Boston College Athletics
Weekend Preview: Baseball Hosts NC State in Northborough
March 20, 2015 | Baseball
Game Notes | ACC Release
THE FACTS
MATCHUP: Boston College (5-12, 0-6 ACC) vs. NC State (11-8, 2-4 ACC)
WHERE: New England Baseball Complex in Northborough, Mass.
WHEN: Friday, March 20 at 1 p.m. | Saturday March 21 at 1:30 p.m. | Sunday, March 22 at noon
RECORD vs. OPPONENT: NC State leads the series, 20-8
HOW TO FOLLOW
Twitter: @BCBirdball
Live Stats: Friday| Saturday| Sunday
THE MATCHUP
Pitching Matchups
Friday: RHP Jeff Burke (0-3, 6.75 ERA) vs. RHP Cory Wilder (1-3, 2.95 ERA)
Saturday: TBA vs. LHP Brian Brown (2-1, 2.95 ERA)
Sunday: RHP Mike King (0-1, 2.89 ERA) vs. RHP Johnny Piedmonte (1-1, 1.72 ERA)
Scouting the Wolfpack
·The Pack come into the series with a 2-4 ACC record after getting swept by No. 19 Miami in Coral Gables last weekend. To start conference play, State took two of three from Clemson in Raleigh. After dropping the first game, 6-4, the Pack rallied back to win the next two, 8-3 and 14-6.
·NC State has only won one road true game, beating Florida Atlantic, 9-5, on March 11. The Wolfpack has lost five road contests.
·The Pack's .277 batting average and 3.58 team ERA both rank seventh in the ACC.
·Five NC State batters are hitting over .300 with Preston Palmeiro leading the way with a .365 batting average. He also leads the Pack with 23 RBIs and 27 hits. His batting average is seventh in the ACC while Jake Fincher is ninth with a .364 average.
THE SERIES
·The teams are meeting for the 29th time and the Eagles hold an 8-19 record since joining the ACC in 2006.
·Last year, BC took two-of-three from State in Raleigh, N.C. After losing the first game, the Eagles rallied back to win the next two to take the series, including the finale in 11 innings.
·Junior Chris Shaw was 8-for-14 for a .571 average with two runs, five RBIs, a home run, two doubles and a .929 slugging percentage in the three games against the Wolfpack, earning ACC Player of the Week honors for his efforts in Raleigh.
·In 2013, the last time the two teams battled in Massachusetts, the Wolfpack won all three games. The last time the Eagles pack the Pack at home was in 2009, when they won two of the last three games to win the series.
· NC State has swept BC five times, including at home in 2007, 2011 and 2013. BC swept the Wolfpack on their home turf in 2010, won one in 2012 and took two-of-three in 2009 and 2014.
WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE EAGLES
·Junior RHP John Nicklas has not allowed a run in his last six appearances, 7.0 innings. He's given up four hits, one walk and struck out five in that span. He only faltered in his first outing of the season, giving up four hits and four runs while striking out three over two innings at Wofford on Feb. 13. He has walked only one batter in his six appearances.
·Senior RHP John Gorman recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts over 7.1 innings in a no decision at No. 22 Florida State on March 7. His 156 career strikeouts is four away from breaking into BC's career top-10.
· Sophomore Michael Strem continues to be a doubles machine as nine of his 21 hits are doubles, which is tied for second in the ACC. His 0.53 doubles/game is tied for 17th in the nation and leads the conference. Strem is building on his production from his freshman season in which 13 of his 22 hits were doubles. He is one of four ACC players to record three doubles in a single game, going 3-for-6 with two RBIs against Xavier on Feb. 14.
·Senior Blake Butera has 98 career walks, which is second in BC record books. He will break the all-time record with 100.
·Redshirt junior RHP Geoffrey Murphy has made two appearances, including throwing 2.2 innings of scoreless relief in the 10-inning loss at Louisville, tying a career high with two Ks. He allowed just one hit and no walks, pitching through the ninth. Returning from Tommy John surgery in 2013, it was his longest outing since pitching 5.1 innings against Duke on May 18, 2012.
