Thursday, May 8
Chapel Hill, NC
6 p.m.
NC State
at
UNC
No. 16 NC State Travels to Chapel Hill for Top 25 Matchup
5/7/2025 5:43:00 PM | Baseball
RALEIGH, N.C. – The final road test of the regular season takes No. 16 NC State baseball down the road to Chapel Hill to take on No. 4 UNC for a three-game series beginning on Thursday, May 8th at 6 p.m. Game two is scheduled for Friday, May. 9th, with the series finale on Sunday, May 11th at 1 p.m. on the ACC Network.
The Wolfpack will be looking for their first win against the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill since 2021, when NC State swept a four-game series. Last season in Raleigh, NC State took two of three from their in-state rival. Thursday's meeting will be the 319th all-time meeting, with NC State holding a 141-176-1 all-time record.
On Tuesday, NC State got back in the win column with a 14-4 win over UNC Wilmington to end a three-game losing streak and move to 9-5 on the road. Back in his hometown, Luke Nixon, back in his hometown hit a three-run home run to tie the game, and Alex Sosa had his first four-hit game in a Wolfpack uniform.
Chris McHugh, who has been the Wolfpack leader in average hits, RBIs, OBP, and total bases, enters the weekend on a 10-game hitting streak and a 19-game on-base streak, which is the longest by an NC State player this season. McHugh has 21 multi-hit games and 12 games with multiple RBIs, including one of three players on the team with a five-RBI game.
Pitching has been a consistent strength this season for NC State. In the ACC, NC State and UNC are the only teams in the conference to have two pitchers in the top 10 in innings pitches as Dominic Fritton leads the ACC with 66.1 innings, and Marohn had a start canceled due to weather in Miami with 65.2 innings.
Fritton leads the league with 84 strikeouts, and Marohn has 74 for fifth. NC State is the only school in the conference with multiple starters in the top 10 in both innings pitched and strikeouts.
It's not just the starting pitching getting it done. Anderson Nance leads NC State with seven wins on the season, which is the most by a freshman in the ACC. Nance has gone five innings four times this season and has not allowed a run over his last three appearances.
Jacob Dudan and Andrew Shaffner have combined for 11 saves this season. Before allowing a run in the midweek against UNCW, Dudan had not allowed a run in his last 11 previous appearances. Both Shaffner and Dudan were recognized this season by Andrew Shaffner was Stopper of the Year Watch List earlier this season. With Dudan being recognized during preseason and Shaffner on the midseason list. Shaffner becomes the first Wolfpack pitcher to be named to the midseason watch list since Chris Villaman in 2022. Shaffner joins Justin DeCriscio (Brooks Wallace) and Dominic Fritton (Golden Spikes) as Wolfpack to be named to midseason watch lists.
Freshman Ty Head already has a place in the record books as he drew his 47th walk of the season on Tuesday. His leadoff walk to start the second put him among the top 10 in program history for most walks in a season. Head joins Jake Weber, Robbie Bark, and Bobby Russel with 47. Jacob Cozart had 52 walks last season for the second most, and Patt Maynard holds the record with 64 walks in 2010. He is 12th in the nation and third in the conference.
Through 44 games this season, the Wolfpack are 16-9 when the opponent scores first. That already matches last season's total for comeback wins, which saw the Wolfpack rally in 16 of their 38 wins.
Throughout the last seven games, NC State has gone behind and trailed first and is 4- 3, with three of those wins coming against Clemson. NC State is 11-4 when scoring in the first inning and 14-8 when the opponent does so. The Wolfpack has scored 28 runs in the first inning and has allowed 35 runs to their opponents in the first frame.
The Wolfpack will be looking for their first win against the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill since 2021, when NC State swept a four-game series. Last season in Raleigh, NC State took two of three from their in-state rival. Thursday's meeting will be the 319th all-time meeting, with NC State holding a 141-176-1 all-time record.
On Tuesday, NC State got back in the win column with a 14-4 win over UNC Wilmington to end a three-game losing streak and move to 9-5 on the road. Back in his hometown, Luke Nixon, back in his hometown hit a three-run home run to tie the game, and Alex Sosa had his first four-hit game in a Wolfpack uniform.
Chris McHugh, who has been the Wolfpack leader in average hits, RBIs, OBP, and total bases, enters the weekend on a 10-game hitting streak and a 19-game on-base streak, which is the longest by an NC State player this season. McHugh has 21 multi-hit games and 12 games with multiple RBIs, including one of three players on the team with a five-RBI game.
Pitching has been a consistent strength this season for NC State. In the ACC, NC State and UNC are the only teams in the conference to have two pitchers in the top 10 in innings pitches as Dominic Fritton leads the ACC with 66.1 innings, and Marohn had a start canceled due to weather in Miami with 65.2 innings.
Fritton leads the league with 84 strikeouts, and Marohn has 74 for fifth. NC State is the only school in the conference with multiple starters in the top 10 in both innings pitched and strikeouts.
It's not just the starting pitching getting it done. Anderson Nance leads NC State with seven wins on the season, which is the most by a freshman in the ACC. Nance has gone five innings four times this season and has not allowed a run over his last three appearances.
Jacob Dudan and Andrew Shaffner have combined for 11 saves this season. Before allowing a run in the midweek against UNCW, Dudan had not allowed a run in his last 11 previous appearances. Both Shaffner and Dudan were recognized this season by Andrew Shaffner was Stopper of the Year Watch List earlier this season. With Dudan being recognized during preseason and Shaffner on the midseason list. Shaffner becomes the first Wolfpack pitcher to be named to the midseason watch list since Chris Villaman in 2022. Shaffner joins Justin DeCriscio (Brooks Wallace) and Dominic Fritton (Golden Spikes) as Wolfpack to be named to midseason watch lists.
Freshman Ty Head already has a place in the record books as he drew his 47th walk of the season on Tuesday. His leadoff walk to start the second put him among the top 10 in program history for most walks in a season. Head joins Jake Weber, Robbie Bark, and Bobby Russel with 47. Jacob Cozart had 52 walks last season for the second most, and Patt Maynard holds the record with 64 walks in 2010. He is 12th in the nation and third in the conference.
Through 44 games this season, the Wolfpack are 16-9 when the opponent scores first. That already matches last season's total for comeback wins, which saw the Wolfpack rally in 16 of their 38 wins.
Throughout the last seven games, NC State has gone behind and trailed first and is 4- 3, with three of those wins coming against Clemson. NC State is 11-4 when scoring in the first inning and 14-8 when the opponent does so. The Wolfpack has scored 28 runs in the first inning and has allowed 35 runs to their opponents in the first frame.
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