NC State Baseball's Pair of Standouts in the Stanford Series

The Wolfpack got a pair of impressive performances, even though it lost the series to the Cardinal on the road.

Third baseman Sherman Johnson celebrates a home run in NC State's 9-5 loss to Stanford on May 10, 2026. | Courtesy of NC State Athletics

RALEIGH — The road can be a difficult place for a college baseball team. NC State is learning that the hard way, as it dropped yet another away series, this time to the Stanford Cardinal in the last road trip of the 2026 season before the start of the postseason. Still, even with those losses, the Wolfpack got some incredible performances from members of the roster.

Head coach Elliott Avent looked for different answers across his roster to help solve some of the road woes for the Wolfpack, but it ended up being another series loss. Two players stood out in particular at the plate for NC State, raking throughout the series to help keep the Pack in the fight in all three games. Who were they?

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3B Sherman Johnson

NC State utilityman Sherman Johnson celebrates in the midst of a three-RBI performance in his team's 13-0 win over Sacred Heart on Sunday, March 1, 2026. | Courtesy of NC State Athletics

Series Stats: 6-12, 5 R, 9 RBI, 4 BB, 2 HR, 2 SB 

There aren't many hitters around the country swinging a hotter bat than Sherman Johnson is swinging for NC State right now. The third baseman absolutely raked during the trip to California, finishing the series with a .500 batting average. His infield defense proved valuable as well, as Johnson made a few stellar plays to keep his team in the fight.

Perhaps the most surprising part of Johnson's surge down the stretch has been his power. Stretching back to the Miami series, the third baseman has homers in three of the last four games, pushing his season total to seven. NC State needs Johnson's bat in the lineup every day for the rest of the season, as he's been one of the only consistent run producers and clutch hitters for most of the year.

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RHP Sam Harris

Right-handed pitcher Sam harris winds up in NC State's 12-7 win over the Stanford Cardinal at Sunken Diamond in Stanford, Calif., on May 9, 2026. | Courtesy of NC State Athletics

Series Stats:
Friday: 0.1 IP, K
Saturday: 6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, 4 K, W (2-1) 

Without Sam Harris, the Wolfpack wouldn't have won a game on the West Coast. The pitching staff struggled throughout the weekend, but Harris put together one of the best relief outings of the season for his team on Saturday, working for 6.1 innings and earning his second career win as a freshman out of the bullpen.

It was the second weekend in a row that NC State had a relief pitcher go five or more innings, with Anderson Nance putting forth a heroic 113-pitch performance against Miami in that series win. Harris followed suit and even got some work in the Friday loss.

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