#Pack9 Hosts Florida State This Weekend

RALEIGH – The NC State baseball team continues its homestand this weekend with a three-game ACC series against Florida State at Doak Field. This weekend's series will run Friday through Sunday with first pitch times scheduled for 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.

Saturday night's matchup will be broadcasted on ACC Network. Friday and Sunday's games will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra. A free audio stream will be available on the Varsity Network App for all three games with Tony Haynes on the call. All three games will also be available on WKNC 88.1

NC State (21-11, 5-9 ACC) holds a 36-76 overall record against Florida State (13-19, 4-11 ACC).

PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS
Friday – LHP Dominic Fritton (NCSU) vs. RHP Jackson Baumeister (Florida State)
Saturday – TBD (NCSU) vs. RHP Conner Whittaker (Florida State)
Sunday – TBD (NCSU) vs. TBD (Florida State)

THE MATCHUP: SERIES AGAINST FLORIDA STATE
NC State holds a 36-76 all-time record in the series against Florida State. Other notes on this weekend's matchup against the Seminoles:

• NC State won one game out of three at Florida State in 2022, dropping a 17-inning heartbreaker in Tallahassee in the series finale. The Wolfpack won game two of the series in game one of a Sunday doubleheader, smacking three home runs to blow out the Seminoles 15-4.
• NC State earned a series victory over No. 9 Florida State the last time the two teams met in Raleigh. From May 20-22, 2021, NC State won each of the first two games by a score of 6-4 before falling one game short of a sweep in a 15-11 defeat on Sunday.
• NC State is 5-5 in the past 10 matchups against the Seminoles. The Pack is 4-2 during that stretch in games played at The Doak.
• The last time Florida State and NC State both entered a series against each other unranked was April 17-19, 2009, in Raleigh.

LAST TIME ON THE DIAMOND
NC State scored eight runs in the fourth inning to pull away from UNCW on Tuesday night, sweeping the home-and-home series against the Seahawks behind a 12-3 victory. The Pack flipped a 2-1 deficit entering the home half in the fourth into a 9-2 advantage. The Wolfpack offense slugged five hits and capitalized on two Seahawk errors in the eight-run inning. On the mound, NC State pitchers allowed just one walk while combining to tally 10 strikeouts. The Pack also drew a season-high 11 walks at the plate in the midweek victory.

FAMILIAR FACE IN THE THIRD-BASE BOX
NC State associate head coach Chris Hart entered his 19th season on the Wolfpack coaching staff in 2023. Hart, a former four-year letterman under longtime Florida State head coach Mike Martin, will once again face off against his alma mater this weekend. In total, Hart played 195 games for the Seminoles, starting 116 and batting .271 with 23 doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 72 RBI. Hart's four Florida State teams (1999, 2001-03) posted a combined record of 218-60 (.784) and appeared in the NCAA Super Regionals all four years. The Seminoles advanced to the College World Series in 1999 and 2000. During his career at Florida State, Hart played every position on the field except for pitcher and center field.

WALK THIS WAY
For the first time since March 6, 2020 at Virginia, NC State drew 11 walks off opposing pitching when the Pack walked 11 times in Tuesday's 12-3 over UNCW. NC State's pitching staff also allowed just one free pass in the victory, recording a +10 margin in offensive walks drawn to defensive walks allowed for the first time since a 16-4 win at Boston College on April 6, 2019. NC State hitters drew 12 walks, while Pack pitchers allowed just two walks in the ACC win.

GINO'S IN A GROOVE
Junior LuJames Groover III had a breakout season for the Pack in 2022, making 55 starts and 57 total appearances in his first season in Raleigh. Groover III led NC State with a .364 batting average, 86 hits, 16 doubles and a .440 on-base percentage this past season. The junior tallied at least one hit in 48 of the Pack's 57 games this past season, reaching base safely in 50 contests. Recently, Groover III has caught fire, batting .555 (10-for-18) over the last five games. The junior has raised his average 38 points from .282 to .320 in just over a week. He has also walked seven times during his five-game hitting streak.

PUTTING UP CROOKED NUMBERS
NC State's offense has scored runs in bunches this season, posting 70 multi-run innings through just 32 games (2.19 per game). NC State's single-game high for runs scored in one inning was eight runs in the bottom of the fourth against UNCW on Tuesday. NC State's single-game high for the number of multi-run innings is five, scoring multiple runs in a game five times in three different matchups.

STRIKE FIRST, STRIKE HARD, NO MERCY
NC State holds a 16-1 record when scoring first this season. The Pack has scored in the first inning 13 times and has scored in either the first or second inning 18 times in 2023.

SCOUTING FLORIDA STATE
Florida State (13-19, 4-11 ACC) enters this weekend's series after dropping a heartbreaker at in-state rival No. 3 Florida. The Seminoles struck first on Tuesday with three runs in the top of the sixth, but the Gators answered with the game's final five runs to win 5-3. Offensively, Jaime Ferrer paces the Seminoles with a .356 batting average, 77 total bases and 12 doubles. On the mound, the Seminoles have had 10 different pitchers start a game this season. The FSU pitching staff holds a 5.45 ERA with a 325-to-169 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

#Pack9 | @NCStateBaseball

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Players Mentioned

Dominic Fritton

LuJames Groover III