Wolfpack Returns to Raleigh to Take on USC Upstate

RALEIGH, NC - After a four-game road trip, NC State baseball returns to Raleigh for a midweek matchup with the Spartans of USC Upstate on Tuesday, Mar. 25^th, at 6 p.m. on ACCNX from Doak field.

The Wolfpack is coming off an ACC series win over Pittsburgh, taking two out of three games. NC State won the first two games 6-2, 6-4 but fell in the series finale 5-3 in eight innings due to a predetermined drop-dead time on a travel day.

This will be the second meeting between the two programs. The two teams first met in 1992 season when Upstate competed at the D2 level., and known as USC Spartanburg, the Wolfpack won 11-0.

Cooper Consiglio is set to make his third start of the season. The lefty is 1-1 on the year and holds a 5.28 ERA. In 15.1 innings pitched, he holds opposing batters to a .254 batting average, with 20 strikeouts and 12 walks. NC State is 2-0 in games this season when Consiglio gets the starting nod.

PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS:
Tuesday: LHP Cooper Consiglio (NCSU) vs. LHP Alex Sanderson (USC UPSTATE)

Three Wolfpack batters enter Tuesday on a four-game hitting streak: Brayden Fraasman, Drew Lanphere, and Luke Nixon; the four-game streak is the longest of the season for each of them. Josh Hogue has the longest hitting streak this season, at seven games. Lanphere comes into Tuesday on an 11-game on-base streak, which is the third longest this season. Chris McHugh had a 16-game streak earlier this year.

NC State is 13-3 this season at the friendly confines of Doak Field. Since head coach Elliott Avent came to Raleigh to take over the #Pack9 program in 1997, NC State has posted a 642-235 (.732) record in games played at Doak Field at Dail Park.

This season, the Wolfpack is 5-0 when facing a left-handed starter. The pack is hitting .265 vs. left-handed pitching compared to .304 against right-handers. When the Pack has runners in scoring position, NC state batters are hitting .328 (89-271). With a runner on thi^rd and less than two outs, the Wolfpack is hitting at a .736 (67-91) clip.

In the national rankings, NC State has three players among the top 10 in walks, sacrifice bunts, and toughest to strike out. Matt Heavner is one of three players in the country with nine sacrifice bunts and leads the nation and conference in the category. Ty Head has 28 walks on the season, second in the ACC and seventh in the country. Justin DeCriscio has just four strikeouts in 71 at-bats, making him the eighth toughest to strikeout batter in the nation.

With two more wins over the weekend, head coach Elliott Avent added to his career win total to 1,277. Avent ranks among the top five active winningest head coaches in D1 baseball.

Wolfpack Returns to Raleigh to Take on USC Upstate

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Players Mentioned

Cooper Consiglio

Justin DeCriscio

Brayden Fraasman

Ty Head

Matt Heavner

Josh Hogue

Drew Lanphere

Chris McHugh

Luke Nixon