Copperhead Road - Baseball at Louisville - StateFans Nation StateFans Nation

My apologies to loyal readers (all five of you), but this week’s preview will be sorely lacking.

Due to family and other obligations late this week, I am, for the first time ever, writing this on the fly after having done literally no research beforehand. Whatever I get done in the next two hours (and whatever order it may come in)….well you’re just gonna have to live with it.

For a couple of weeks now I’ve been saying that Wolfpack Baseball (32-14, 13-9 ACC) really needed to distinguish itself in order to get out of that #6-10 range if they wanted to be seriously considered as a national seed when NCAA Tourney bids go out in a few weeks. And while they haven’t played badly at all since then, and have managed not to knock themselves out of the national seed discussion (and are currently still safely in the top 16 regional hosts); nor have they done much distinguishing of themselves. Two straight weekends (vs Duke, at Clemson), the Pack has allowed very winnable game three’s to escape. The former would have resulted in a home sweep vs a good team, the latter a road series win against a really good team.

So, what’s a guy gotta do to get a little distinguishing?

What I do know without doing any research is that Louisville (39-10, 16-8 ACC) is really damned good. #5 in the polls this week, #2 in the RPI. And unfortunately, they’re even better at home where they’ve lost only a single game all season. That’s right sports fans, only one team (UVa) has gone into Louisville this year and NOT limped back out with a broom stick up their…..bus’ tailpipe.

And I’m not gonna lie to ya folks, statistically speaking, they’ve been better than we have. I don’t have the numbers in front of me, but I’d bet the farm that (again….statistically speaking) they’re better than us offensively, significantly better on the hill, and probably marginally better defensively as well.

I’m not very good at saying things like “Well, everybody gets swept there, so let’s just be happy with one win…..if we can get it.”

That’s defeatist. More than that it’s loser speak. It really doesn’t matter what has happened up until now. Not as far as these games this weekend are concerned at least.

All we have to do is be better than them THIS WEEKEND. Lotsa almost great teams had great seasons….right up until that one team came to town and dropped the proverbial turd in the home team’s punch bowl.

****This is usually the part where I’d go into my profanity laced tirade/pep talk….but it’s a family site so instead I’ll give you this……

What’s the most important game of the season? Today’s game. Ask me again tomorrow.

Win today.

–

The Venomous Snake in the Room

As some of you have heard, but no doubt some have not, Head Coach Elliott Avent will not be traveling to Louisville with the team this weekend. It will be the first road trip he’s missed in his 2o years at NCSU.

It seems Coach Avent (and his little dog too) had a close reptilian encounter on Wednesday.

Avent to Miss Louisville Series (GoPack.com)

NC state baseball coach Elliott Avent will miss the Wolfpack’s ACC series at Louisville this weekend after suffering a bite from a copperhead snake on his right ankle Wednesday evening.

Avent was walking his dog Samantha, who he had just rescued from the Curtis & Jacquelyn Dail SPCA in Garner when he was bit. He and Sammi both spent Wednesday night in the hospital and both were released Thursday morning, and are resting at home.

On a somewhat semi-un-related note, I never thought any set of circumstances anywhere ever would lead me to link a Steve Earl video into a Baseball post. Life, huh? You just never, never know.

In all seriousness, as someone who has been bitten by a copperhead and who has witnessed the after effects of plenty of dogs (and a few stupid cats too) getting a little too close, I want to sincerely say that I hope Samantha is recuperating well. Oh yeah, Coach Avent as well, even though he tried to get his new dog eaten by a giant reptile.

I keed, I keed.

Seriously Coach, get well soon. And invest in a poke ahead stick. They’re cheap.

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at Louisville Games Schedule

Friday, May 13, 6pm – ESPN3
Saturday, May 14, 1pm – ESPN3
Sunday, May 15, 1pm – ESPN3

ACC Standings

Atlantic

Schools	Conf W-L-T	Conf PCT	W-L-T	PCT
Florida State	14-6-0	.700	32-15-0	.681
Louisville	16-8-0	.667	39-10-0	.796
NC State	13-9-0	.591	32-14-0	.696
Clemson	13-14-0	.481	32-17-0	.653
Wake Forest	11-13-0	.458	29-19-0	.604
Notre Dame	10-12-0	.455	26-22-0	.542
Boston College	11-14-0	.440	27-18-0	.600

Coastal

Schools	Conf W-L-T	Conf PCT	W-L-T	PCT
Miami	16-6-0	.727	37-9-0	.804
Virginia	14-10-0	.583	31-17-0	.646
Georgia Tech	11-12-0	.478	32-16-0	.667
Pitt	10-13-0	.435	25-20-0	.556
North Carolina	10-14-0	.417	31-18-0	.633
Duke	10-14-0	.417	28-21-0	.571
Virginia Tech	5-19-0	.208	18-31-0	.367