No. 21 NC State at No. 7 East Carolina: 3 thoughts, bold prediction and more
In the state of North Carolina, baseball midweek games are not easy. No. 21 NC State can attest to that and it continues with another tough Tuesday contest at No. 7 East Carolina this week.
Here are three thoughts, a bold prediction and more going into the top-25 midweek showdown between the Pirates and Wolfpack.
3 thoughts going into the game
– Is this the Alec Makarewicz game? The third baseman transferred to NC State from ECU in the offseason and it will mark his first game back in Greenville, N.C., since his departure from the Pirates. Makarewicz has been one of NC State’s most consistent hitters this spring with a .349 average to go with 15 doubles, 15 home runs and a team-best 50 RBI. It could be a prime chance for Makarewicz to make an even bigger impact in leading the Wolfpack to a top-10 win over his former team on the road.
– Who will NC Start? The pitching matchup has not been announced yet, and it is an interesting part of this top-25 contest. The Wolfpack will likely start freshman left-hander Ryan Marohn, who started as a weekend arm and has been slotted in the midweek spot with four starts in that role. He did start the last game against ECU — 4.1 innings with four runs (three earned) allowed on six hits to go with a strikeout and a walk. Should Marohn start, this would be a time for him to bounce back from the last time he saw the Pirates’ batting order. If he is able to rebound, it would show Marohn’s growth in his first year at the college level. That would be an immensely positive sign for the development of his arm this season.
– A win at ECU would go a long way. The Wolfpack is looking for another ranked win this season, and a victory would help the red and white’s case in the NCAA Tournament seeding. Not only would it be helpful, but it could give the Wolfpack confidence should the team see the Pirates again in the tournament. NC State has been projected to go back to Greenville for the NCAA Tournament, so a win at Clark-LeClair Stadium would help a team that has a bevy of new faces this year that have not beaten ECU yet since they lost earlier this season.
NC State Bold prediction
– NC State’s hitters will outhit ECU’s batting order tonight. The Wolfpack found success against North Carolina and was able to get runners on with singles and doubles, and I expect that to continue against the Pirates.
Probable pitchers
TBA (NC State) vs. TBA (East Carolina)
Broadcast details
Channel: ESPN+
First pitch: 6 p.m.
Broadcasters: Evan Budrovich (play-by-play) and Mike Mullis (analyst)
Radio: WKNC 88.1
Broadcasters: Andrew Sanders (play-by-play)
NC State game notes
– The Wolfpack is in the middle of a tough stretch to close the regular season. NC State took back-to-back weekend series from then-No. 2 Clemson and then-No. 11 North Carolina over the last two ACC series. But the tough sledding does not end there. NC State will face No. 7 ECU today and it will close the league slate at No. 10 Florida State and No. 14 Virginia before ending the season at home against No. 8 Wake Forest. The Pack holds the seventh-hardest strength of schedule, according to warrennolan.com.
– Graduate first baseman Garrett Pennington leads the Wolfpack hitting .368 in addition to his 16 doubles, 10 home runs and 42 RBI. He is slugging .665 with a .444 on-base percentage this season.
– Sophomore reliever Shane Van Dam has paced the Wolfpack’s pitching staff this season. He holds a 2.90 ERA in 31.0 innings pitched in 12 appearances on the rubber. The SUNY Cortland transfer has struck out 33 batters with 17 walks and has conceded just eight extra-base hits.
– NC State holds a 71-43 advantage in the all-time series against ECU. The two teams split last season’s series with one game each. The Wolfpack, however, dropped the first game this year in a 12-4 defeat on April 2 at the Doak.
ECU outlook
– The Pirates went 4-0 last week to get to No. 7 in this week’s D1Baseball Top 25. ECU is 3-1 against ranked opponents this season with a pair of wins over North Carolina and the team’s win at NC State earlier this spring. The purple and gold are 20-2 at home this season and have not lost a non-conference home game since Southeastern Louisiana won on March 3.
– ECU’s pitching staff is in the top 10 nationally with a 3.61 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP, a 6.99 hits allowed per nine innings and a 3.04 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
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