NC State Baseball Gets Back On Track With Series Win: Stats, Observations

RALEIGH — The feeling of winning a series was something that eluded NC State for two straight weekends. When right-handed reliever Anderson finished his heroic 5.2 innings out of the bullpen to secure the Wolfpack a series victory with a 12-7 win over Miami on Saturday, there was a sense of relief and elation around Doak Field.

For head coach Elliott Avent, it proved that his team was capable of overcoming adversity not just from game to game, but in dealing with the massive buildup of injuries to key players for the Wolfpack, including two key starting pitchers and the starting shortstop, Mikey Ryan. Instead of crumbling, NC State did it by committee and posted crooked numbers throughout the game.

Wolfpack lineup and stats

We only care about one Hurricanes team in this town.

NC State takes the series from Miami! pic.twitter.com/YpBNVSom0Y
— NC State Baseball (@NCStateBaseball) May 3, 2026

LF Rett Johnson: 2-5, 2 R
2B Luke Nixon: 2-4, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR (7, 8), BB, K
1B Chris McHugh: 2-5, K
CF Ty Head: 1-2, 2 R, 3 BB
DH Sherman Johnson: 3-5, 2 R, 5 RBI, GS
3B Wyatt Peifer: 1-5, R, 2 K
SS Christian Serrano: 1-4, R, RBI
C Drew Lanphere: 1-4, K
RF Brayden Fraasman: 0-1, RBI -- PH/RF Andrew Wiggins: 1-2, R -- RF Devin Mitchell: 0-1

LHP Luke Hemric: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 4 ER, BB, K
RHP Anderson Nance: 5.2 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, 9 K, W (3-1)

Observations

Watch him Trot around those bases! 😏 pic.twitter.com/GJUrJFaWVm
— NC State Baseball (@NCStateBaseball) May 3, 2026

Luke Nixon and Sherman Johnson came through in the clutch for the Wolfpack all night long. After Miami took a 5-2 lead in the fourth, chasing freshman lefty Luke Hemric from the bump, it was always going to come down to the offense being successful. Luckily, Nixon and Johnson combined for three home runs and nine RBI.

First, Nixon tied the game at with a 3-run blast. After Nance gave up a pair of runs to put Miami back in front, he sparked a crucial seventh-inning rally for the Wolfpack with a solo shot to pull back within one. Johnson smacked a double down the left field line and came home courtesy of another Christian Serrano hit, as the freshman continued his torrid debut series at shortstop.

A SHERM SLAM. pic.twitter.com/q9b5452YzN
— NC State Baseball (@NCStateBaseball) May 3, 2026

The plan was always to get the game in Nance's trustworthy hands and ride the talented reliever for as long as he could go. He threw a career-high 113 pitches and struck out a career-high nine batters in his lengthy outing. It was made all the more comfortable by Johnson, who hit a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth, his fifth homer of the season, to put the Pack up five runs.

After the way the first game of the series ended, NC State could've easily cratered from a confidence standpoint. Instead, the team secured a crucial series win before a long road trip across the country to face Stanford next weekend. If Saturday's game was a sign of what's to come the rest of the year, the Wolfpack is peaking at the right time, with a new cast of healthy stars ready for the spotlight down the stretch.

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