Tuesday, April 25
Raleigh, N.C.
6 p.m.
NC State
vs
East Carolina
Photo by: Mollie Mitchell
Wolfpack Hosts No. 12 East Carolina on Tuesday Night
4/24/2023 3:50:00 PM | Baseball
RALEIGH – The NC State baseball team continues its eight-game homestand Tuesday with a midweek matchup against No. 12 East Carolina at The Doak. First pitch against the Pirates is set for 6 p.m. and will be televised on ESPNU.
A free audio stream will be available on the Varsity Network App with Andrew Sanders on the call. The game will also be available on WKNC 88.1
NC State (25-14, 8-12 ACC) holds a 70-42 advantage in the all-time series against East Carolina (29-11, 7-5 AAC). Tickets for Tuesday's game against ECU are sold out but can be purchased from other fans through our official fan-to-fan ticket marketplace, StubHub.
PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS
Tuesday – RHP Sam Highfill (NCSU) vs. LHP Zach Root (East Carolina)
THE MATCHUP: SERIES AGAINST EAST CAROLINA
NC State enters this week's matchup against the Pirates with a 70-42 advantage in the all-time series, dropping April 4's matchup 13-9 in Greenville. The Wolfpack won both matchups in 2022. More notes from the series against ECU are listed below:
• NC State outscored East Carolina 14-3 between a pair of victories in 2022. The Pack shut out the Pirates 2-0 in Greenville on March 29 before blowing out ECU 12-3 at The Doak on April 26.
• J.T. Jarrett knocked in both runs for the Wolfpack in NC State's 2-0 win over East Carolina on March 29, 2022. Garrett Payne, Canaan Silver, Baker Nelson and Chris Villaman combined for the three-hit shutout in Greenville.
• The Wolfpack completed the two-game sweep of ECU on April 26 this past season, scoring six straight runs twice in the 12-3 victory. The Pack fell behind 1-0 before scoring six straight to take a 6-1 lead. NC State then scored the final six runs of the game.
• The Wolfpack has won four of its past six games against ECU, limiting the Pirates to just four runs in the Pack's four victories during that six-game stretch.
• The Pirates slugged six home runs in April 4's 13-9 win over NC State. Carter Trice and Parker Nolan combined to go 7-for-9 with four RBI in the setback.
LAST TIME ON THE DIAMOND
NC State suffered its first sweep of the season this past weekend to Clemson. The Tigers struck first in all three games, using a late comeback in game two to secure the series victory. On Sunday, the Wolfpack trimmed its deficit to three runs three separate times. NC State, however, was unable to come any closer in the series finale defeat.
STRONG MARK IN THE RPI
Despite this past weekend's sweep, NC State ranks No. 29 in Monday's RPI poll. The Pack is 19-1 in games against teams ranked above No. 50 in Monday's RPI poll with a 3-3 record against teams between the rankings of No. 26-50. The Wolfpack will get a chance to improve its RPI status when No. 15 East Carolina comes to Raleigh on Tuesday night.
#TEAMCHRISCOMBS
On Sept. 3, 2020, NC State baseball lost a special member of its program in former player Chris Combs. He lost a four-year battle with ALS at the age of 45.
Combs' jersey (No. 26), which was honored in Spring 2020, can be found on the padding in right field to remember his outstanding baseball career and tireless pursuit for a cure for ALS.
#TeamChrisCombs was founded by Chris and his wife, Gena, and aims to raise awareness about ALS while raising funds for targeted research.
NC State honored Combs during its game at Boston College on Friday, March 24. All Wolfpack players and coaches wore No. 26 with the words "Strikeout ALS" printed on the back of each jersey. NC State players also wore armbands with "Team Chris Combs" and "strikeoutALS" to honor Combs' memory.
The Wolfpack will wear the same uniforms on Tuesday night against East Carolina. During pregame warmups, the Pack will also wear special shirts/hats to support an ALS research fundraiser event in Wilmington, which will be hosted by a former teammate of Chris Combs.
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, raising his average over 60 points to a team-high .351 since April 9. The third baseman has hit safely in 12 straight games and has reached base in 25 straight contests, both of which rank as a team-high this season. Groover III's hot streak resulted in the junior winning ACC Player of the Week honors and Perfect Game National Player of the Week honors on April 17.
SCOUTING EAST CAROLINA
East Carolina (29-11, 7-5 AAC) also enters Tuesday's game with a 1-3 record from this past week, defeating Charlotte at Truist Field 6-3 before getting swept by Wichita State over the weekend. The Pirates' pitching staff ranks 16th nationally in ERA (3.85), 14th in walks allowed per nine innings (3.24) and seventh in WHIP (1.24). Offensively, Justin Wilcoxen paces the Pirates with a .336 batting average, while Jacob Starling leads ECU with 32 walks and a .438 on-base percentage.
THE MAYOR RETURNS
Sam Highfill, often referred to as The Mayor by his teammates, returned to the mound in NC State's win at Coastal Carolina on Feb. 22. Highfill looked sharp in his first appearance since throwing three innings at Clemson on April 3, 2022, pitching 1.1 scoreless innings while allowing just one hit with a pair of strikeouts. His performance also helped him garner his first pitching victory of the season. Highfill missed the second half of the 2022 season due to a back injury. Highfill notched his first-career save in April 15's 4-3 comeback victory over Florida State. He will make his first start of 2023 against No. 12 ECU on Tuesday night.
RECORD AGAINST IN-STATE OPPONENTS
The Wolfpack finished with a 13-9 record against in-state opponents in 2022, including a 9-2 record against in-state nonconference opponents. NC State is 5-4 against in-state opponents this season, completing season sweeps of UNCG and UNCW. The Pack's only nonconference losses came to in-state opponents Elon (March 14) and No. 12 East Carolina (April 4). NC State recorded a 22-7 win over Davidson on Tuesday night for its fifth win over an in-state opponent in 2023.
Since taking over the NC State baseball program in 1997, head coach Elliott Avent has led the Pack to a 350-175 (.666) record against in-state opponents.
#Pack9 | @NCStateBaseball
A free audio stream will be available on the Varsity Network App with Andrew Sanders on the call. The game will also be available on WKNC 88.1
NC State (25-14, 8-12 ACC) holds a 70-42 advantage in the all-time series against East Carolina (29-11, 7-5 AAC). Tickets for Tuesday's game against ECU are sold out but can be purchased from other fans through our official fan-to-fan ticket marketplace, StubHub.
PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS
Tuesday – RHP Sam Highfill (NCSU) vs. LHP Zach Root (East Carolina)
THE MATCHUP: SERIES AGAINST EAST CAROLINA
NC State enters this week's matchup against the Pirates with a 70-42 advantage in the all-time series, dropping April 4's matchup 13-9 in Greenville. The Wolfpack won both matchups in 2022. More notes from the series against ECU are listed below:
• NC State outscored East Carolina 14-3 between a pair of victories in 2022. The Pack shut out the Pirates 2-0 in Greenville on March 29 before blowing out ECU 12-3 at The Doak on April 26.
• J.T. Jarrett knocked in both runs for the Wolfpack in NC State's 2-0 win over East Carolina on March 29, 2022. Garrett Payne, Canaan Silver, Baker Nelson and Chris Villaman combined for the three-hit shutout in Greenville.
• The Wolfpack completed the two-game sweep of ECU on April 26 this past season, scoring six straight runs twice in the 12-3 victory. The Pack fell behind 1-0 before scoring six straight to take a 6-1 lead. NC State then scored the final six runs of the game.
• The Wolfpack has won four of its past six games against ECU, limiting the Pirates to just four runs in the Pack's four victories during that six-game stretch.
• The Pirates slugged six home runs in April 4's 13-9 win over NC State. Carter Trice and Parker Nolan combined to go 7-for-9 with four RBI in the setback.
LAST TIME ON THE DIAMOND
NC State suffered its first sweep of the season this past weekend to Clemson. The Tigers struck first in all three games, using a late comeback in game two to secure the series victory. On Sunday, the Wolfpack trimmed its deficit to three runs three separate times. NC State, however, was unable to come any closer in the series finale defeat.
STRONG MARK IN THE RPI
Despite this past weekend's sweep, NC State ranks No. 29 in Monday's RPI poll. The Pack is 19-1 in games against teams ranked above No. 50 in Monday's RPI poll with a 3-3 record against teams between the rankings of No. 26-50. The Wolfpack will get a chance to improve its RPI status when No. 15 East Carolina comes to Raleigh on Tuesday night.
#TEAMCHRISCOMBS
On Sept. 3, 2020, NC State baseball lost a special member of its program in former player Chris Combs. He lost a four-year battle with ALS at the age of 45.
Combs' jersey (No. 26), which was honored in Spring 2020, can be found on the padding in right field to remember his outstanding baseball career and tireless pursuit for a cure for ALS.
#TeamChrisCombs was founded by Chris and his wife, Gena, and aims to raise awareness about ALS while raising funds for targeted research.
NC State honored Combs during its game at Boston College on Friday, March 24. All Wolfpack players and coaches wore No. 26 with the words "Strikeout ALS" printed on the back of each jersey. NC State players also wore armbands with "Team Chris Combs" and "strikeoutALS" to honor Combs' memory.
The Wolfpack will wear the same uniforms on Tuesday night against East Carolina. During pregame warmups, the Pack will also wear special shirts/hats to support an ALS research fundraiser event in Wilmington, which will be hosted by a former teammate of Chris Combs.
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, raising his average over 60 points to a team-high .351 since April 9. The third baseman has hit safely in 12 straight games and has reached base in 25 straight contests, both of which rank as a team-high this season. Groover III's hot streak resulted in the junior winning ACC Player of the Week honors and Perfect Game National Player of the Week honors on April 17.
SCOUTING EAST CAROLINA
East Carolina (29-11, 7-5 AAC) also enters Tuesday's game with a 1-3 record from this past week, defeating Charlotte at Truist Field 6-3 before getting swept by Wichita State over the weekend. The Pirates' pitching staff ranks 16th nationally in ERA (3.85), 14th in walks allowed per nine innings (3.24) and seventh in WHIP (1.24). Offensively, Justin Wilcoxen paces the Pirates with a .336 batting average, while Jacob Starling leads ECU with 32 walks and a .438 on-base percentage.
THE MAYOR RETURNS
Sam Highfill, often referred to as The Mayor by his teammates, returned to the mound in NC State's win at Coastal Carolina on Feb. 22. Highfill looked sharp in his first appearance since throwing three innings at Clemson on April 3, 2022, pitching 1.1 scoreless innings while allowing just one hit with a pair of strikeouts. His performance also helped him garner his first pitching victory of the season. Highfill missed the second half of the 2022 season due to a back injury. Highfill notched his first-career save in April 15's 4-3 comeback victory over Florida State. He will make his first start of 2023 against No. 12 ECU on Tuesday night.
RECORD AGAINST IN-STATE OPPONENTS
The Wolfpack finished with a 13-9 record against in-state opponents in 2022, including a 9-2 record against in-state nonconference opponents. NC State is 5-4 against in-state opponents this season, completing season sweeps of UNCG and UNCW. The Pack's only nonconference losses came to in-state opponents Elon (March 14) and No. 12 East Carolina (April 4). NC State recorded a 22-7 win over Davidson on Tuesday night for its fifth win over an in-state opponent in 2023.
Since taking over the NC State baseball program in 1997, head coach Elliott Avent has led the Pack to a 350-175 (.666) record against in-state opponents.
#Pack9 | @NCStateBaseball
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