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NC State Baseball Finishes Season Sweep of ECU: Key Stats, Observations

The Wolfpack rode some of its youngest pitchers to victory over the Pirates, regaining some confidence in a pivotal part of the year.
Tucker Sennett|
1B Chris McHugh watches a home run go over the fence while running to first base in NC State's 12-2 victory over East Carolina on Tuesday, April 28, 2026.
1B Chris McHugh watches a home run go over the fence while running to first base in NC State's 12-2 victory over East Carolina on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. | Courtesy of NC State Athletics

RALEIGH — Getting back on track against East Carolina is becoming a habit for NC State baseball. The Wolfpack welcomed the Pirates for a Tuesday midweek matchup, beating the visitors 12-2 in eight innings to sweep the in-state rivals in the two-game season series. It erased some of the hard feelings from the series loss to Virginia Tech over the weekend.

NC State leaned on a hodgepodge group of arms from its pitching staff to get over the hump, getting solid showings from freshmen righties Mikey Ragusa and Truitt Manuel out of the bullpen. It was a similar game plan to the road win over the Pirates, which saw the Pack lean on younger arms to get the job done.

Wolfpack lineup and stats

  1. LF Rett Johnson: 1-4, 2 R, RBI, BB
  2. 2B Luke Nixon: 3-4, R, 2 RBI, BB
  3. 1B Chris McHugh: 2-5, R, 2 RBI, 2-R HR (8), K
  4. CF Ty Head: 1-3, 2 R, 2 BB, K
  5. 3B Sherman Johnson: 2-3, R, BB, K -- PH Quinn Bentley: 0-1, K
  6. DH Devin Mitchell: 0-1, K -- PH/DH Dalton Bargo: 0-1, RBI -- PH/DH Brandon Novy: 2 BB, R -- PR Andrew Wiggins: R
  7. C Vincent DeCarlo: 1-4, RBI, K -- C Drew Lanphere: 1-1
  8. RF Brayden Fraasman: 2-4, R, 2 RBI, K
  9. SS Christian Serrano: 2-3, 2 R, BB, K

RHP Julien Peissel: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB
RHP Truitt Manuel: 2.1 IP, H, 2 BB, 5 K, W (1-0)
RHP Mikey Ragusa: 1.2 IP, BB, 2 K
RHP Aiden Kitchings: 2 IP, H, 3 K

Observations

Once again, NC State leaned on a nice combination of power and contact hitting, setting up key members of the lineup to drive in runs with big hits. It started in the bottom of the second when Sherman Johnson hammered a ball to center field. It bounced off the wall, driving in a run and allowing the third baseman to slide into third with a triple. From there, the Pack was off.

Wolfpack starter Julien Peissel worked himself into a bit of a jam in the third, allowing the Pirates to tie the game, but his offense struck back quickly and prevented him from being credited with a potential loss. A two-run homer from Chris McHugh brought two runs home. It was McHugh's first long ball since March 17, with the first baseman going 83 at-bats in between home runs.

Head coach Elliott Avent experimented with his lineup in response to some missing players, resulting in some freshmen bats getting opportunities. Christian Serrano started at shortstop for the first time, Vincent DeCarlo at catcher and Devin Mitchell made his collegiate debut in the designated hitter slot. Serrano racked up a pair of hits and made some impressive plays in the infield.

NC State fans might have to get used to Serrano, at least for the rest of the week and potentially beyond, as Ryan continues to be hampered by an injury suffered in Saturday's win over Virginia Tech. If the freshman plays the way he played Tuesday, that won't be a problem moving forward, especially with the Miami Hurricanes coming to town for a three-game set, beginning Friday.

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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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