Category Archives: N.C. State

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NCSU, UNC open NCAA softball regional play

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The ACC-champion NC State softball team will travel to Knoxville, Tenn., to play James Madison on Friday at 3:30 p.m. in the third NCAA Regional in school history.

Four ACC squads will advance to the NCAA tournament: Florida State, NC State, Virginia Tech and North Carolina.

North Carolina will face Wisconsin in Eugene, Ore., this Thursday in the first round of regional play as the Tar Heels enter NCAA Tournament play for the 11th time in 13 years.

The second-seeded Pack (33-18-1 overall) is familiar with two of the other three teams in the NCAA Knoxville Regional, having played top-seeded and host Tennessee twice in Tampa in February and having hosted fourth-seeded Longwood in an exhibition doubleheader last fall.

“We are excited to be going into the tournament,” said first-year Wolfpack head coach Shawn Rychcik. “We really didn’t have any preferences going into the selection process, because you know where ever you’re going in the NCAAs, it’s going to be a tough battle.

“We do have some familiarity with a couple of the teams in our regional. Hopefully, that will play in our favor.”

The Pack lost to then No. 4-ranked Tennessee in its first game at the South Florida 4-Team Tournament in its second week of the season. The Volunteers then topped the Pack in the title game of the event hosted by South Florida.

UNC faced Wisconsin earlier in the season in a 4-2 loss at the Lousiville Classic. The No. 3 seed Ducks will also play BYU on Thursday.

“We are very excited about making to the NCAAs in Oregon,” head coach Donna J. Papa said. “The coaching staff and players are looking forward to competing. This was one of our season goals giving us the opportunity to make it to the next level. It is great for our program and our conference as well to have four teams in.”

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Wolfpack falls into second after losing to FSU in baseball

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No. 5 NC State fell into another early deficit on Monday night at Doak Field at Dail Park and a late rally wasn’t enough to catch up with the eighth-ranked Seminoles, as Florida State took the series with an 8-4 win.

For the second day in a row, the Wolfpack (39-13, 16-10 ACC) allowed six runs in the first two innings, this time falling into a 6-1 hole. Florida State (42-10, 18-9) crossed the plate twice in the fifth to extend that lead to 8-1 before the Pack responded. NC State scored twice in the sixth and once in the eighth to narrow the gap to 8-4, but ran out of time.

The Seminoles open up a one and a half-game lead on the Wolfpack in the race for the ACC Atlantic Division, with one crucial weekend remaining to decide the titleholder. Florida State hosts Clemson next weekend, while NC State travels to Duke. Clemson holds a ½ game advantage on the Wolfpack. Both series run from Thursday to Saturday.

Trea Turner came a few fortuitous bounces away from hitting for the cycle, but ended up 2-for-5 with a triple and run scored. Turner had a line drive to right swallowed up by the diving Jameis Winston and a warning track fly ball to left in the game. Bryan Adametz went 2-for-4 with two RBIs on a two-out double in the sixth. Sam Morgan drew the start at designated hitter and performed well with the Pack’s only other multi-hit effort, a 2-for-4 night with a run scored.

Grant Clyde scored twice in a 1-for-3 ballgame with a walk and a double. Brett Austin drove in one and walked once. Brett Williams and Logan Ratledge turned in 1-for-4 efforts.

Wolfpack starter Brad Stone (2-2) took the loss in a short outing. Ryan Wilkins relieved him in the first and allowed two earned. Josh Easley delivered the strongest performance, holding the Seminoles to one hit over 3 2/3 innings. Logan Jernigan pitched a hitless ninth with one walk and one strikeout.

Florida State starter Scott Sitz (9-1) claimed the win on three earned from seven hits and two walks over 5 2/3, striking out four. Gage Smith worked the next 2 1/3, allowing one unearned run. Robby Coles closed the door with a perfect ninth inning.

Staring down a 4-0 deficit in the bottom of the first after home runs from FSU’s Marcus Davis and Stephen McGee in the top half, Turner smashed the first pitch he saw into the left field corner for a leadoff triple. Austin plated him with a grounder to short one batter later.

With the Pack behind 8-1 after another Davis homer and John Sansone’s two-RBI single in the fifth, NC State rallied with two runs in the sixth. Clyde knocked a one-out double to left center, then Morgan singled through the right side with two outs to put runners on the corners. Adametz doubled to left center to score both. Ratledge legged out a bunt single to put two on, but Turner’s deep fly to left stayed in play to end the inning.

Clyde walked as the leadoff in the eighth and advanced to third on Williams’ double chopped over the third baseman’s head into left. A failed pickoff attempt scored Clyde, but the Pack couldn’t push another across.

NC State returns to action on Thursday at 6 p.m. with its series opener at Duke.

– News release

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Pack baseball falls to FSU setting up rubber game on TV

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packbaseballNo. 5 NC State fell behind early on Sunday at Doak Field at Dail Park, as No. 9 Florida State ran away with a 12-3 victory to even its series with the Wolfpack ahead of a nationally televised rubber match Monday on ESPNU.

The Wolfpack (39-12, 16-9 ACC) slipped into a 6-0 deficit through two innings, which proved to be too much to overcome on Sunday. Florida State (41-10, 17-9) scored twice in the first and added four in the second to establish a comfortable lead. The Pack answered with one in the third, before the Seminoles put single runs up in the fifth and sixth. Four more Seminole runs scored in the ninth. NC State chipped away with two in the bottom half to set the final at 12-3.

With the Wolfpack loss, the ACC Atlantic Division standings flip-flop once again. This time, FSU retakes a half-game lead over the Pack. Monday night’s game will put one team in command of the division with one weekend remaining in the regular season.

Trea Turner returned to form with a 2-for-4 day including a double, a run and an RBI. Jake Fincher scored once and drove in one in a 1-for-3 effort, extending his streak of reaching base to 49 of 51 games this year. Bryan Adametz had the Pack’s only other extra-base hit, a double in a 1-for-3 performance with a run scored. Logan Ratledge and Brett Austin had the Wolfpack’s other two hits.

NC State starter Ethan Ogburn (4-3) took the loss in a short outing, leaving after 1 1/3 innings. The Pack utilized seven pitchers in the ballgame, with Anthony Tzamtzis being the only to pitch more than 1 1/3. Tzamtzis went 3 1/3, holding the Noles to one earned on one hit while striking out four. Danny Healey finished the game with a perfect final 2/3.

Florida State starter Brandon Leibrandt (8-4) pitched a gem for the win, holding the Wolfpack to one earned on three hits with seven strikeouts over eight innings. Leibrandt did not walk a batter and retired the side in order six times. Reliever Brandon Johnson gave up two earned on three hits in the final frame.

Trailing 6-0, NC State needed its biggest comeback of the year to steal a win. In the third, Adametz knocked a one-out double down the left field line. Ratledge singled through the right side behind him to put runners on the corners. After a pickoff for the second out, Turner drove in Adametz by lofting an RBI single to center field.

The Wolfpack faced a 12-1 deficit in the bottom of the ninth. Turner led off the inning with a double down the right field line. Fincher singled up the middle to drive him in, and Austin singled next to put runners on the corners. Austin took off for second and allowed Fincher to score when the throw down sailed into center. A called strike three and a grounder to short from the next two batters left Austin stranded at second.

NC State returns to action on Monday at 7 p.m. for the nationally televised rubber match on ESPNU.

Boxscore

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State baseball has a chance to overtake FSU at home

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No. 5 NC State hosts No. 9 Florida State in a critical three-game ACC series beginning Saturday at Noon, continuing Sunday at 3 p.m., and concluding Monday night at 7 p.m. at Doak Field at Dail Park this weekend.

Saturday’s game will be televised on the ACC’s Regional Sports Network, carried locally by FS Carolinas. Monday night’s contest is the ACC Monday game on ESPNU. Sunday’s game will be streamed on ESPN3.

The Wolfpack (38-11, 15-8 ACC) trails the Seminoles (40-9, 16-8) by half a game at the top of the ACC Atlantic division standings. Last season, the Pack won game one in Tallahassee over the then-No. 1 Noles, before falling in the next two to lose the series.

NC State has not lost a weekend series in its last six tries, compiling a 5-0-1 series record during that stretch. The Pack won four ACC series in a row before splitting with UNC to represent the tie, then added a sweep of Presbyterian last week. The Wolfpack has swept two of its last three ranked opponents (No. 14 Georgia Tech and No. 22 Virginia Tech).

This weekend marks the final three home games of the 2013 regular season for NC State, putting a bow on an outstanding showing by the Wolfpack faithful all season long. NC State has drawn 53,979 spectators this season, smashing the previous single-season record by over 5,000 already. The average attendance for Wolfpack home games is 1,791, more than 400 per game over the previous record.

Carlos Rodon will take the mound on Saturday with a chance to pass Cory Mazzoni on the career strikeouts leaderboard. Rodon has 249 through 29 appearances in his career, needing seven to tie Mazzoni for the seventh most punchouts in program history.

Duke, Featured stories, N.C. State, The skinny, UNC

NCAA tennis tournaments begin in the Triangle

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Duke and N.C. State are among the 64-team 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Championship field. Duke men and UNC women host regionals.

No. 9 Duke (22-5) will play host to Coastal Carolina (15-5) while the No. 2 UNC women host South Carolina State Friday.

The NC State men (13-10) will head to Norman, Okla., to play Auburn (13-10).

Duke is making its 22nd straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and 23rd overall while NC State returns to the field of 64 for the second consecutive year (sixth overall).

Duke will host one of 16 regionals for the 2013 NCAA Men’s Tennis Championships Friday, May 10 and Saturday, May 11. UNC Wilmington will meet South Carolina in the first match of the day Friday at 10 a.m., before the host Blue Devils will face Coastal Carolina at 1 p.m. The winner of the two matches will compete for a trip to the 2013 NCAA Team Championships May 17-21 in Urbana, Ill.

Duke posted an undefeated regular season on its home courts for the first time since the 2000-01 campaign, going 13-0 throughout the spring. Senior Henrique Cunha, the 2013 ACC Player of the Year, leads the way with a 17-0 singles record throughout the spring, while the duo of Cunha and sophomore Raphael Hemmeler posted a 33-3 overall mark for the season.

The Blue Devils own a 41-22 all-time record in the NCAA Championships and has recorded 22 consecutive appearances, winning at least one match in each appearance. As a team, Duke has advanced to the round of eight on seven occasions, including last season’s appearance in the Elite Eight. Throughout the season, the Blue Devils have notched a 12-5 record against teams in the field of 64, including a 3-2 mark against squads that are seeded. Duke will host an NCAA Regional for the fourth consecutive season and the 12th time in the program’s history.

Ticket prices for all NCAA Championship matches are $5 for adults and $3 for students/seniors, and each ticket is good for all matches each day. Tickets can be purchased outside the stadium on the day of the match. Parking for all matches will be available in the Blue Zone, which can be accessed off Duke University Road.

The Wolfpack makes its sixth overall NCAA appearance and fourth under head coach Jon Choboy. In his 11th season at NC State, Choboy also led the Pack to the tournament in 2006, 2007 and 2012. State previously made the tournament in 1978 and 1999. The Pack has collected three NCAA wins in program history.

The winner of the match will advance to play the winner of host Oklahoma and Wichita State. The second round match is scheduled for 3 p.m. EST on Saturday, May 11.

Singles/Doubles Championships

Two Duke and one Carolina student-athletes will be among the 64 competitors in the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Singles Championship, to be held May 22-27 at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex/Atkins Tennis Center in Urbana, Ill.

The area will also be well-represented in the NCAA men’s team competition, which gets under way on May 10.

Singles At-Large
Henrique Cuhna, Duke
Esben Hess-Olesen, North Carolina
Michael Redlicki, Duke

Doubles
Henrique Cunha/Raphael Hemmeler, Duke
Michael Redlicki/Jason Tahir, Duke
Dave Thomson/Sean Weber, NC State

UNC women are regional host

No. 2 North Carolina women begin play in the 2013 NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship Friday when the Tar Heels welcome MEAC champion South Carolina State to the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center at 1 p.m. Carolina, which enters the event with a record of 25-3, is looking to win its 13th consecutive opening round NCAA match, a streak that dates back to 2001.

UNC is serving as a regional host for the 11th time in the last 12 seasons and the ninth under four-time Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year Brian Kalbas. Led by ACC Player of the Year Gina Suarez-Malaguti, Carolina is a top-eight national seed for the fourth consecutive NCAA tournament.

The winner of Friday’s UNC-South Carolina State match will face the winner of the Tennessee-VCU match in Saturday’s second round. The winner of the second round match, which is currently set for Saturday at 11 a.m., will advance to the NCAA final site in Urbana, Ill.

Tickets for the event are $5 for the general public and $3 for students and seniors. Gates will open one hour prior to play on both Friday and Saturday.

NC State women open in Michigan

The NC State women’s tennis team will take on Notre Dame in the first round of the 2013 NCAA Championship in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Friday, May 10 at the Varsity Tennis Center on the campus of the University of Michigan.

The NC State Wolfpack will make its sixth overall appearance, and its second trip in three years, in the NCAA Championship.

In the latest ITA national team rankings, NC State is ranked No. 42. The Wolfpack has two ranked singles players in No. 53 Joelle Kissell and No. 86 Tatiana Illova.

Duke women travel to Texas

The 14th-ranked Blue Devils will open the NCAA Team Championship May 11 when they travel to Lubbock, Texas to face Ole Miss in the opening round of the tournament. The winner of the match will advance to the second round to face the winner of the Texas Tech and College of Charleston match.

Under head coach Jamie Ashworth, the Blue Devils have reached the NCAA Final Four five times, highlighted by a trip to the 2009 NCAA Finals where they topped UCLA to claim the title.

The match against Ole Miss is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. CT, with the winner advancing to face the winner of Texas Tech and College of Charleston in the second round Sunday, May 12 at 1 p.m. CT.

Check out the left menu bar for results from the various team matches for Duke and NC State men and Duke, UNC and NC State women.

Duke, Featured stories, N.C. State, UNC

Big Ten/ACC Challenge matchups announced: Duke hosts Michigan

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accbigtenThe 15th annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge Presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods on Dec. 3-4 will be highlighted by eight teams in the ESPN.com early preseason top 25, including six of the top 11 teams: No. 3 Michigan State, No. 5 Duke, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 8 Syracuse, No. 9 Michigan, No. 11 North Carolina, No. 20 Indiana and No. 25 Iowa. Three of the games will pit ranked teams against each other: No. 9 Michigan at No. 5 Duke, No. 11 North Carolina at No. 3 Michigan State and No. 20 Indiana at No. 8 Syracuse.

Duke is 21-8 all-time against Michigan, including victories in the 2011 NCAA Championship and 2011 EA Sports Maui Invitational. North Carolina, with an 11-3 overall record against Michigan State, won games in 2008 and 2009. Michigan State won in 1999 and 2000. Northwestern and NC State will square off in the Challenge for the third time. Northwestern won in 2009 and NC State in 2002.

Following last year’s 6-6 tie, the ACC now holds a 10-3-1 advantage in Challenge play. In the event of a tie, the Commissioner’s Cup remains with the conference that won the previous year, which was the Big Ten in 2011. The ACC won the first 10 Challenges (1999-2008) while the Big Ten won the next three (2009-2011).

ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will combine to televise all 12 games of the two-day event matching top college basketball programs playing for conference supremacy and the Commissioners Cup. All 12 games will also be available via WatchESPN.

All 12 Big Ten teams and 12 of the 15 ACC teams will participate in the 2013 Challenge, including Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and Syracuse, who will join the league on July 1, 2013.

Tuesday, December 3
Indiana at Syracuse
Michigan at Duke
Notre Dame at Iowa
Florida State at Minnesota
Penn State at Pitt
Illinois at Georgia Tech

Wednesday, December 4
North Carolina at Michigan State
Maryland at Ohio State
Miami at Nebraska
Wisconsin at Virginia
Boston College at Purdue
Northwestern at NC State

Duke, Featured stories, N.C. State, UNC

Thirteen players from Duke, State, UNC have signed with NFL teams as free agents

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nfllogoA total of 13 players from Duke, NC State and UNC have signed free agent contracts or received invitations to attend free agent camps from teams in the National Football League. There are 51 players from Atlantic Coast Conference schools that have done so.

Wolfpack guard Zack Allen was signed by the Carolina Panthers while UNC’s Casey Barth was picked up by Atlanta.

Combined with the 31 ACC players drafted by the NFL, a total of 82 players from ACC schools will head to NFL training camps this year.

When draftees (3) and free agents (10) from Pittsburgh and Syracuse are included, teams which will join the ACC this July 1, the number of players headed to the NFL grows to a total of 95 players.

ACC NFL Free Agent Signees (as of May 9)


Duke (3)

Jackson Anderson LS Houston Texans
Tony Foster DB Kansas City Chiefs
Conner Vernon WR Oakland Raiders

North Carolina (4)

Casey Barth PK Atlanta Falcons
Jheranie Boyd WR Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Erik Highsmith WR Minnesota Vikings
Kevin Reddick LB New Orleans Saints

NC State (6)
Zach Allen G Carolina Panthers
Brandan Bishop S Minnesota Vikings
R.J. Mattes OL New England Patriots
Tobais Palmer WR Jacksonville Jaguars
Cameron Wentz C Minnesota Vikings
C.J. Wilson CB Chicago Bears

See the full list of ACC players signed.

Duke, Featured stories, N.C. State, UNC

UNC women’s tennis earns No. 2 seed in NCAA tourney; State, Duke make field

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For the 11th time in the last 12 seasons and the ninth time under head coach Brian Kalbas, the North Carolina women’s tennis team has been awarded a home regional and a national seed for the NCAA Division I Team Championship, the NCAA announced Tuesday. The Tar Heels are the No. 2 seed in the 2013 event and will welcome Tennessee, VCU and South Carolina State to the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center May 10 and 11. The No. 2 seed is the highest in program history, matching the 2010 squad that advanced to the national semifinals.

Carolina will face MEAC champion South Carolina State at 1 p.m. on May 10. That match will follow the first-round meeting between Atlantic 10 champion VCU and SEC at-large selection Tennessee at 10 a.m. The two first-round winners will meet Saturday, May 11, at 11 a.m. for the right to advance to Urbana, Ill., this year’s final NCAA site.

Carolina is making its 15th consecutive appearance in the national tournament and 10th in a row under Kalbas. The Tar Heels have an all-time NCAA record of 26-14 and have advanced beyond the regional round on eight occasions, including last year’s run to the round of 16.

Tickets for the event are $5 for the general public and $3 for students and seniors. Gates will open one hour prior to play on both Friday and Saturday.

Friday, May 10
9 a.m. Gates Open
10 a.m. Tennessee vs. VCU
1 p.m. South Carolina State vs. North Carolina

Saturday, May 11
10 a.m. Gates Open
11 a.m. Second Round

NC State

For the second time in three years, the NC State women’s tennis team was awarded an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Championship, as announced Tuesday evening by the NCAA.

“I think the team’s hard work has paid off,” said head coach Hans Olsen. “For us, it’s very exciting and we will appreciate the opportunity to play more and improve as a team.”

NC State (14-9) will face Big East Champion Notre Dame (17-8) in the Ann Arbor (Mich.) Regional on Friday, May 10. With a victory, the Pack would face the winner of 10th-seeded Michigan and IPFW. The start times for the matches have not been announced.

“I think the team has learned to believe,” Olsen said. “A lot of these players were on the team last year and it’s almost like a reward for how hard they’ve worked. I think this tournament will give them another opportunity to show off that hard work.”

NC State last received a bid to the tournament in 2011, and will make its sixth overall appearance in program history.

In history, the two programs have never faced one another, but the first-round matchup between the Wolfpack and Fighting Irish will be a preview of what’s to come when Notre Dame officially joins the Atlantic Coast Conference next fall.

The two sides share common opponents this season in Duke, Georgia Tech and South Florida.

Duke

The 14th- ranked Duke women’s tennis team seek to improve upon last season’s trip the NCAA Final Four when it kicks off the NCAA Tournament Saturday, May 11 against Ole Miss in the opening round in Lubbock, Texas, as announced by the organization Tuesday. Under head coach Jamie Ashworth, the Blue Devils have reached the NCAA Final Four five times, highlighted by a trip to the 2009 NCAA Finals where they topped UCLA to claim the title.

“We are looking forward to the challenge of playing Ole Miss in the first round of this year’s NCAA tournament,” Ashworth said. “They are an extremely well coached team and we had a battle with them last year at the national team indoors. Coming out of the SEC they are used to tough matches and I know they will be ready to play. We have to have a great week of practice and prepare for what should be a really good match.

Duke has had a long history of success in the NCAA Tournament, earning bids to 24 consecutive tournaments, while totaling a 55-23 (.705) all-time record in the event. The Blue Devils’ .705 winning percentage is the fourth highest in the NCAA, and the squad has reached the NCAA Final Four eight times in program history.

The match against Ole Miss is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. CT, with the winner advancing to face the winner of Texas Tech and College of Charleston in the second round Sunday, May 12 at 1 p.m. CT.

Overall, eight ACC teams were selected to the 64-team field – the second-most of any conference in the nation behind only the Southeastern Conference (SEC) which received nine total bids.

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Rubber game of the UNC-NC State baseball series won’t be played

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accbaseballNo. 1 North Carolina and No. 6 NC State’s series finale scheduled for 7 p.m. Sunday in Raleigh has been canceled due to inclement weather. The game will not be made up.

Game times are switched all the time in order to get games in when bad weather is on the way but ESPNU was scheduled to show the game at 7 so that probably killed any chance the two teams would or could move the game to earlier in the day.

The teams split games on Friday and Saturday so it may come down to the ACC tournament or NCAA tournament to settle things between the two ACC division leading teams.

UNC junior Kent Emanuel allowed one run in eight innings to earn his ninth win of the year Friday night as the top-ranked Tar Heels downed No. 6 NC State, 7-1.

Emanuel (9-1) pitched through the eighth inning for the fourth consecutive outing Friday night as he scattered seven hits and matched a career high with nine strikeouts.

The Tar Heels provided Emanuel plenty of run support as Colin Moran connected on his 11th home run of the year in the first inning. Brian Holberton also hit a home run for UNC, while Michael Russell paced five Tar Heels with two more hits as he connected on three singles.

NC State evened the series with a 7-3 win in front of a record crowd on Saturday night at Doak Field at Dail Park.

The Wolfpack (34-11, 15-8 ACC) drew 3,123 spectators to watch the victory, the largest crowd in Doak Field history. State ran out to a 7-0 lead by the end of the fifth, thanks to one run in the third and three in the fourth and fifth. North Carolina (41-4, 19-3) answered with a three-run homer in the seventh, but could not cut the lead any further.

For the third year in a row, the Pack boasts a win over the top-ranked team in the nation. State defeated No. 1 Florida State in 2012 and No. 1 Virginia in 2011. Wolfpack pitchers struck out Tar Heel batters a combined 11 times, the most strikeouts in a single game against UNC this season.

Carlos Rodon (5-2) accounted for 10 of those strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings of work. Rodon scattered seven hits and left with two runners on base, both scored to put two earned on his final line. In three career appearances against North Carolina, Rodon has allowed three earned in 22 1/3 innings, good for a 1.19 ERA, striking out 29 while walking eight.

– Compiled

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Huge weekend baseball series with UNC at State

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uncstateNo. 6 NC State puts the nation’s longest winning streak on the line Friday night at 6:30, as No. 1 North Carolina visits Doak Field at Dail Park.

The two clubs were picked by the coaches to finish atop the Coastal and Atlantic divisions entering the season and lived up to the billing as UNC owns an 18-2 conference record, 2.5 games clear of Virginia and 7.5 clear of Georgia Tech in the Coastal. NC State is 14-7 in the ACC and a game ahead of both Florida State and Clemson.

For the first time in 281 meetings, both teams are ranked in the top 10. During the 2012 regular season, the 11th-ranked Pack traveled to Chapel Hill to take on the fourth-ranked Tar Heels.

The last time these two teams met, the scene was the 2012 ACC Tournament in Greensboro, where 10,229 spectators packed the stadium to set a record for the most-attended college baseball game in the history of North Carolina.

Though the venue is smaller this time around, NC State officials are expecting record crowds for all three games this weekend. Tickets sold out for the series on Monday morning. Student tickets are limited to the first 795 through the gates.

The Wolfpack (33-10 overall) carries a 15-game winning streak into the series, its longest since a 16-gamer in 2003. State is going for its fifth-consecutive ACC series win. The last time the Pack won five ACC series in a row was 2008. The Wolfpack’s current streak of 10-straight conference wins is the longest since 13 consecutive in 1997.

North Carolina (40-3, 18-2) had a 14-game winning streak snapped on Tuesday night against UNC Wilmington. The Tar Heels are a perfect 6-0 on the road in the ACC this season with road sweeps at Wake Forest and Virginia Tech under their belts.

Games one and two will be streamed live on ESPN3.com, with game three being carried by ESPNU.