No. 21 Wolfpack Hosts Ball State This Weekend

Friday, April 26

Raleigh, N.C.

6 p.m.

NC State

Ball State

Photo by: Mollie Mitchell

4/25/2024 4:44:00 PM | Baseball

Donate (Victory Over Cancer Game)Watch Listen Live Stats NC State Game Notes

#Pack9 Will Sponsor Inaugural ‘Victory Over Cancer Game’ on Sunday

RALEIGH, N.C. – The No. 21 NC State baseball team plays its final nonconference series of the regular season this weekend against Ball State (25-15-1). This weekend's series against the Cardinals will run Friday through Sunday with first pitch times set for 6 p.m., 3 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.

All three games of this weekend's series will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra. A free audio stream will be available on the Varsity Network App for all three contests. All three games will also be available on the radio on WKNC 88.1 with Tony Haynes on the call.

PROJECTED STARTING PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday – RHP Sam Highfill (NCSU) vs. LHP Merritt Beeker (Ball State)
Saturday – LHP Dominic Fritton (NCSU) vs. TBA (Ball State)
Sunday – TBA (NCSU) vs. TBA (Ball State)

VICTORY OVER CANCER GAME ON SUNDAY
NC State baseball and The V Foundation are teaming up to raise awareness and funds for the fight against pediatric cancer. In Sunday's series finale against Ball State, the Wolfpack will host its inaugural "Victory Over Cancer Game" with support from #PackPro Trea Turner's fund through The V Foundation. NC State will wear special gold uniforms to honor the occasion and will be inviting local children afflicted by cancer and their families to The Doak prior to first pitch. Head coach Elliott Avent, along with help from the entire Pack9 roster, have helped make Sunday's inaugural Victory Over Cancer Game possible. For more information or to donate in support of Sunday's event, please visit http://v.org/turner.

THE MATCHUP: SERIES AGAINST BALL STATE
NC State holds a 3-0 advantage in the series against Ball State. More notes from the series against the Cardinals are listed below:

• NC State holds a perfect 3-0 record against Ball State. The Wolfpack and Cardinals met once in 1999 before playing a pair of games in 2001. All three games in the series have been played in Raleigh.
• NC State defeated Ball State 5-2 in the first matchup in the series on March 8, 1999.
• The Wolfpack swept a pair of matchups in the 2001 season, winning on back-to-back days on March 5-6. The Pack secured a 4-3 victory before cruising to an 11-4 victory in the most recent matchup in the series.

SCOUTING BALL STATE
After dropping three straight league series to open Mid-American Conference play, Ball State (25-15-1) has reeled off four straight series wins in the MAC to improve its league record to 12-9, the same as NC State's in the ACC. The Cardinals posted a series win at Western Michigan this past weekend, winning contests on Friday and Saturday. Ball State notched a rare tie on Wednesday against in-state foe Indiana as the game was called due to darkness in the 12th inning. The Cardinals enter this weekend's series against the Wolfpack sitting in third place in the MAC standings and second in the league in terms of RPI. The Ball State pitching staff ranks first in its league in strikeouts per nine innings (10.0) and ERA (5.84). Senior infielder Michael Hallquist leads the Cardinals in homers (14), doubles (14), total bases (118), RBI (43) and runs scored (42).

TOUGH SLATE
NC State has exceled so far during its gauntlet of a finish to ACC play with all of its final five ACC series coming against top 15 teams in this week's D1Baseball Top 25. The Wolfpack has posted back-to-back series victories over then-No. 2 Clemson and then-No. 11 North Carolina. NC State still has ACC series on the road at No. 10 Florida State and No. 14 Virginia before concluding the season at home against No. 8 Wake Forest.

NC State's strength of schedule checks in at No. 9 nationally, according to warrennolan.com. The Wolfpack also has seven wins over Quadrant I opponents.

A-MAK AMBIDEXTROUS
Switch-hitting third baseman Alec Makarewicz has shown off his pop throughout the Wolfpack's 2024 campaign, ranking first on the roster with 15 homers. Makarewicz has homered from both the right side of the plate and the left side of the plate twice this season, accomplishing the feat for the second time in April 9's midweek matchup at UNCW. His first time homering from both sides was in the Wolfpack's win at Hawaii on Feb. 23.

CARDIAC PACK
NC State has had a flair for the dramatic so far this season, recording its sixth walk-off victory of the year in Thursday's series opener against UNC. Six of NC State's 18 home wins have come via the walk-off. A list of NC State's six walk-off wins are below:

• March 1 (W, 6-5 vs. Towson): Drew Lanphere delivers a walk-off RBI single to score Noah Soles in the bottom of the ninth.
• March 8 (W, 5-4 vs. Boston College): Garrett Pennington drops in a walk-off single with two outs in the 11th inning for the Wolfpack's first ACC win of the year. Again, Noah Soles scores the game-winning run.
• March 23 (W, 9-8 vs. No. 9 Duke): Eli Serrano III's two-out, two-run homer completes a dramatic ninth-inning comeback as NC State erases a five-run deficit to clinch the series over the Blue Devils.
• March 29 (W, 7-6 vs. Notre Dame): Luke Nixon's career night ends with a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth, clinching a series victory for NC State.
• March 30 (W, 7-6 vs. Notre Dame): Garrett Pennington crushes NC State's second walk-off homer in as many weeks with a two-out, three-run blast to complete the sweep over the Fighting Irish.
• April 18 (W, 9-8 vs. No. 11 North Carolina): After UNC plated three runs between the seventh and eighth innings to tie the score at 8-8, NC State entered the bottom of the ninth with a chance to record its sixth walk-off win of the season. Brandon Butterworth did exactly that, crushing a 2-1 offering over the left-field wall for NC State's third walk-off homer of the season. Butterworth was mobbed at home plate for what he later said in postgame media availability was the first walk-off hit in his life.