It Down
Wolfpack reliever Joe O'Donnell has made seven appearances over the last 12 games and has not allowed a run in 12.1 innings pitched. The Wilmington, N.C., native has notched six saves during that stretch and has struck out 19 batters. Opponents have managed a .098 batting average against him during the stretch.

Starting Fast
NC State has outscored opponents, 42-16, in the first inning of games this season. The Wolfpack is 26-5 when scoring first and has won 14 of its 19 games when scoring in the first inning.

Kinneman's On Base
Sophomore Brett Kinneman has reached base safely in 12 consecutive games, which is the longest active streak and tied for the second longest of the season. He's tallied a .356 batting average with six walks, three doubles, two homers and 11 RBI during the span.

Seven In A Row for Cosgrove
Wolfpack catcher Andy Cosgrove has been on a tear at the plate and has notched a hit in each of the last seven games to own the team's longest active hitting streak. He's batting .417 in the last seven games with 10 hits, eight runs, six RBI, three doubles and two home runs.

Debo's Taking More Than One
Freshman Brad Debo leads the team with 19 multi-hit games this season, highlighted by six three-hit performances and a four-hit game.

#STATEMENT

NC State Baseball Battles Clemson in Final ACC Regular Season Series

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Players Mentioned

Sean Adler

Brian Brown

Andy Cosgrove

Brad Debo

Joe Dunand

Brett Kinneman

Andrew Knizner

Joe O'Donnell

Preston Palmeiro

Johnny Piedmonte

Garrett Suggs

Cory Wilder