NC State looks to continue non-conference success
Midweek games are a chance at getting a respite from conference play, staying sharp, and adding to the postseason resume.
After an early season blip, NC State is using its non-conference games in the midweek to its advantage.
The Wolfpack has won 10 straight non-ACC games and is 18-4 in non-conference games this season. NCSU travels to UNCW on Tuesday evening for its penultimate out of league contest.
NC State can use its remaining non-conference games as a means of bolstering its case for postseason play, as the Pack is fighting for a spot as a regional host while also looking to solidify its place among the top teams in the nation.
"It is imperative," NC State head coach Elliott Avent said. "Getting a (postseason) bid in college baseball is -- which is what it is all about, being in postseason -- in the league that is unforgiving. Everybody comes to play every weekend.
"We have put ourselves in a position obviously to not only be in the postseason but to host. Our non-conference schedule is good. That’s probably why our RPI is in the low-20s right now, which is really, really good -- especially with how we started out this year."
The Pack won its first eight games of the season but then dropped four in a row, including getting swept at home in a three-game set against Northeastern.
Since then, NC State has won 10 straight away from the rigors of conference play. The Wolfpack has two more ACC series left, against in-state rivals Duke and Wake Forest, but NCSU also has a pair of midweek contests to go as well. After the game in Wilmington, the Pack is scheduled to host UNCG a week from Tuesday.
Each game has tremendous value to NC State.
We know that RPI is super-important when it comes to the [postseason]," NC State shortstop Josh Hood said. "I’m looking forward to that. It is good when you get these wins."
Coming off of a season where the Wolfpack reached the College World Series after starting ACC play 1-8, a four-game losing streak in February will not deter NC State from working towards its ultimate goal.
"It is very important to be hot going into the postseason," NC State pitcher Canaan Silver said. "As we saw last year, it is not how you begin but it is how you finish. Hopefully we can keep that up moving forward."
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A lifelong native of the Triangle area in North Carolina, Rob McLamb has covered NC State Athletics since 2010, as well as writing about each of the five major sports leagues in North America (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS) for various newspapers and outlets. As a journalist who has also served as a high school and college coach, McLamb provides an educated, unfiltered, and analytical perspective on the Wolfpack and the ACC.