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Wolfpack Continues Rolling With Another Midweek Victory

NC State hit the road for the first time since a trip to Puerto Rico to open the season, taking on UNCW.
Tucker Sennett|
NC State first baseman Chris McHugh awaits a pitch at the plate during the Wolfpack's 6-4 win over No. 16 Coastal Carolina on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
NC State first baseman Chris McHugh awaits a pitch at the plate during the Wolfpack's 6-4 win over No. 16 Coastal Carolina on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. | Courtesy of NC State Athletics

A week before Tuesday, NC State baseball hosted a Coastal Athletic Association opponent for a midweek game, losing to the Elon Phoenix 2-0 at Doak Field. Seven days later, the Wolfpack hit the road for the first time in the 2026 season to take on another CAA opponent and hoping for a different result against the UNCW Seahawks.

The Wolfpack dominated the Seahawks in a 14-2 win, pushing its record to 17-4 on the season thus far. NC State rode a resurgent lineup to victory. Now, it must prepare for its second conference series of the season.

Wolfpack lineup and stats

  1. LF Rett Johnson: 2-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB
  2. SS Mikey Ryan: 1-4, R, BB
  3. 1B Chris McHugh: 2-3, R, 6 RBI, HR (7), 2 BB
  4. 3B Sherman Johnson: 1-4, R, BB, K
  5. 2B Luke Nixon: 2-5, R
  6. RF Brayden Fraasman: 4-5, 2 R, 2 RBI
  7. CF Ty Head: 1-4, 2 R, BB
  8. DH Brandon Novy: 1-3, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR (3), K -- PH Quinn Bentley: 0-1, K
  9. C Preston Bonn: 0-3, 2 R, 2 BB

LHP Luke Hemric: 2.1 IP, 2 H, R, ER, 3 BB, 2 K
RHP Sam Harris: 3 IP, H, R, ER, 2 BB, 4 K, W (1-0)
RHP Ryder Garino: 1.2 IP, 2 K

Key observations

NC State scored as many runs as it did in an entire series win over Boston College in just seven innings against UNCW. The lineup struggled at times with the Eagles, but the Seahawks failed to provide the same frustrations, particularly for one of the Wolfpack's struggling hitters who needed to turn things around.

McHugh was red-hot to start his junior season, but cooled off during the series against Boston College and the midweek matchup with Elon before that. A trip to Wilmington allowed him to regain some of his confidence at the plate and then some, as the first baseman mashed the Seahawks with a home run and six RBI. His RBI total marked a new career-high.

The first baseman had just seven home runs in his sophomore season. 21 games into the 2026 campaign, he's already matched that total. Younger players for the Wolfpack, like Rett Johnson and Novy, also chipped into the victory, with Johnson continuing to be a valuable contributor at the top of the lineup with speed and grit.

The win allowed head coach Elliott Avent to get some of his younger pitchers some more confidence as well. Hemric struggled in an outing against Boston College, while Sam Harris had some issues in a loss to Lafayette. The conference season continues on Friday, as NC State heads to Tallahassee to take on No. 11 Florida State for a three-game set.

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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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