Weekend Preview: Eagles Open ACC Schedule at No. 8 NC State

THE FACTS
MATCHUP: Boston College (10-2, 0-0 ACC) at No. 8 NC State (12-2, 0-0 ACC)
WHERE: Doak Field at Dail Park in Raleigh, N.C.
WHEN: Friday, March 11 at 3 p.m. | Saturday, March 12 at 3 p.m. | Sunday, March 13 at 1 p.m.
RECORD vs. NC State: NC State leads the series, 21-9; the Eagles have won three of the last five

THE MATCHUP
Pitching Matchups
Friday: RHP Mike King (2-0, 1.74 ERA) vs. RHP Joe O'Donnell (2-0, 3.45 ERA)
Saturday: LHP Jesse Adams (2-0, 4.50 ERA) vs. LHP Brian Brown (1-0, 3.75 ERA)
Sunday: RHP Jacob Stevens (2-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. TBA

Scouting the Wolfpack

The Wolfpack enters the first Atlantic Coast Conference series riding a nine-game win streak, including at home.
They are coming off two midweek wins over Fairfield. Last weekend, the Pack beat No. 23 Alabama, 2-1, at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary, N.C. Another signature win of the early 2016 season was a 13-10 victory over Coastal Carolina, then ranked No. 21.
The Wolfpack's two losses came at the hands of Wright State at home in a series the Pack took two of three and to Old Dominion in the season opener.
State is ranked as high as eighth – in the d1baseball.com poll – and in the top 20 in all major polls, including holding the 11^th spot in the USA Today Coaches Poll and the 13^th spot in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Poll.
Among the every-day players, junior infielder Andrew Knizner leads the way with a .389 batting average, a .476 on-base percentage and 21 hits. Senior catcher Chance Shephard has belted seven home runs, leads the team with 18 RBIs and a .732 slugging percentage.
The Eagles will face junior right-hander Joe O'Donnell, who has made three starts on the season with two wins. He has thrown 15.2 innings, allowed six earned runs, just four walks and struck out 16.
On Saturday, BC will take on sophomore southpaw Brian Brown, who has also started three games, allowed five earned runs, four walks and 11 strikeouts over 12.0 innings. He threw 4.1 innings in the victory over Alabama, allowing three hits, one run, one walk and struck out three.

THE SERIES

The Eagles and Wolfpack are meeting for the 31st time with the Pack holding a 21-9 record since BC joined the ACC in 2006.
In last year's meeting, played in Northborough, Mass., the teams split as BC took game one, 3-1, and NC State earned a 9-4, 15-inning victory in game two. The third game was canceled due to weather.
The last time the two teams faced off in Raleigh - in 2014 - BC took two-of-three from State. After losing the first game, the Eagles rallied back to win the next two to take the series, including the finale in 11 innings.
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.
In two appearances, including one start, senior LHP Jesse Adams has a 3.68 ERA against the Wolfpack, while junior RHP Mike King has tallied a 1.12 career ERA against the Wolfpack in 8.0 innings.
In seven at bats, sophomore Mitch Bigras holds a .429 batting average against the Pack with three hits, including a double and a triple. The triple scored what would turned into the game-winning run for the Eagles for their first conference win of the 2015 season.

WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE EAGLES

Sunday's starter freshman RHP Jacob Stevens is one of 24 pitchers in the NCAA who has not allowed an earned run on the season and the only pitcher in the ACC to do so. In his last outing against North Dakota State on March 5, Stevens did not allow a hit through six innings, striking out a career-high and team season-high nine and retiring 18 of the 21 batters faced.
Senior Joe Cronin has reached base in all 12 games of the 2016 season and has tallied at least one hit in all five games in the Eagles' lastest trip to the Snowbird Classic. He recorded a career-high four RBIs in BC's 9-3 victory over Central Michigan on March 8 with his first home runs of the season - the only one recorded for BC or an opponent in Port Charlotte in eight games - tallying a total of nine hits, four runs and seven RBIs in the first half of the spring break trip.
The BC pitching staff has yet to surrender a home run in 2016 and opponents are only hitting .199 against the hurlers.
Senior RHP John Nicklas collected his third win in four appearances, coming on in relief and throwing 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit with two walks in the victory over Central Michigan on March 8. In 6.2 innings of relief, Nicklas has struck out nine, walked just two and given up only two hits.
Redshirt sophomore RHP Bobby Skogsbergh returned to action for the first time on Feb. 21 since March 24, 2015 as an injury sidelined him after only three appearances last season. In three of his four outings, he has retired the side in order.
Junior Michael Strem has tallied at least one hit in the last seven games. In that span, he has recorded 11 hits, including three doubles, four runs and seven RBIs.
Junior Johnny Adams is riding a team-long, 13-game on-base streak. In that span, he has tallied 11 hits, 10 runs, three RBIs and nine walks. He has also notched a hit in the last four games.
Sophomore Jake Palomaki has recorded at least one hit in eight of the last 11 games, bringing his two-year total to at least one hit 40 of the 62 games played at BC, and he has reached base in 48 career contests.

Weekend Preview: Eagles Open ACC Schedule at No. 8 NC State

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jesse Adams

Johnny Adams

Mitch Bigras

Joe Cronin

Mike King

John Nicklas

Jake Palomaki

Bobby Skogsbergh

Jacob Stevens

Michael Strem

Weekend Preview: Eagles Open ACC Schedule at No. 8 NC State

Related News

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jesse Adams

Johnny Adams

Mitch Bigras

Joe Cronin

Mike King

John Nicklas

Jake Palomaki

Bobby Skogsbergh

Jacob Stevens

Michael Strem

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