NC State Baseball Ready For Massive Road Series

The No. 10 Wolfpack is ready for a ranked showdown over the course of the weekend against No. 11 Florida State in Tallahassee.

NC State Wolfpack players meet on the mound during an eventful first inning against the Stetson Hatters during the NCAA Baseball Regional Tournament at Plainsman Park in Auburn, Ala., on Friday May 30, 2025. | Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Elliott Avent and No. 10 NC State baseball are heading on the road for the first true away series of the 2026 season. It won't be an easy test for a strong Wolfpack team, as it heads south to Tallahassee, Fla., to take on No. 11 Florida State in a crucial ranked matchup that could help either team shoot up in the ACC standings early in the campaign.

After a dominant midweek victory over UNCW, the Wolfpack looks to be a confident bunch in its first trip away from Doak Field outside of the two games in Puerto Rico to open the season. Continuing to win weekend series at all costs is the primary goal of Avent and the Pack, but a series win over the Seminoles would mean quite a bit, both for ACC hopes and for any hope of hosting a regional in the NCAA Tournament.

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Probable Starters for the Weekend

NC State right-handed pitcher Jacob Dudan throws a pitch. | Courtesy of NC State Athletics

Friday: LHP Ryan Marohn (3-0, 0.87 ERA)
Saturday: RHP Jacob Dudan (4-0, 2.01 ERA)
Sunday: TBD

NC State is rolling with the usual suspects in the first two games of its series against the Seminoles. Dudan is coming off one of his weaker outings of the season, but he still threw for seven innings and tallied seven strikeouts against Boston College. He'll look to get things back on track during his Saturday start.

Marohn returned after missing one start and looked like the best possible version of himself in a Friday win over Boston College. The righty decided to return to some of his old mechanics and immediately reaped the rewards with a quality start and another win. Florida State will mark Marohn's biggest test yet.

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What else to know

Freshman left fielder Rett Johnson runs the bases in NC State's win over Lafayette at March 7, 2026 at Doak Field in Raleigh, N.C. | Courtesy of NC State Athletics

The Wolfpack offense regained some of its top form during the midweek victory over the Seahawks and will be looking to carry those vibes down to Tallahassee, starting on Friday. Avent and his staff opted for some lineup shifts that paid major dividends, starting with the decision to move Rett Johnson to the leadoff spot.

The scrappy freshman outfielder is hitting a team-best .441 and holds the 10th-best on-base percentage in the ACC, with a .533. NC State will keep him in that slot as long as it continues to work, but it has other options with sophomore outfielder Ty Head and even a red-hot Chris McHugh. NC State is looking to maintain its recent success against Florida State, as it went 6-4 over the last 10 games.

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