RALEIGH, N.C. --NC State baseball has a chance to punch its Super Regional ticket tonight at 6 p.m. in the Raleigh Regional Final.
James Madison eliminated South Carolina from the postseason earlier today, making the Dukes the last team standing between the Pack and that Super Regional berth. JMU ace Donovan Burke threw nine shutout innings against the Gameco*cks to keep his team's season alive, but that usage sets up a potentially high-scoring game for the Pack9 bats against whoever takes the mound next.
If the Dukes pull off an upset tonight, NC State can still advance by winning a winner-take-all game Monday. However, Wolfpack Nation can celebrate tonight if the red and white takes care of business at the Doak.
As power hitters like Garrett Pennington anticipate getting in the batter's box against JMU, here's a look at the full game information along with Pack Pride's scouting report on the Dukes.
No. 3 James Madison vs No. 1 NC State Game Information
First pitch: Friday, May 31, 2024 at 6 p.m. ET
Location: Doak Field, Raleigh, N.C.
TV: ESPN+
Radio: The Varsity Network App
Social Media: Twitter // Instagram // Facebook
Scouting Report
From neighbors down south to another up north, JMU crosses the Virginia line to try and make some noise at the Doak. The Dukes squeezed in from the bubble as one of four teams out of the Sun Belt employing a similar strategy as the Gameco*cks: hit the ball out of sight and cross your fingers for the pitching.
This game plan yields results for JMU who took one game apiece at then-No. 4 Arkansas and then-No. 16 Coastal Carolina in those early-season series. Tack on a midweek against an ACC squad in Virginia Tech in between and the Dukes has the precedent to make things interesting at the Doak.
Though the overall production is more diversified than South Carolina's, JMU employs its own small core of bats in Fenwick Trimble, Brendan O'Donnell and Jason Schiavone. All three notched at least 14 home runs, 40 RBI and an OPS over 1.000 in 2024.
An All-Sun Belt first team selection, Trimble leads all qualified Dukes hitters with a .455 on-base percentage and leads the team with 61 RBI. The junior exhibits a veteran approach at the plate, waiting and waiting for the right pitch to attack which shows up in his 27 walks to just 21 strikeouts on the year.
Closer to the power side than on-base, O'Donnell slashes .314/.401/.662 on his way to 16 home runs and 44 RBI. The grad transfer for Rider also smacked 20 doubles in 2024, leading the team and ranking 3rd in the conference. Schiavone leans all the way to the power end of the spectrum with a .277/.391/.636 slash line, making up the dip in on-base numbers with a team-leading 18 home runs to go with his 49 RBI.
The Dukes also boast their own trademark base stealer in Mike Mancini. A shortstop on the 2016 Little League World Series Champions from Maine-Endwell, New York, Mancini's since moved over to second base but still runs with all the energy of a Little Leaguer hopped up on Pixie Sticks and Mountain Dew. He also swiped 29 bags in 2024, good enough for second in the Sun Belt and tying for 2oth nationwide. Mancini also presents a solid threat with the bat in his hands, slashing .326/.422/.543 with 11 home runs and 44 RBI.
The plethora of offensive weapons makes JMU an entertaining team to watch, but opposing teams rarely have a hard time keeping pace against the Dukes' lackluster pitching staff. James Madison posts a .291 batting average against -- the worst in the Sun Belt -- and a team ERA just over 6.00. If the Wolfpack hits as well as it has in the last couple of months, the red and white should have no trouble dispatching the Dukes if they face off at the Doak.
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