Taking stock of NC State baseball’s batters in ACC play

at-bats in conference play with 39.

With three ACC series in the books, NC State baseball has gotten off to a slow start in conference play, dropping each series and recording a 3-6 conference record. In the lineup, 10 players have started at least four games for the Pack.

The Pack’s best hitter by batting average in ACC play has been sophomore catcher Jacob Cozart, who’s hitting .555 through eight conference starts. With 15 hits over that span, Cozart is emerging as one of the Wolfpack’s most reliable options at the plate. He’s also brought power to NC State’s lineup, blasting a pair of homers and a teamhigh five doubles in ACC play.

Junior infielder LuJames Groover is one of four players to start all nine conference games for the Pack and is the only other NC State player to have double digit hits in ACC play with 11. Unlike Cozart, Groover only has one extra base hit in conference play and has leaned on singles, giving the Pack some balance at the plate.

Freshman catcher Cannon Peebles has started his ACC career on the right track. Second on the team with eight RBIs in the conference play, Peebles has a knack for scoring timely runs. Down to one final out in the Wolfpack’s win over Virginia, Peebles hit a two-RBI single for the walkoff win, salvaging an otherwise disappointing series for NC State.

Freshman infielder Eli Serrano is emerging as a promising player for the Pack. Despite only being a freshman, Serrano has started all nine ACC games, averaging .258 at the plate in conference play. Paired with Peebles, NC State has a promising freshman duo.

One player that has shown improvement this season, including during ACC play, is junior infielder Kalae Harrison, a transfer from Texas A&M. After falling below the Mendoza line last season with a .162 batting average, Harrison has made significant progress and is batting .337 against ACC competition. He also leads the Wolfpack in

Davidson transfer and graduate outfielder Parker Nolan has made eight ACC starts and is proving to be a quality starter. With a .321 batting average in conference play, Nolan combines reliability and power. One of Nolan’s best games came in a win against Miami, where Nolan went 4-4 at the plate, including a home run.

Nolan’s teammate from Davidson, graduate outfielder Trevor Candelaria, has had a slower start to ACC play, only posting a .190 batting average. Candelaria started strong in nonconference and will look to get out of his current slump in the coming weeks. Like Nolan, Candelaria has the ability to blast homers and will be needed in order for the Wolfpack to improve its conference record.

Sophomore infielder Payton Green opened the season scorching from the plate, leading the team in overall home runs. However, Green has cooled off significantly against ACC competition with only one home run and a .237 average at the plate. Like Candelaria, Green is a key piece for the Wolfpack that has started conference play in a slump.

While he’s only appeared in five ACC games, junior outfielder Noah Soles has popped for the Wolfpack. His .400 conference batting average is second on the team, and he has a pair of doubles to his name. While it is a small sample, Soles’ numbers have improved since entering conference play and is one of NC State’s more reliable batters.

The last regular contributor to the Wolfpack’s lineup is junior outfielder Carter Trice, a transfer from Old Dominion. The transition to the ACC has been rocky for Trice, who’s batting .154 in conference. One bright spot for Trice was blasting a grand slam in the Wolfpack’s victory over Boston College that helped the team pull away.

As NC State continues through the gauntlet of ACC play, the team will need more consistency and firepower from its bats in order to right the ship and stand a chance at playing in the postseason.