NC State Begins Postseason Play in ACC Tournament Against Duke

RALEIGH, N.C.- NC State baseball will begin its postseason run in Charlotte as the Wolfpack prepares for an in-state rematch with Duke from Truist Field at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 19^th.

These two teams met earlier in the season in April as the Wolfpack took two of three from the Doak. Wolfpack fans looking to make the short trip to the Queen City and cheer on the Pack can purchase tickets HERE.

NC State and Duke have met 15 times in the ACC Tournament, and the Wolfpack is 11-4 all-time against the Blue Devils in the tournament. NC State met Duke in the first game of the tournament in 1973, 1974, and 1975, before the Wolfpack went on to win the ACC Tournament title.

Elliott Avent, who has amassed over 1300 career wins and 1,100 at NC State, is 41-45 all-time in the ACC tournament.

Probable Starting Pitchers:
Tuesday: RHP Heath Andrews, 3-4, 6.75 ERA (NCSU) vs. RHP Peter Lemke, 2-6, 5.33 ERA (DUKE)

NC State played the toughest ACC schedule, having faced seven of the current top eight conference teams. It did not play three of the bottom four teams and four of the bottom six teams. NC State finished with a winning percentage of .552, and among the four ACC teams with the toughest schedule, it was the only one to finish among the top 10.

As the Pack was making the road trip, five players received All-ACC honors. Rett Johnson and Luke Nixon were named to the All-ACC second team, with Johnson also receiving All-ACC freshman team recognition. On the All-ACC third team, Ty Head and Sherman Johnson earned a spot for their play this season.

With Rett Johnson making the All-freshman team, that is six straight years the Wolfpack has had at least one freshman make the team. Johnson entered the tournament on a 27-game hitting streak and finished the season with a .397 batting average, which was good enough for third in the ACC and the highest average for a freshman in the country.

Sherman Johnson has been one of the hottest hitters in the country in the month of May, he enters the tournament on an 18-game hitting streak, and eight of the last eight Wolfpack home runs, five have been from Johnson.

Speaking of home runs, the Wolfpack have hit 73 on the season. Chris McHugh hit his first ACC home run of the season in the win over UNC to give him a career best nine on the season. Nixon and Mikey Ryan have career bests, while Ty Head leads the team with 13. Hitting home runs has a direct correlation to winning games, as the Pack is 29-8 when hitting at least one compared to 3-13 when the Pack hits none.

Head is not only impactful with the bat but also uses his speed on the basepaths and his patience at the plate to make a difference. Head has 54 walks on the season and moved alone into second place for most walks on a single season. He is 10 walks away from matching Pratt Maynard's record set in 2010. In just two seasons, Head has drawn 108 walks and struck out just 49 times.

With 97 stolen bases as a team, it is the most by a Wolfpack team since 2013, which set the program record with 110 in a season. Head leads the team with 25 and is five away from matching Trea Turner for the second most in a season with 30.

The Pack has had nine run-rule victories and has won 10 games by 10 or more runs, including a 27-run outburst against Richmond. NC State is one of 18 teams to score at least 27 runs in a game this season. NC State has outscored its opponents 429-301 (+128).

The Pack is top 25 in batting average and third in the ACC, with a higher team batting average than North Carolina, Miami, Boston College, and Wake Forest. Defensively, NC State's fielding percentage is T-2 (.978 overall) in the ACC. NC State has a player in the top 10 of seven ACC offensive categories.

Wins Against Ranked Opponents: NC State has four wins over four opponents in the top 25 of RPI, five in the top 30, including a series win over Boston College (33) and Miami (30), and wins over #16 Coastal Carolina (24) at home, #11 Florida State (7) on the road, and Wake Forest (18) on the road. Finished the season with a win over #2 North Carolina (5).

The Pack is 1 of 4 ACC teams to play back-to-back road series twice this year. Our 2nd and 3rd ACC series this year were back-to-back road series against FSU and GT, both of whom are among the top ten teams in the country.

NC State Begins Postseason Play in ACC Tournament Against Duke

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Players Mentioned

Heath Andrews

Ty Head

Rett Johnson

Sherman Johnson

Chris McHugh

Luke Nixon

Mikey Ryan

North Carolina State University Athletics