Friday, April 30
Winston-Salem, N.C. (David F. Couch Ballpark)
6 PM
NC State
at
Wake Forest
#Pack9 Heads To Wake Forest For Weekend Series
4/29/2021 2:16:00 PM | Baseball
RALEIGH – NC State baseball (20-13, 12-12 ACC) is back on the road this weekend when it travels to Wake Forest (14-20, 6-17 ACC) for a three-game series at the David F. Couch Ballpark in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The teams will play Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. All three games will be broadcast on the ACC Network Extra and there will be a free audio stream on WKNC 88.1 and the TuneIn App.
STARTING PITCHERS
Friday – RHP Sam Highfill (NCSU) vs. RHP Ryan Cusick (WF)
Saturday – RHP Matt Willadsen (NCSU) vs. RHP Rhett Lowder (WF)
Sunday – TBA (NCSU) vs. RHP William Fleming (WF)
SERIES HISTORY
Heading into this weekend, the Wolfpack and Demon Deacons have met a combined 185 times on the diamond as NC State leads the all-time series, 123-62.
The teams last met on May 23, 2019 in the ACC Championship in Durham, N.C., when the Pack made a 6-5 comeback to advance to the semifinals of the tournament.
The last time the squads met for a three-game series was on April 18-20, 2019 in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Demon Deacons took game one, 7-3, and in a Sunday doubleheader the Pack evened the series with a 4-3 win but ultimately fell, 9-8, in the rubber match to drop the series.
NC State has won 12 of the last 16 meetings between the teams, which includes series sweeps in 2015, '16 and '18.
LAST TIME OUT
NC State traveled to App State on Tuesday for a midweek contest and earned a 7-3 win to sweep its series with the Mountaineers and improve its road record to 10-2.
SHUT THE DOOR
In the early part of the season, southpaw Evan Justice served as a part of the Pack's starting rotation but has transitioned back into a reliever role in recent weeks. Since March 29 at North Carolina, he has made seven appearances out of the bullpen and has compiled a 1.76 ERA in 15.1 innings with two wins and three saves.
ON A ROLL
The Pack is currently on a four-game win streak and has won 11 of its last 13 games. Additionally, in its last 20 games the squad has compiled a 16-4 record which includes series sweeps at then-No. 11 North Carolina, Boston College and versus then No. 15 Virginia Tech.
AVENT NAMED USA BASEBALL COLLEGIATE NATIONAL TEAM MANAGER
Head coach Elliott Avent was named the manager of USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team for the 2021 season on April 28.
This summer will mark Avent's USA Baseball managerial debut and his third time overall working with the Collegiate National Team. He served as an assistant coach for the 2004 and '15 teams, helping to lead Team USA to a FISU World University Championships gold medal and an 18-7 record in '04.
SCOUTING WAKE FOREST
Wake Forest is coming off a 17-12 win over Davidson on Tuesday in its last time out, getting back into the win column after suffering a series sweep at Clemson.
The Demon Deacons have won just one of its ACC series this year, which was on March 26-28 at Florida State, and were picked to finish fifth in the Atlantic Division of the ACC Preseason Coaches Poll.
As a team, Wake is batting .244 and averaging 6.05 runs per game. Its offense is led by Lucas Costello with a .291 clip, while Brock Wilken and Bobby Seymour are its most dangerous hitters as the two have combined for 17 doubles, 33 homers and 73 runs batted. The duo leads the team in all three categories.
On the mound, starter Ryan Cusick paces the staff with a 3.11 earned-run average and 74 strikeouts in eight starts and 46.1 innings, and those numbers rank fourth among the ACC. Additionally, Rhett Lowder (6.56 ERA) and William Fleming (6.93 ERA) lead the team in innings pitched with 46.2 and 50.2, respectively.
Out of the pen, Brennen Oxford has made a team-leading 20 appearances while Reed Mascolo and Cole McNamee pace the team with three wins apiece.
ON DECK
Tuesday, May 4 · vs. Elon · 6 PM
The teams will play Friday at 6 p.m., Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. All three games will be broadcast on the ACC Network Extra and there will be a free audio stream on WKNC 88.1 and the TuneIn App.
STARTING PITCHERS
Friday – RHP Sam Highfill (NCSU) vs. RHP Ryan Cusick (WF)
Saturday – RHP Matt Willadsen (NCSU) vs. RHP Rhett Lowder (WF)
Sunday – TBA (NCSU) vs. RHP William Fleming (WF)
SERIES HISTORY
Heading into this weekend, the Wolfpack and Demon Deacons have met a combined 185 times on the diamond as NC State leads the all-time series, 123-62.
The teams last met on May 23, 2019 in the ACC Championship in Durham, N.C., when the Pack made a 6-5 comeback to advance to the semifinals of the tournament.
The last time the squads met for a three-game series was on April 18-20, 2019 in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Demon Deacons took game one, 7-3, and in a Sunday doubleheader the Pack evened the series with a 4-3 win but ultimately fell, 9-8, in the rubber match to drop the series.
NC State has won 12 of the last 16 meetings between the teams, which includes series sweeps in 2015, '16 and '18.
LAST TIME OUT
NC State traveled to App State on Tuesday for a midweek contest and earned a 7-3 win to sweep its series with the Mountaineers and improve its road record to 10-2.
SHUT THE DOOR
In the early part of the season, southpaw Evan Justice served as a part of the Pack's starting rotation but has transitioned back into a reliever role in recent weeks. Since March 29 at North Carolina, he has made seven appearances out of the bullpen and has compiled a 1.76 ERA in 15.1 innings with two wins and three saves.
ON A ROLL
The Pack is currently on a four-game win streak and has won 11 of its last 13 games. Additionally, in its last 20 games the squad has compiled a 16-4 record which includes series sweeps at then-No. 11 North Carolina, Boston College and versus then No. 15 Virginia Tech.
AVENT NAMED USA BASEBALL COLLEGIATE NATIONAL TEAM MANAGER
Head coach Elliott Avent was named the manager of USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team for the 2021 season on April 28.
This summer will mark Avent's USA Baseball managerial debut and his third time overall working with the Collegiate National Team. He served as an assistant coach for the 2004 and '15 teams, helping to lead Team USA to a FISU World University Championships gold medal and an 18-7 record in '04.
SCOUTING WAKE FOREST
Wake Forest is coming off a 17-12 win over Davidson on Tuesday in its last time out, getting back into the win column after suffering a series sweep at Clemson.
The Demon Deacons have won just one of its ACC series this year, which was on March 26-28 at Florida State, and were picked to finish fifth in the Atlantic Division of the ACC Preseason Coaches Poll.
As a team, Wake is batting .244 and averaging 6.05 runs per game. Its offense is led by Lucas Costello with a .291 clip, while Brock Wilken and Bobby Seymour are its most dangerous hitters as the two have combined for 17 doubles, 33 homers and 73 runs batted. The duo leads the team in all three categories.
On the mound, starter Ryan Cusick paces the staff with a 3.11 earned-run average and 74 strikeouts in eight starts and 46.1 innings, and those numbers rank fourth among the ACC. Additionally, Rhett Lowder (6.56 ERA) and William Fleming (6.93 ERA) lead the team in innings pitched with 46.2 and 50.2, respectively.
Out of the pen, Brennen Oxford has made a team-leading 20 appearances while Reed Mascolo and Cole McNamee pace the team with three wins apiece.
ON DECK
Tuesday, May 4 · vs. Elon · 6 PM
Players Mentioned
Auburn Regional Preview: Elliott Avent on ACC PM
Thursday, May 29
Game Three Press Conference: Athens Super Regional
Tuesday, June 11
Game Two Press Conference: Athens Super Regional
Sunday, June 09
Game One Press Conference - Athens Super Regional
Saturday, June 08