For the first time in 16 years, the Pack nine left Clemson, SC today with a series victory under its belt. After dropping the first game of the series in gut wrenching fashion (7-6, 12 innings), the Wolfpack bounced back to win Saturday (3-1) and Sunday (6-3). State currently sits at 24-10 (11-7) and in sole possession of second place in the ACC’s Atlantic Division, 2 games ahead of Clemson.
With barely a month left in the regular season, the Wolfpack has positioned itself well to make a strong push down the stretch and nail down an opportunity to host an NCAA regional, perhaps even garner a protected (top 8 ) seed. The Pack’s rankings vary somewhat depending on the publication but prior to winning 3 out of 4 games for the week, the Pack was ranked 11th in the official NCAA RPI rankings. A top ten ranking this coming week would be expected.
After a non-conference road game against Campell this coming Tuesday at 6pm in Buies Creek, the Wolfpack will return to Raleigh for an extended 11 game homestand during which they will face off against both Boston College and Duke in weekend 3 game conference series, as well as a weekend 3 game non-conference series against Cal State Bakersfield. With single games peppered in against both Charlotte and NC A&T, the next three weeks at home will be pivotal for the Pack’s hopes to move into the protected seed category.
Following the Pack’s extended homestand, they will travel to both Blacksburg and Tallahassee for 3 game series against VT and FSU respectively. If the cards fall correctly, the weekend series against FSU to close the regular season sets up as a showdown for the Atlantic Division crown.
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