030: ⚾️ Carolina and State
A look back at Carolina and State on the diamond over the past 10 seasons.
North Carolina baseball welcomes NC State to Chapel Hill on Thursday at 7 pm. It’s the start of a crucial three-game series because both squads are flirting with the NCAA Tournament bubble.
A quick detour about the other teams in the Big Four
The private schools that are the other half of the Big Four are having better seasons.
Wake Forest is the top-ranked team in the country with the best run differential. The Demon Deacons are raising the property value of the ACC with their RPI and play this season. Wake Forest is setup to host both a Regional and possible Super Regional at David F. Couch Ballpark1.
Duke is in the top-10 of the latest RPI2. The Blue Devils have lost only four games since the start of April. Duke is 14-9 in the ACC and lost series to both Carolina and Wake Forest. The Devils do not play NC State in the regular season.
A look back at Carolina against State since 2013
North Carolina has won 18 of the last 31 meetings against NC State. The Tar Heels have lost seven of 12 games in Chapel Hill and won seven of 11 games in Raleigh. The home team hasn’t won the league series since 2017.
Carolina has won six of eight games at neutral sites that include Omaha (College World Series), an out-of-conference game in Durham, and ACC Tournament games in Durham, Charlotte, Greensboro, and Louisville.
NC State have scored 12 more runs than North Carolina over these 31 games. The Heels have won seven of the games by one run and three games by two runs. The two teams split games in Omaha in 2013 and Carolina eliminated State in the second matchup of the CWS.
NC State has won 22 NCAA Tournament games since 2013, including two trips to the College World Series (2013, 2018). The 2021 trip to Omaha was an unpleasant ending for the Wolfpack3.
Carolina has won 204 NCAA Tournament games since 2013, including two trips to the College World Series (2013, 2018). The Heels have won the ACC Tournament three times (2013, 2019, 2022) and regular season twice (2013, 2018).
Carolina and State in 2023
Carolina is 30-17 overall and 11-11 in the ACC. The Tar Heels are 33rd in the latest RPI and 9-15 against the top-50 teams with a -23 run differential. Carolina is 4-8 in league play at Boshamer Stadium this season. The Heels have been outscored by 11 runs in those 12 home conference games.
The Wolfpack are 31-15 overall and 10-13 in ACC play. State is 20th in the latest RPI and 9-14 against the top-50 teams with a +5 run differential. NC State is 4-7 in ACC games away from Raleigh this season. The Wolfpack own a +10 run differential despite losing seven of 11 ACC games away from home.
As of late, the two teams are more alike than different.
If you’re looking to stay up-to-date on ACC baseball, check out the ACC baseball etc podcast. I came across it while listening to The OG, which also now has its own podcast about North Carolina sports. From a national perspective, check out Boyd’s World needs report or Warren Nolan to track NCAA Tournament scenarios.
View the code for the charts in this post and please consider subscribing below.
David F. Couch Ballpark is all turf. It’s alarming a private school in a city known for its ability to sell tobacco has a baseball field that is more similar to a carpet than actual grass.
RPI numbers are from WarrenNolan.
Eliminated due to COVID-19 issues, and played its final game with only 13 players.
It remains amazing Carolina won 18 NCAA Tournament games in two seasons (2006 to 2007), and played in the National Championship series twice.