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NC State Baseball Comes Up Short in Another Midweek Game

The Wolfpack's midweek problem persisted on Tuesday against the Campbell Fighting Camels.
Tucker Sennett|
NC State's Dalton Bargo waits for a pitch during the Wolfpack's 7-2 loss to the Campbell Fighting Camels on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
NC State's Dalton Bargo waits for a pitch during the Wolfpack's 7-2 loss to the Campbell Fighting Camels on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. | Courtesy of NC State Athletics

RALEIGH — After two losses on the road to a ranked Florida State team, there was hope that No. 14 NC State could return home and get back on track with a midweek victory before another difficult weekend series. Those hopes proved to be nothing more than that, as the Wolfpack squandered a two-run lead and ultimately fell 7-2 to the Campbell Fighting Camels.

It was another disappointing offensive effort for a team that once posted over 90 runs in one week of games. While Campbell is one of the stronger programs in the Coastal Athletic Association, the Wolfpack can't afford to keep struggling in these midweek games if it still has hopes of hosting in the postseason, or making the NCAA Tournament to begin with.

Wolfpack lineup and stats

  1. RF Rett Johnson: 1-3, 2 R, 2 BB
  2. 2B Luke Nixon: 0-2, BB, K
  3. LF Chris McHugh: 2-4, RBI
  4. 1B Dalton Bargo: 0-4, RBI, K
  5. CF Ty Head: 1-2, 2 BB, K
  6. SS Mikey Ryan: 0-3, 2 K
  7. DH Andrew Wiggins: 0-4, 2 K
  8. 3B Wyatt Peifer: 0-3, K -- PH Sherman Johnson: 0-1, K
  9. C Drew Lanphere: 0-3, K -- PH Brayden Fraasman: 0-1

LHP Luke Hemric: 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, L (1-1)
RHP Sam Harris: 1.1 IP, H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, K
RHP Anderson Nance: 0.2 IP, 2 H, R, ER, K
RHP Aiden Kitchings: 2 IP, BB, 3 K

What went wrong for the Wolfpack?

A lack of offensive urgency continues to cause problems for NC State as the team heads toward the midway point of the 2026 season. There are games where the Wolfpack is nearly impossible to get out at the plate and the initial approach is completely dominant. Then, games like Tuesday's and a number of other losses to mid-major programs show the issue once again.

NC State had traffic on the basepaths early, but only mustered two runs with groundouts that brought runs home. With a freshman on the mound in Hemric, run support would've only boosted the confidence of the young arm. Instead, the Wolfpack never got things going at the plate and failed to make the necessary adjustments to hit the hungry Fighting Camel pitchers.

For in-state programs like Campbell and Elon, games like Tuesday's against the Wolfpack can be the basis for a run to the NCAA Tournament. It gives these smaller programs the confidence they need for the rest of the year when they are able to compete with teams like NC State. The Pack is always going to get the best effort from that level of opposition.

NC State must find a way to improve its mindset when it comes to midweek games, while also improving the offensive consistency. A four-hit effort against Campbell could be another bad omen as the competition continues to escalate in the conference slate.

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Tucker Sennett
TUCKER SENNETT

Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.

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