No. 4 NC State to Conclude Home Slate with Wake Forest Series

Friday, May 11

Raleigh, N.C.

6:30 p.m.

NC State

Wake Forest

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Photo by: James Guillory

No. 4 NC State to Conclude Home Slate with Wake Forest Series

5/10/2018 4:37:00 PM | Baseball

@ncstatebaseball

Wolfpack looks to extend five-game winning streak

WAKE FOREST - NC STATE WEEKEND SERIES
Dates: Friday – Sunday, May 11-13
Location: Raleigh, N.C.
Site: Doak Field at Dail Park
Times: 6:30 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.) | 1 P.M. (Sun.)
Radio: WKNC 88.1 FM
Live Video: ACC Network Extra
Live Stats: SideArm Live Stats

STARTING PITCHERS
Friday: RHP Griffin Roberts (WF) vs. RHP Reid Johnston (NCSU)
Saturday: RHP Morgan McSweeney (WF) vs. LHP Brian Brown (NCSU)
Sunday: RHP Colin Peluse (WF) vs. TBA (NCSU)

RALEIGH, N.C. – No. 4 NC State baseball will wrap-up its regular-season home slate this weekend with a three-game series against Wake Forest. Friday and Saturday's games are slated for 6:30 p.m., while Sunday's first pitch is set for 1 p.m. at Doak Field at Dail Park.

Saturday's game will be Military Appreciation Night, as World War II Veteran Louis Jones will throw out the first pitch. On Sunday, NC State will recognize an outstanding group of seniors on Senior Day.

All three games will be broadcast live on the ACC Network Extra, accessible through Watch ESPN and the Watch ESPN App. Radio coverage will also be available on WKNC 88.1 FM and on GoPack.com for premium subscribers.

NC State heads into the weekend with a 36-12 overall record, including a 15-9 mark in ACC play. Wake Forest makes the trip to Raleigh with a 22-26 overall record and an 11-13 ledger in conference games.

The Series
NC State leads the all-time series with Wake Forest, 118-60, as Friday's contest will be the 179^th meeting between the programs. The Wolfpack has won 14 of the last 15 series against the Demon Deacons.

Last Time Versus Wake Forest
The Wolfpack and Demon Deacons split a doubleheader in the last meeting between the teams, as Wake Forest clinched the series after earning a win in game one. Trailing 5-1 in the first game of the doubleheader, NC State rallied with three runs in the fifth and four in the sixth to earn an 8-5 win.

In the nightcap, the Pack erased a five-run deficit with five runs in the eighth inning to force extra innings. Will Wilson had the big hit in that contest, as he hit his first collegiate grand slam to knot the score at 5-5. Unfortunately, a walkoff single in the 11^th gave Wake Forest the win.

Last Time Versus Wake Forest at Doak Field
NC State swept the series against Wake Forest the last time the programs met in Raleigh at Doak Field at Dail Park. The Wolfpack earned an 11-7 win in game one, 3-2 win in game two and completed the sweep with a 6-1 win in the series finale, which was broadcast live on ESPNU as part of ACC Monday.

Scouting Wake Forest
Wake Forest has had an up-and-down season, as the Demon Deacons opened ACC play 4-2 with series wins against Florida State and Louisville but struggling in its last few conference games.

The Deacs dropped two of three at Georgia Tech in their last ACC series and were swept by Clemson in its prior series at home.

Jake Mueller leads the team at the plate with a .314 batting average complemented by a team-high 61 hits, which ranks seventh in the ACC. Johnny Aiello provides the power for the team, as he has hit eight home runs and driven in 36 runs.

As a team, Wake Forest owns a .254 batting average and scores 5.04 runs per game.

On the mound, the Demon Deacons have a stellar weekend rotation, as each starter has an ERA below four with at least 50 strikeouts. Friday night starter Griffin Roberts leads the ACC with 109 strikeouts to go along with a 4-4 record and a 3.56 ERA. Saturday's starter Morgan McSweeney is 2-5 with a 3.98 ERA, while Colin Peluse, who will start Sunday, is 6-1 with a 3.62 ERA.

Multiples of Four
NC State's most successful innings this season have been the fourth and the eighth innings. The Wolfpack owns a team batting average of .330 during the fourth with 57 runs scored and has logged a .322 clip with 59 runs in the eighth inning of games.

Prolific Offense
The Wolfpack scored 15 runs in Wednesday's victory against James Madison to surpass 10 runs for the 11^th time this season.

Big Innings
This year NC State has scored runs in bunches, as the Pack has tallied 25 'big innings' with four or more runs in the frame.

Stellar Pack Bullpen
NC State's bullpen has been stellar this season, as the group has compiled a 2.85 ERA. In contrast, opposing teams bullpens have recorded an 8.43 ERA against the Wolfpack's batting lineup.

The Pack's bullpen is responsible for 20 of the squads 36 wins and has nailed down 17 saves, second most in the ACC.

McLain's on Base
Josh McLain has reached base safely in the last 17 games to own the longest active streak for the Wolfpack. The senior center fielder has tallied 23 multi-hit games to lead all players in the ACC and has recorded at least one hit in 44 of 48 games this season.

Pack Power
NC State's 71 home runs this season ranks fifth in the NCAA and is seven more than the Pack hit in all of last season (64). The Wolfpack's total is the most for the program since 2010 when the team hit 98 homers.

Ten different players have hit at least one home run for NCSU this season and five players have recorded multi-home run games.

NC State has five players with 10 or more homers, the only team in the ACC to accomplish the feat.

Magic Numbers
The Wolfpack is 26-3 on the year when scoring at least six runs in a game and is 30-3 when holding its opponents to five runs or fewer.