Elliott Avent Wins 1300th Career Game, Pack Splits Doubleheader with Princeton

Saturday, February 21

Raleigh, NC

12 p.m.

NC State

5-0

Princeton

0-2

Princeton

NC State

Elliott Avent Wins 1300th Career Game, Pack Splits Doubleheader with Princeton

2/21/2026 8:22:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 GM1 PDF Box Score Gm2 PDF Box Score

RALEIGH, N.C. - It was a tale of two games Saturday afternoon as NC State baseball and Princeton split a doubleheader. In game one, the Wolfpack broke out the bats to win 16-1, while game two featured a pitching duel, with Princeton winning 1-0 on a solo home run.

The Wolfpack's (5-1) win was head coach Elliott Avent's 1,300^th career win. Avent becomes the third active head coach to reach at least 1300 wins, and he is only the 24^th head coach to ever reach the mark. He is only 25 wins away from winning 1,100 wins at NC State.

Game one starter Jacob Dudan (2-0) was fantastic, going a career-high seven innings, allowing just three hits and a career-best 11 strikeouts with no runs and no walks. He threw 75.6% strikes and recorded 27 whiffs from the Princeton bats. All 11 strikeouts came on the slider, against which the Tigers were 1-17.

Danny Heintz followed Dudan; not only did he make his Wolfpack debut, but he also made his first appearance in nearly two years after not playing in 2025. Heintz struck out the first batter he faced and retired the side in order.

Offensively, the Wolfpack scored in every inning but one, totaling 16 hits, including seven extra-base hits and four home runs. Chris McHugh went 3-3 with a double, his second home run of the season, and three RBIs. Ty Head had a three-RBI game, including his second long ball.

Devin Mitchell and Rett Johnson hit back-to-back home runs, with each being their first in a Wolfpack uniform.

The lone Princeton run came in the ninth inning as Landon Carr made his season debut; the Tigers drew three walks and a hit by pitch to manufacture the run and end the shutout.

Game two was starkly different as the two programs combined for just six hits, with the lone run coming in the top of the sixth inning off a Tigers home run.

Cooper Consiglio (0-1) made his first start of 2026 and went five innings, allowing just the one run on two hits while striking out six.

Ryder Garino and Truitt Manuel kept the Wolfpack in it, allowing just one base runner between them and striking out three each.

Princeton's Brady Kaufman (1-0) allowed one hit in five innings to earn the win, while Ryan Penney got the save after going four innings, allowing just two hits and striking out four.

Head looked to start a rally in the bottom of the ninth after leading off the inning with a double but was left stranded. It was the first time the Wolfpack had been shut out by a group of five schools since 2022, when Northeastern beat NC State 6-0.

NC State will return to the Doak for the first of two midweek contests on Tuesday, Feb. 24^, against Richmond at 3 p.m., with the game broadcast on ACC Network Extra.

No. 17 Wolfpack Gets Past Princeton 6-4

Friday, February 20

Wolfpack Welcomes Princeton for First Home Weekend Series of 2026

Thursday, February 19

Lanphere’s Big Game Helps Wolfpack Pull Away from Winthrop

Wednesday, February 18

NC State Baseball Begins 2026 Home Slate Against Winthrop

Tuesday, February 17

Next Event

Richmond

Feb 24 (Tue)

3 p.m.

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Team Stats

Pitching:

W: Dudan, Jacob (2-0)

L: Kinneen, Liam (0-1)

Princeton

Batting:

RBI: Zorc, Joseph 1

Base Running:

RUNS: Montembeau, Joe 1

HBP: Montembeau, Joe 1

NC State

Batting:

2B: Peifer, Wyatt 1 ; McHugh, Chris 1 ; Novy, Brandon 1

HR: Johnson, Rett 1 ; Head, Ty 1 ; Mitchell, Devin 1 ; McHugh, Chris 1

RBI: Johnson, Rett 2 ; Head, Ty 3 ; Lanphere, Drew 1 ; Peifer, Wyatt 2 ; Mitchell, Devin 2 ; McHugh, Chris 3 ; Johnson, Sherman 1 ; Bargo, Dalton 1

SF: Head, Ty 1 ; Lanphere, Drew 1 ; Mitchell, Devin 1 ; Bargo, Dalton 1

Base Running:

RUNS: Nixon, Luke 2 ; Johnson, Rett 2 ; Wiggins, Andrew 1 ; Head, Ty 3 ; Peifer, Wyatt 2 ; Mitchell, Devin 1 ; McHugh, Chris 2 ; Serrano, Christian 1 ; Novy, Brandon 1 ; Bargo, Dalton 1