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Pack 9 Opens Up 2026 With Dominant Win

NC State throttled Washington in the opening game of the Puerto Rico Challenge on Friday.
Tucker Sennett|
Jun 19, 2021; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; NC State Wolfpack left fielder Jonny Butler (14) is congratulated by the third base coach after hitting a home run against the Stanford Cardinal at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images
Jun 19, 2021; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; NC State Wolfpack left fielder Jonny Butler (14) is congratulated by the third base coach after hitting a home run against the Stanford Cardinal at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images | Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

College baseball got back underway across the country and even overseas for a few programs, including NC State, on Friday. The Wolfpack took the field for the first time in 2026 at the Puerto Rico Baseball Challenge, facing the Washington Huskies of the Big 10 for the opener. It was a truly dominant showing for the Pack in the first game of head coach Elliott Avent's 30th season.

No. 17 NC State throttled the Huskies 13-0 in a seven-inning run-rule victory in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Avent couldn't have drawn up a better start to the 2026 season, with the offense and some of his best arms firing on all cylinders right out of the gate.

The Wolfpack lineup and stats

Elliott Avent
Jun 15, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; NC State Wolfpack head coach Elliott Avent discusses a balk call with an umpire in the game against the Kentucky Wildcats during the eighth inning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Avent opted for a slightly different lineup than the one projected by NC State On SI in the lead-up to the game, but it turned out to be a highly effective group. Here's what the Pack rolled with, including stats for the starters.

  1. CF Ty Head - 0-4, run
  2. LF Chris McHugh - 2-4, 2 RBI
  3. RF Brayden Fraasman - 1-3, RBI, 2 BB
  4. 1B Dalton Bargo - 3-4, 2 RBI, HR
  5. SS Mikey Ryan - 2-4, run, SB
  6. 2B Luke Nixon - 3-4, 3 RBI
  7. 3B Sherman Johnson - 2-3, RBI
  8. DH Andrew Wiggins - 1-3, 2-run HR
  9. C Drew Lanphere - 2-4, RBI

LHP Ryan Marohn: 4.2 IP, 6 H, 6 K, BB
RHP Anderson Nance: 1.1 IP, W, 2 BB, 2 K
RHP Julien Peissel: 1.0 IP, BB, K

What happened in the game?

What started as a bit of a pitchers' duel between Ryan Marohn of the Wolfpack and Hayden Lewis of the Huskies quickly unraveled for the latter. The Pack tagged Lewis for four runs in the fourth inning, with Luke Nixon knocking in a pair with a double and Andrew Wiggins blasting the first home run of the season for the Wolfpack.

Tennessee transfer Dalton Bargo hammered the second home run of the season for NC State just one inning later, while Nixon drove in another run to put his team up 7-0. By that point, the Huskies had no fight left, although they did give the Pack's ace, Ryan Marohn, a bit of a scare in one inning. Some tremendous defense from Chris McHugh and Drew Lanphere helped the Pack turn a double play at the plate to keep a zero on the board.

The season continues in the Caribbean on Saturday, as the Wolfpack takes on Indiana State in the second matchup of the Puerto Rico Challenge.

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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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