The biggest series of the season.
That's what this weekend could mean to the 19th-ranked baseball team as they face fifth-ranked North Carolina State in a three game series beginning today at 3 p.m. at historic Jack Coombs Field. The Blue Devils last played on Tuesday, beating North Carolina A&T 11-5, and thus will be well rested for the weekend.
The Wolfpack enter the series with a record of 25-3, and their 6-1 league mark is good for first in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
State is led by trio of outstanding pitchers, who combined for the season are 17-1 with a 1.76 earned run average.
Leading the group is sophomore Terry Harvey, the Wolfpack's version of Deion Sanders, who is also the starting quarterback on the football team. Harvey was recently named National Player of the Week and ACC Pitcher of the Week after pitching a no-hitter against Florida State, the first time the Seminoles had ever been held hitless. That magnificent performance raised Harvey's overall record to 7-0, with an earned run average of 1.62.
Joining Harvey in the starting rotation is junior Shawn Senior, who also earned National Player of the Week honors earlier in the season for his one-hit, 19-strikeout effort against Howard. The 19 K's set a new school record and tied the ACC record for most strikeouts in a game. So far this season, Senior is 6-1 with a 1.26 ERA
The last of the Wolfpack's main starters is Tommy Sports. Sports is 4-0 with a 2.55 ERA this season, with 35 strikeouts in 42 and one-third innings. Sports' most recent win was an impressive 4-1 victory over Florida State last Sunday.
Like its trio of impressive pitchers, the Wolfpack is led by three equally impressive hitters, who are hitting a combined .397 with 18 home runs and 82 RBI. Atop of this group is outfielder Pat Clougherty. Clougherty is bating .383 with a team leading 9 homers and 34 RBI this season. He also is in the ACC top 10 in eight different categories.
Following the pace of Clougherty is third baseman Tim Tracey, who is hitting a very impressive .407, tops among Wolfpack regulars, with 4 homers and 24 RBI. Tracey joins Clougherty in the league's top 10 in seven categories.
The final member of this impressive group of hitters is first baseman Andy Barkett. Barkett is hitting .403 with 5 home runs and 24 RBI.
The Blue Devils will be led in the series by a pair of Scotts. Firstbaseman Scott Pinoni has had an impressive season, hitting .384 with a team leading 7 home runs and 33 RBI. The other Scott, freshman lefthander Scott Schoeneweis, is 7-0 with a team leading 2.13 ERA. Schoeneweis has been very impressive in his other ACC starts, defeating Florida State 3-0 and Maryland 7-4. Junior pitcher/outfielder Ryan Jackson should see action on the mound this weekend as well, both as a starter and a reliever.
The series also marks the first of back-to-back weekend series with ACC opponents ranked in the top five. Next weekend, third-ranked Georgia Tech comes into Durham for another three game set. Impressive showings over the next two weekends could vault the Blue Devils into a prominent position on the national collegiate baseball scene.
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