No. 12 #Pack9 Welcomes Furman for Weekend Series

FURMAN - NC STATE WEEKEND SERIES
Dates: Friday – Sunday, February 23-25
Location: Raleigh, N.C.
Site: Doak Field at Dail Park
Times: 3 p.m. (Fri.) | 2 P.M. (Sat.) | 1 P.M. (Sun.)
Radio: WKNC 88.1 FM
Live Video: ACC Network Extra
Live Stats: SideArm Stats
Tickets

STARTING PITCHERS
Friday: LHP Grant Schuermann (FUR) vs. LHP Brian Brown (NCSU)
Saturday: RHP Jake Crawford (FUR) vs. RHP Johnny Piedmonte (NCSU)
Sunday: LHP Matt Lazzaro (FUR) vs. LHP David Harrison (NCSU)

RALEIGH, N.C. – The 12^th-ranked NC State baseball team welcomes the Furman Paladins to Doak Field at Dail Park for a three-game series this weekend. Friday's game is slated for 3 p.m., Saturday's game is set for 2 p.m. and first pitch of the series finale is Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Wolfpack enters the weekend with a 4-1 overall record, while the Paladins are 3-1.

All three games will be broadcast live on the ACC Network Extra, accessible through Watch ESPN and the Watch ESPN App. Friday and Saturday's games will also have radio coverage on WKNC 88.1 FM, while Sunday's contest will NOT air on the radio due to a programming conflict, but a FREE stream of the audio will be available on GoPack.com.

Tickets are still available and can be purchased by visiting GoPack.com/Pack9tickets.

Last Time Out
In its last outing, NC State earned its fourth win of the season with a 9-6 victory against the Charlotte 49ers. The Wolfpack scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth to erase a two-run deficit and take the lead.

The Series
NC State and Furman will be meeting for the first time since 2003, when the Paladins earned a 14-1 win at Fie County Stadium in Zebulon, N.C., as Doak Field was being renovated that season.

Despite NC State winning three of the last four meetings, Furman leads the all-time series, 5-4.

Scouting Furman
The Furman Paladins head to Raleigh with a 3-1 record on the year after sweeping Marist on opening weekend before falling to 11^th-ranked Clemson in a midweek matchup. Last year, Furman was 33-28 and finished third in the Southern Conference (SoCon).

Junior third baseman Jake Crawford leads the conference with a .583 batting average, headlined by seven hits and a team-high five runs scored. The Paladins own a team batting average of .284 and have six players with a batting average at or better than .300.

On the mound, Furman has compiled a 4.75 earned run average, but that number is inflated after the squad's 12-4 loss versus Clemson. The Paladins' weekend starters combined to record a 1.80 ERA on opening weekend, as they each allowed just one earned run.

The Paladins are averaging 7.25 runs per game and scored a season-high 13 runs in the season opener against Marist.

Mentor Versus Mentee
Furman Head Coach Brett Harker played collegiately at College of Charleston and was named Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2005 under the leadership of then CofC pitching coach and now NC State pitching coach, Scott Foxhall.

Harker was an All-American and first team all-conference selection under Foxhall's direction before being selected in the fifth round of the 2005 MLB Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Four Wins, Four Saves
In each of NC State's wins this season, the Wolfpack's bullpen has shut it down late to earn a save. NCSU's four saves lead the ACC.

Preseason National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Watch List Selection Joe O'Donnell leads the staff with three saves, while freshman Reid Johnston nailed down a save in his first collegiate appearance.

Inching Closer to 800
NC State Head Coach Elliott Avent enters the weekend with 795 victories with the Wolfpack and would reach 800 wins at NCSU with five more wins.

Last season, Avent surpassed 1,000 career wins, as he is one of just 15 active coaches to own the distinction.

Brown Leading the Way in the ACC
After pitching six strong innings in the season opener to earn the win, senior Brian Brown leads the ACC in career wins with 19. The Glenmoore, Pa., native also owns the most career starts in the conference with 46, the second most in the NCAA.

Brown has made 12 more starts than the next ACC pitcher in career starts, as Florida State's Cole Sands has started 34 games on the mound.

He has also thrown the most innings of any pitcher in the conference with 240.2 innings pitched.

Pack Bats Making Noise
NC State has tallied a .297 batting average at the plate this season, which is second in the ACC. The Wolfpack's 51 hits are tied for the conference lead and its five home runs are tied for second in the league.

Kinneman Goes Grand
Junior Brett Kinneman hit his first home run of 2018 on Tuesday against North Carolina A&T and chose the perfect time for it, as he homered with the bases loaded for the Wolfpack's first grand slam of the season.

It was the first grand slam for NC State since Will Wilson hit an inside-the-park grand slam against Clemson on May 19, 2017.

Kinneman also hit a two-RBI triple in the game to record six RBIs in the contest, tied for the second most by a player in the ACC for a single game.

Leading Off
The Wolfpack's leadoff batter of the inning has reached base 18 times this year and in contrast, NC State's pitchers have only allowed the leadoff batter to reach eight times.

Big Innings
NC State has scored four of more runs in an inning six times this season. The Wolfpack's six runs in the third inning of the series finale against Seton Hall is a season high.

No. 12 #Pack9 Welcomes Furman for Weekend Series

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Players Mentioned

Brian Brown

Reid Johnston

Brett Kinneman

Joe O'Donnell

Will Wilson