Boston College vs. NC State Baseball: Preview & Prediction
Boston College (14-13) open up a three game series this weekend on Friday against NC State (11-11). Only one game separates these two teams in the ACC standings, and Mike Gambino's team needs to start to piece together some series wins if they want to make a run at postseason play. This weekend's home game series is crucial for the Eagles, they can ill afford to lose more than one game, let's look at how the weekend lines up.
In addition Friday's game is the Ninth Annual ALS Awareness Game, which should have a special feel to it for Boston College.
Weekend Pitching Match-Ups (Brighton, Mass. • Harrington Athletics Village)
Friday, 3 p.m. (ACC Network): RHP-Mason Pelio (3-3, 6.06) vs. RHP-Reid Johnson (2-1, 4.31)
Saturday, 3 p.m. (ACCNX): RHP-Emmet Sheehan (3-2, 4.50) vs. RHP-Sam Highfill (1-2, 4.54)
Sunday, 1 p.m. (ACCNX): TBA vs. TBA
Series Overview: Boston College is 16-27 all-time against North Carolina State, including a 16-25 mark in ACC regular season games. The Eagles have never won a series against the Wolfpack.
Needs to Step Up: The Bullpen. Over the past few weekends, Boston College's pen has cost the Eagles a handful of wins. They have given up leads, allowed big comebacks and failed to close out games. With the starting pitching starting to find their groove, and the hitters still doing well at the plate, the pen needs to come around as well.
Players to Watch: The Wolfpack have a pair of power hitters that should be of note for this upcoming weekend. First baseman Austin Murr is hitting .358 with a 1.113 OPS to go with five home runs. Catcher Luca Tresh has hit seven home runs with a .300 batting average.
Prediction: A sweep obviously would be the best outcome this weekend for the Eagles. But some of the roster issues make me believe that this won't happen. The most optimistic approach is that the Eagles get two quality starts out of Pelio and Sheehan and roll the dice on game three. However, the bullpen still is a major concern and until they can string together some quality outings, there has to be some healthy skepticism about this weekend. BC should take two out of three against the Pack.
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Editor and publisher of BC Bulletin. '06 graduate of Boston College, who has followed the program as long as he can remember. Has been covering the Eagles for the past nine years, giving expert analysis, recruiting news and breakdowns. Also the host of Locked on Boston College, a daily BC podcast that is part of the Locked On Podcast Network. When he is not writing or producing content on the Eagles, he can be found running, skiing, enjoying craft beers, or spending time with his family. You can follow AJ Black on Twitter @AJBlack_BC and our official site Twitter account is @BulletinBC