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RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - AUGUST 28: Mr. Wuf, mascot of the NC State Wolfpack, performs during the game against the East Carolina Pirates at Carter-Finley Stadium on August 28, 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pack9 continued to kick around the tomato cans of their non-conference schedule, sweeping Sacred Heart over the weekend in Raleigh with each game of the three-game series being called early due to the mercy/slaughter/run rule. All told, the Wolfpack outscored the Pioneers 45-9 on the weekend.
Ryan Marohn had a few uncharacteristic struggles in Friday’s start, namely an uncharacteristic three walks in his 4.0 innings, and he allowed a home run on a wind-aided flyball into the Wolfpack bullpen that at one point made it a 9-4 ballgame. Sacred Heart never really threatened, though, and Marohn (4.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K) earned the win after he hit his pitch count (84) while Sam Harris (3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2K) earned his first career save thanks to the three-inning save rule as the Wolfpack prevailed 17-4.
NC State hitters pounded out 13 hits – with 8 of those being extra base hits – while working 7 walks against just 2 strikeouts. Chris McHugh (3-for-4, 2 R), Sherman Johnson (3-for-4, 3B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, 0-1 SB), and Mikey Ryan (2-for-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, 1-1 SB) had multi-hit efforts Friday. Ty Head (1-for-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB), Andrew Wiggins (1-for-1, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 BB), Luke Nixon (1-for-3, 2B, R, 3 RBI, HBP, SF), and Rett Johnson (1-for-3, 2B, 2 R, BB) also reached base safely multiple times.
Let’s check out some crushed pitches!
Saturday was the only tight game of the series, with a 2-2 tie being held into the bottom of the 5th inning. Sacred Heart plated a run in both the 2nd and 3rd innings to take a 2-0 lead as Jacob Dudan had his shakiest start of the year. Take that “shaky” with a huge grain of salt, though.
The Pack tied it in the bottom of the 3rd. Rett Johnson led off with a single and advanced on a Head walk. McHugh singled home Johnson. After a fielder’s choice from Nixon that saw Head get tagged out at third base, Sherman Johnson singled home McHugh to tie the game.
It stayed there until Wiggins broke the tie with a 3-run bomb in the bottom of the 5th, bringing home Nixon (walk) and Sherman Johnson (single).
State then broke the game open with a 7-run 6th inning. After the Pioneers plated three in the top of the 7th, the Wolfpack ended the game thanks to five walks in the bottom of the 7th that helped plate 3 runs and end the 15-5 victory. Oh, and this helped plate one of those three runs.
Dudan (3-0) earned the win, although it wasn’t his cleanest effort, and Sacred Heart did notch a trio of triples off him. He still showcased his ability to make hitters look silly and his line was plenty solid: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 10 K, 1 HBP. More concerning was Anderson Nance looking uncharacteristically hittable, surrendering three runs in an inning and change of work, including giving up a dinger. Nance (1.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) also showcased that ability to make hitters look silly, but it was definitely an off outing for him.
State’s 15 runs came on just 10 hits, but 13 walks and 2 HBPs will help push runs across… or so I’m told. McHugh (2-for-4, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB), Sherman Johnson (2-for-3, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB, HBP), and Wyatt Peifer (2-for-3, 2B, R, 3 RBI, 2 BB) each had multiple hits in the game. Head (0-for-2, R, 2 BB, HBP, 2-2 SB), Nixon (1-for-2, 3 R, RBI, 3 BB, 1-1 SB), Drew Lanphere (0-for-3, R, RBI, 2 BB), and Rett Johnson (1-for-3, 2 R, BB, 1-1 SB) all reached base safely multiple times.
Sunday saw State jump out to an early 6-0 lead and cruise to a 13-0 victory in 7 innings. The big takeaway for this game was another solid start from Cooper Consiglio (5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K), who earned his first win of the season to even his record. The only real jam for the junior lefty came in his final frame when he issued a pair of two-out walks and went 3-1 on the last hitter he faced, but a fly out ended the inning and kept the Pioneers off the board.
Aiden Kitchings (1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K) and Ryder Garino (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K) finished off the game by pitching the 6th and 7th innings, respectively.
Nixon (2-for-3, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, 1-1 SB) and Sherman Johnson (2-for-4, R, 3 RBI, 1-1 SB) were the only two State batters with multiple hits on the day as Pioneer pitchers struggled with control again, issuing 11 walks and plunking a pair of Packers in the game. Head (0-for-1, 2 R, 2 BB, HBP, 2-2 SB), McHugh (1-for-3, R, BB), Brayden Fraasman (1-for-1, 2B, 2 R, BB), Peifer (1-for-3, R, 2 RBI, BB), Ryan (1-for-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB), and Rett Johnson (1-for-2, R, RBI, 2 BB) all reached base safely multiple times.
Here, have some highlights!
While you’re obviously going to have some offensive studs when you put up 45 runs in a three-game series, it was a particularly strong series for Sherman Johnson, going a combined 7-for-11 with a 3B, HR, 6 R, 8 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K, HBP, and 1-2 SB. He had multiple hits in each game and extends his streak to five consecutive multi-hit games. The junior infielder is now hitting .556/.636/.778, 1 2B, 1 HR, 12.1 BB%, 12.1 K%, 3-4 SB on the season.
It was also a big weekend at the dish for Ryan (4-for-10, 3B, 2 HR, 4 R, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 0 K, 1-1 SB), Nixon (4-for-8, 2 2B, HR, 6 R, 7 RBI, 4 BB, 0 K, HBP, 2-2 SB), and McHugh (6-for-11, HR, 6 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 0 K).
State will be back in action Tuesday afternoon with a 3:00pm first pitch in Raleigh against 16th ranked Coastal Carolina. This will be the biggest test of the season for the Pack.
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