NC State Scratches Ace From Friday Start
RALEIGH — NC State suffered a disappointing loss at the hands of the previously winless Lafayette Leopards, who ambushed Elliott Avent's Wolfpack on Friday with an 11-6 performance. Part of the reason for the Pack's struggles was the fact that the team took the field without its usual Friday starting pitcher, junior lefty Ryan Marohn.
Marohn was scratched from the start by the staff earlier Friday morning after dealing with bicep soreness, according to Avent himself. Rather than push things against the Leopards, Avent and his pitching coach, Clint Chrysler, chose caution and took the field with junior righty Julien Peissel on the mound to start the game.
Avent's update on Marohn
While the loss was unfortunate, Marohn's long-term health was of greater concern for NC State, so protecting him from himself made more sense than throwing him into the fire against a winless squad looking to make a statement in its trip down from the cold North. After the game, Avent was open about the decision-making process behind sitting Marohn out.
"We met last night and we talked and he's such a competitor. He wanted to go," Avent said of his ace. "It was basically my call. He wanted to go. I think it was something, maybe lifting or something or whatever. Just a little bicep soreness, kind of when he bent his arm or something. Nothing to it."
3 Strikeouts. 3 Looking.
— NC State Baseball (@NCStateBaseball) February 27, 2026
Ryan Marohn to start the game. pic.twitter.com/TPOrwHERLT
Avent typically tries to protect his top arms as frequently as possible. He provided a few examples of similar situations in the past involving some of his more successful starters over his 30 years at the helm of the NC State program.
"I wouldn't let Carlos Rodón go back out in the Florida Regional when we got lightning and Carlos was about to bite my head off," Avent recalled. "I wouldn't let Joey Devine go pitch at Miami with a chance to go to Omaha years ago. I just always err on the side of caution and (Marohn) tried to talk me into it a little bit, but it's too long a season."
Starting the day with a strikeout!
— NC State Baseball (@NCStateBaseball) February 20, 2026
Ryan Marohn retires the side with three strikeouts. pic.twitter.com/s8oe8iyjjQ
The veteran coach added that Marohn likely could've pitched today and should be good to go by the time his next start rolls around next Friday. The junior got off to a very strong start to his third season in Raleigh, continuing to be a strong workhorse for the Wolfpack in the early part of the year. Marohn currently holds a 2-0 record, 1.32 ERA and 20 strikeouts in his first two starts of the 2026 season.
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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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