NC State @ UNCW | Tues, Mar 17 @ 6:00pm | Flo College | Stats
The Wolfpack are set to play their first true road game of the year on Tuesday when they head to Wilmington to take on UNCW. The Seahawks enter the contest at 14-6 overall and 3-0 in the CAA, while boasting an RPI ranking of 64th. NC State is 16-4 overall and 2-1 in the ACC with an RPI of 138th thanks to an egregiously poor early season non-conference schedule.
UNCW did not schedule poor and is a fairly battle tested group of birds heading into Tuesday’s tilt. Their weekend series have gone: loss
vs Maryland (1-2), win vs Fordham (2-1), win vs UConn (2-1), win at Jacksonville (3-0), win vs Elon (3-0). In midweek games in between they walloped Merrimack, lost to Duke, outlasted Charleston Southern, lost to East Carolina, and blasted Charleston Southern. All told, the Seahawks are on a 7-game winning streak and have won nine of their last ten games. That UNCW… so hot right now.
And, yes, this is a Seahawks team that just swept an Elon squad that blanked NC State last Tuesday. The Phoenix didn’t score a run in the last two games of the series.
As you’d guess from that, pitching has been a strength for UNCW with a staff 2.95 ERA, 8.1 BB%, and 28.5 K% over 180.0 IP. The weekend rotation of a trio of JR RHPs in Cooper Allen (3-0, 1.20 ERA, 30.0 IP, 1.8 BB%, 29.5 K%), Bromley Thornton (3-1, 1.91 ERA, 28.1 IP, 6.8 BB%, 23.1 K%), and Connor Marshburn (1-2, 4.56 ERA, 25.2 IP, 7.0 BB%, 26.1 K%) look like the CAA’s best. Then you get into the bullpen with rFR RHP Clay Masonis (0-0, 2.25 ERA, 16.0 IP, 11.3 BB%, 37.1 K%), JR RHP Francesco Capocci (1-1, 2.40 ERA, 15.0 IP, 12.5 BB%, 39.1 K%), and FR LHP Trey Williford (2-0, 3.50 ERA, 18.0 IP, 8.9 BB%, 27.8 K%), among some other very promising arms, and this is a group plenty capable of holding a late lead.
SO LHP Alex Sobol (0-1, 5.14 ERA, 14.0 IP, 6.3 BB%, 20.6 K%) is has been the team’s primary midweek starter and he’ll get the ball against the Wolfpack in this one. The JUCO transfer from Gaston College has been a pleasant surprise for UNCW after he struggled with control in his lone season with the Rhinos (1-0, 6.28 ERA, 14.1 IP, 15.3 BB%, 33.3 K%, 11 HBP).
The lineup has been strong overall with a collective line of .292/.404/.434, 32 2B, 18 HR, 13.3 BB%, 22.0 K%, 41-48 SB, while posting a fielding percentage of .978, with no player having more than three errors on the season. If they could find some consistency from the last one or two spots in the lineup, this team would eliminate the only hole they have.
Redshirt-sophomore LF J.P. Pennella (.418/.530/.478, 4 2B, 0 HR, 16.3 BB%, 14.0 K%, 8-10 SB), a transfer from NAIA school Southeastern after redshirting at USF in 2024, has been on an absolute tear this season from his leadoff spot, with 11 multi-hit games among his 18 games played. SO RF/1B Mason Hughes (.442/.556/.628, 5 2B, 1 HR, 14.8 BB%, 16.7 K%, 4-5 SB) has been on a heater since breaking into the starting lineup seven games ago, and rSR SS Kevin Jones (.356/.434/.507, 5 2B, 2 HR, 9.6 BB%, 20.5 K%, 2-3 SB) and JR 3B Trevor Lucas (.314/.444/.543, 2 2B, 4 HR, 16.7 BB%, 17.8 K%, 5-6 SB) are productive and steadying forces. NC State transfer JR CF Jake Bechtel (.312/.341/.558, 7 2B, 4 HR, 5.7 BB%, 26.1 K%, 7-7 SB) has been solid, even if a bit strikeout prone due to an overly aggressive approach.
This will be the first of two regular season matchups between the Wolfpack and Seahawks, with UNCW scheduled to come to Raleigh on April 7th. Things can always change, but this certainly seems like a matchup between two teams that will be playing in NCAA Regionals – maybe even the same one – come late May.
