Two Blowout Wins Help Wolfpack Mix in New Faces
RALEIGH — After a 5-1 start to the season, NC State faced a pair of midweek opponents on Tuesday and Wednesday, welcoming the Richmond Spiders and the Akron Zips to Doak Field. The Wolfpack bats woke up after a 1-0 loss ended the weekend set against Princeton, beating the midweek foes by a combined score of 45-3.
Blowout wins allowed NC State head coach Elliott Avent to tinker with his lineups and pitching staff, getting several different players in the games as both starters and off the bench. Early-season opportunities like those midweek wins give Avent and his staff a chance to evaluate what they have in the building, while also developing players into potential contributors later on.
New faces in the mix
In the 27-0 win over Richmond, Avent pulled players as early as the fourth inning, while starting pitcher Heath Andrews cruised through the game with great success. He hoped the game would end after seven innings, but Richmond opted to continue for another two innings. However, the additional playing time ended up costing the Wolfpack, at least in the short term, as star utilityman Dalton Bargo suffered a lower leg injury on Tuesday after hitting a home run earlier in the game.
"I tried to get everybody out. It was a miserable game, weather-wise," Avent said. "We've had a miserable year weather-wise. ... (Richmond's coach) wanted to play the whole game... So we did that. I tried to get everybody out and the one guy I didn't get out was Bargo and he just plays so hard... Our trainer, Scott Ensell, made me feel good leaving last night. Not as bad as we initially thought."
Welcome to NC State @VincentDeCarlo2! pic.twitter.com/ER7wLiSaYh
— NC State Baseball (@NCStateBaseball) February 24, 2026
A number of freshmen and new transfers who spent most of the start of the season on the bench took the field and achieved firsts with the Wolfpack on Tuesday and Wednesday. Highlights included the first home run of Brandon Novy's Wolfpack career and the first RBIs for freshmen Vincent DeCarlo, Quinn Bentley and Christian Serrano.
Other players like Indiana transfer outfielder Andrew Wiggins and James Madison transfer third baseman Wyatt Peifer rotated in and out of the starting lineup throughout the first two weeks. Avent and his staff plan for these two to be a larger part of the team's grand plans during 2026, so games like the Akron and Richmond wins help the development process.
"You've got to get on the field," Avent said. "We've got a lot of guys that can play on this team. We've got to try to get Wiggins out there more. Preston Bonn hasn't had a great opportunity yet."
Throughout the offseason, Avent shared his concern with the lack of reps his team got in scrimmage situations, in large part because of the weather than inendated the East Coast throughout most of January and February. Games that are decided within the first few innings help get the different players reps, but there's a balance to that process.
A McHugh MASH for good measure.
— NC State Baseball (@NCStateBaseball) February 24, 2026
Three home runs in the second, our fourth home run in the first two innings! pic.twitter.com/vNhYNNyRei
"You want to make sure you're covering all your bases to get guys out there," Avent said. "Yet, you're trying to couple that guys that have been here before... Are getting the at-bats that they need. In baseball, you need at-bats to get it going. Hitting is not an easy proposition. Some say it's the hardest thing in all of sports to do, so you've got to get those guys out there."
Avent and the Wolfpack return to action for another weekend series, this time taking on Sacred Heart. First pitch for the Friday game is scheduled for 3 P.M. EST.
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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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