Weekend Baseball: Georgia Tech

ACC NC State Baseball23

Wolfpack Baseball (22-18, 7-14 ACC, 5th Atlantic) welcomes the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to Raleigh this weekend.

Week in Review

Not really much to say.  BC came to Raleigh last weekend and took what little candy the Pack had left, taking 2 of 3 and winning their lone ACC series thus far in ’14.  Tuesday, State failed to score vs Campbell at home.  A win on Wednesday vs UNCW put very little shine back on this turd of a season.

There was some good news, however.  State won’t have to add a loss to Carolina to this year’s resume.  For a team struggling to stay above .500 overall while limping to the finish line this might have been the highlight of the week.

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GTLogoGeorgia Tech Yellow Jackets

25-14 (11-10 ACC, 4th Coastal); Last 10:6-4; Streak:Lost 1
2013: 37-27 (15-15 ACC)

Georgia Tech is another one of those teams which can’t seem to establish itself one way or another.  They’ve managed to win series against both FSU and Miami, and have swept Duke.  On the other hand, they were swept by Pitt and are coming off of dropping a series at Maryland (no shame in that really…UMd is now up to #19 in the RPI).

With their post-season status far from secure, and with a conference season ending trip to UVa looming, the Jackets are looking to make hay the next two weekends in Raleigh and at home vs VT.

Batting/Offense

Tech boasts a .281 team BA, good enough for 3rd best in the conference behind Clemson (.287) and FSU (.283).  Despite hitting relatively few HRs (15, t9th), they lead the league in total hits (412) and triples (15) giving them the 3rd best slgpct in the league (.384).

They’re also 3rd best in the league in RBI (216, 5.14 per game), and 4th in runs scored (236, 5.62 per game).

The one thing they don’t do much (relatively speaking) is steal bases with only 39 on the year (t10th) on 59 attempts (8th).

Matt Gonzalez (#14,SO,LF) – .329 avg, 1HR, 27RBI, 15 doubles, .449 slgpct, 27runs, 35K/15BB, 5/11 SB
Thomas Smith (#13,JR,1B) – .324 avg, 2HR, 31RBI, .419 slgpct, 27runs, 14K/16BB, 4/7 SB
Daniel Spingola (#35,JR,CF) – .311 avg, 2HR, 26RBI, .439 slgpct, 35runs, 26K/15BB, 10/11 SB
Connor Justus (#15,FR,SS) – .300 avg, 2HR, 21RBI, .408 slgpct, 23runs, 25K/12BB, 1/5 SB
Mott Hyde (#3,SR,2B) – .288 avg, 2HR, 27RBI, .394 slgpct, 27runs, 29K/20BB, 9/11 SB
AJ Murray (#9,JR,DH/1B) – .282 avg, 3HR, 20RBI, 11 doubles, .451 slgpct, 20runs, 36K/14BB, 5/9 SB

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Pitching/Defense

GT pitching is solid, carrying a team ERA of 3.26 (6th ACC).  Aside from issuing a league worst 183 free passes on the season, they are middle of the road in virtually every meaningful pitching stat.

Their likely starters this weekend are:

Josh Heddinger (#37,JR,RHP) – 2-2, 4.52 ERA, 45.2IP, 2 HR, 38K/19BB, against avg .267
Devin Stanton (#41,JR,LHP) – 3-2, 2.68 ERA, 43.2IP, 2 HR, 34K/14BB, against avg .237
Matthew Grimes (#25,JR,RHP) – 4-1, 3.73 ERA, 41.0IP, 1 HR, 21K/17BB, against avg .302

Defensively, the Jackets are exactly average, with a fldpct of .968.  Secondbaseman Mott Hyde is generally the weakest link in that chain (.951).

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ACC Standings

Atlantic Division
Conference Overall
rank schools W-L-T PCT W-L-T PCT
1.  Florida State 16-5-0 .762 32-9-0 .780
2.  Clemson 12-8-0 .600 25-16-0 .610
3.  Wake Forest 12-9-0 .571 26-18-0 .591
4.  Maryland 9-11-0 .450 25-15-0 .625
5.  NC State 7-14-0 .333 22-18-0 .550
6.  Boston College 5-16-0 .238 14-27-0 .341
7.  Notre Dame 4-17-0 .190 16-24-0 .400
Coastal Division
Conference Overall
rank schools W-L-T PCT W-L-T PCT
1.  Virginia 16-5-0 .762 35-7-0 .833
2.  Miami 16-5-0 .762 29-13-0 .690
3.  Duke 12-9-0 .571 25-17-0 .595
4.  Georgia Tech 11-10-0 .524 25-17-0 .595
5.  North Carolina 10-11-0 .476 24-18-0 .571
6.  Pitt 9-12-0 .429 17-22-0 .436
7.  Virginia Tech 7-14-0 .333 18-22-1 .451

Elsewhere in the ACC this Weekend

  • VT @ Carolina
  • Duke @ Wake
  • UVa @ FSU
  • Miami @ Clemson
  • Maryland @ BC

Pitt (@Ark-PB) and ND (vs Northeastern) are both OOC this weekend.

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If the ACC Tournament started today:

  • UVa            16-5
  • FSU            16-5
  • Miami        16-5
  • Clemson    12-8
  • Wake         12-9
  • Duke          12-9
  • GT              11-10
  • Carolina    10-11
  • Maryland   9-11
  • Pitt              9-12
    ——OUT——
    VT              7-14
    NCSU        7-14
    BC              5-16
    ND             4-17

ACC schedule remaining…

  • Carolina (vsVT, @FSU, @Miami)
  • UMd (@BC, vsND, @Pitt)
  • Pitt (@BC, vsUMd, @ND)
  • VT (@Carolina, @GT, vsNCSU)
  • NCSU (vsGT, vsWake, @VT)

I’m not going to speculate on scenarios that would get the Pack into the mix because they pretty much would have to win 6 or 7 of their remaining 9 to have a shot (AND hope for help from elsewhere). But I’ve included the above information in case someone else cares to do so.

But do take note (so as not to disappoint yourselves) that the Pack plays at VT to close the season and that both of the teams either State or VT has the most realistic chance of catching have both yet to play BC or ND.

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Games Schedule – Pitching Probables – TV

  • Friday 4/25 6:30pm – Carlos Rodon vs Josh Heddinger – ESPN3
  • Saturday 4/26 1pm – Patrick Peterson vs Devin Stanton – RSN
  • Sunday 4/27 1pm – Ryan Williamson* vs Matthew Grimes  – ESPN3

* GoPack.com has Logan Jernigan listed as Sunday’s starter, but he just started and threw 5 innings Wednesday (and 2 last Sunday), so I have my doubts.

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Go Pack!!!

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About Wufpacker

A 2nd generation alumnus and raised since birth to be irrationally dedicated to all things NC State. Class of '88 and '92.

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Home › Forums › Weekend Baseball: Georgia Tech

Viewing 24 posts - 1 through 24 (of 24 total)
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  • 04/24/2014 at 11:18 PM #51427
    Wufpacker
    Participant

    Wolfpack Baseball (22-18, 7-14 ACC, 5th Atlantic) welcomes the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to Raleigh this weekend. Week in Review Not really much to
    [See the full post at: Weekend Baseball: Georgia Tech]

    04/25/2014 at 9:31 AM #51428
    JohnGalt78
    Participant

    Who cares?

    I say this only because whenever I post a negative, said subject goes on a tear thus making me eat crow. I have no problem eating Wolfpack crow. Here’s to our march to the ACC tournament title and a trip to Omaha.

    04/25/2014 at 12:58 PM #51429
    Wufpacker
    Participant

    ^ Yeah, I kinda had that negative reverse mojo in mind when I wrote the entry, truth be told.

    04/25/2014 at 2:08 PM #51430
    PackofMac
    Participant

    SOMEONE HELP ME OUT PLEASE!!!! So my only options now after trying to support what should be a top 10 team is to trade my Duel at the DBAP tickets in for Sh*tty Durham Bulls tickets or USA Baseball tickets??? Really???? How can that hold up?

    04/25/2014 at 6:02 PM #51431
    tjfoose1
    Participant

    It’s over. No way the Wolfpack makes post season. No way.

    04/25/2014 at 9:55 PM #51435
    Wufpacker
    Participant

    Pack can manage only 3 hits as GT takes game one 1-0.
    Rodon with 15Ks, goes the distance for the CG loss (3-7).

    04/25/2014 at 10:02 PM #51436
    Wulfpack
    Participant

    We stink.

    04/25/2014 at 11:39 PM #51437
    PackerInRussia
    Participant

    Wow, what a loss to take for Rodon. Guess he needs to provide his own runs too.

    04/26/2014 at 7:46 AM #51442
    mak4dpak
    Participant

    After last season, had someone told me this year would be so pathetic, I wouldn’t have believed them. Poor Rodon. Shoulda went pro last year. These guys are terrible! I thought with our big home schedule at the end, surely we could pull it out. But these guys can’t hit. Unreal!

    04/26/2014 at 8:09 AM #51443
    Adventuroo
    Participant

    Mak,

    Same here….

    Was at the WPC HQ last year and there was literally a line of folks purchasing LTR’s. Some in our Lenovo CC area also did such.

    BOY….what a difference a year makes….

    The old Hee-Haw video is the only thing that cheered me up reading this and the Headlines this morning…

    Really about sums it up…

    04/26/2014 at 8:51 AM #51444
    JohnGalt78
    Participant

    Now I really don’t care. Other than feeling sorry for Carlos. He ought to sue the rest of the team for lost future wages. WTF happened? Big heads?

    04/26/2014 at 9:38 AM #51446
    packalum44
    Participant

    Last time I checked, Rodon’s class is the only top 25 we have on this year’s team. Compare that to true powerhouse teams who score top 20 classes each year. 1 vs. 4 do the math.

    Nor can Avent find hidden gems on a regular basis. How has he held this job for 17 years is a testament to the fact that this is NC State and not UNC. We actually have a good fan base for this sport.

    Debbie will fire him eventually but jeez she doesn’t have the $$ to clean house all at once plus he’s popular with insiders for some reason. I guess many big-time boosters at State can relate to him.

    04/26/2014 at 9:58 AM #51447
    TheCOWDOG
    Moderator

    Has Rodon’s velocity fallen off? No.

    Will he go #1? Most assured.

    04/26/2014 at 10:06 AM #51448
    ldr of the pk 75
    Participant

    With last season’s results and the prospects for this year, unacceptable is the only thing you can say about this year. In an open tryout, I bet you could find 2 or 3 nobodies that could hit better than this group. Could they hit any worse? In sports, it always starts with the coaching staff. Whether it be the roster, training, in game coaching decisions, etc, it starts with the coaching staff. Last year looks to have been a mirage, a dream, or just dumb luck. I may be a bit off base, but one of the knocks under Jed was that resources weren’t being allocated to support a good team. I believe that has in part been addressed by DY. So, how can you be this crappy a year after last year, and with one of the top pitchers in the country? We probably won’t even play in the ACC tournament.

    04/26/2014 at 12:04 PM #51449
    Whiteshoes67
    Participant

    Count me among the disappointed but not terribly surprised that we aren’t a top 10 team, or top 25 team. THe ACC is always overrated in the preseason, in large part, due to the Baseball America effect. Avent has always been a mediocre recruiter, and his game management is subpar. Add to that equation that we lost a lot from last year, far more collectively than we returned or brought in.

    Avent could throw out the bullpen and expect them to put up blanks almost every time out a year ago. He had a stockpile of lefties and righties he could use in almost any scenario, and Holiday to advise him. This year, just doesn’t have the collection of arms or experience. They’ve not been bad but they are in no way comparable to last year’s crew.

    Last year’s team wasn’t a great hitting team against top flight competition. They beat up on piss poor teams but struggled against solid arms, but you could afford to struggle because the bullpen was always keeping you in games. Add to that, they lost Senay and a very underrated Adametz, who in my opinion should’ve hit further up in the lineup all year. This year, Turner’s numbers are down, as are a few other returning players, and there’s little gap to gap pop in that lineup. We strike our far too much and simply don’t put it in play. Avent has never, ever, taken advantage of the big improvement in NC high school baseball imo. Lots of good ball being played in-state.

    04/26/2014 at 2:32 PM #51450
    PackFamily
    Participant

    Has Rodon’s velocity fallen off? No.

    I’ve read – but admit i have not seen with my own eyes – that his numbers are in fact down from last year… or at least they were through March. Is there any hard data out there to confirm or refute this?

    04/26/2014 at 3:21 PM #51451
    BJD95
    Keymaster
    TheCOWDOG wrote:

    Has Rodon’s velocity fallen off? No.

    Will he go #1? Most assured.

    EXACTLY THIS. I’m sure Rodon is frustrated that we’re playing so poorly, but we’ve cost him exactly zero dollars. He’s healthy and throwing as hard as ever. Nobody scouts players – especially a guy as well known as Rodon – by team success or a metric as valueless (evaluation-wise) as W/L record.

    HEY GUYS, we finally scored!!

    04/26/2014 at 3:44 PM #51452
    Wufpacker
    Participant

    Chance Shepherd 7th inning solo shot is the difference, Pack takes game two 1-0.

    04/26/2014 at 5:20 PM #51453
    Pack78
    Participant

    ^Keep hoping that these occasional wins are the start of a season-closing rush…

    04/26/2014 at 8:55 PM #51454
    Wufpacker
    Participant

    ^ Think of it as a lot of small rushes separated by long periods of depression.

    04/27/2014 at 4:05 PM #51459
    Pack78
    Participant

    Pack wins the rubber match 7-1…Wuf: It’s the start of the closing stretch run, I’m tellin’ ya!

    04/27/2014 at 4:07 PM #51460
    Wufpacker
    Participant

    Pack tops GT 7-1 on Sunday to take the series.

    BC sweeps UMd, moving the Pack within 1/2 game of UMd for the #10 slot for the ACC Tourney, with BC a game behind the Pack.

    Carolina/VT tied at 4 in the 8th. A VT win would have them tied with BC.

    04/28/2014 at 12:13 AM #51468
    Wufpacker
    Participant

    Lots of sweeps this weekend changes the ACC Baseball Tourney seeding landscape a bit, but (so far) the same 10 teams are in. Miami’s sweep of Clemson coupled with UVa taking 2 of 3 from FSU separates the top 3 teams with Miami taking the top line all by themselves. FSU stays at #2 despite dropping the UVa series (the 2 division winners get the top two seeds).

    Duke’s sweep of Wake moves them up to #4, Carolina up to #5 courtesy of their sweep of the Hokies.

    As mentioned earlier, the Pack moves to within a half game of UMd, which was swept by BC.

    Miami 19-5
    FSU 17-7
    UVa 18-6
    Duke 15-9
    Carolina 13-11
    Clemson 12-11
    Wake 12-12
    GT 12-12
    Pitt 9-12
    Maryland 9-14
    ——OUT——
    NCSU 9-15
    BC 8-16
    VT 7-17
    ND 4-17

    State hosts Coastal Carolina next weekend out of conference (probably no preview will be forthcoming, but we’ll see) and has no mid-week games this coming week.

    04/28/2014 at 10:03 AM #51470
    44rules
    Participant

    So you’re saying there’s a chance?!

    Communism is not love. Communism is a hammer which we use to crush the enemy. Mao Zedong

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