The Matchup: Towson (3-13, 0-0 CAA) @ #1 N.C. State (19-1, 5-1 ACC), VCU (14-5, 0-0 A-10)
When: Tuesday, March 19 – 6 p.m. ET | Wednesday, March 20 – 6:30 p.m. ET
Where: Doak Field – Raleigh, N.C. | The Diamond – Richmond, Va.
Online Broadcast: ACC Network Extra (at N.C. State)
Series: N.C. State leads 6-0, VCU leads 26-16
 
RALEIGH, N.C. –  During Spring Break, the Towson University baseball team will head south for a couple of games before the start of CAA play, taking on No. 1 N.C. State in Raleigh on Tuesday, March 18th at 6 p.m. and VCU on Wednesday, March 19th at 6:30 p.m.
 
The Towson-N.C. State game will be streamed online on ACC Network Extra.
 
Towson, out of the Colonial Athletic Association, split its four-game home weekend against Cornell and Fordham to come into Tuesday at 3-13 overall.  N.C. State, ranked the top team in the country in the Collegiate Baseball Ranking, suffered its first loss on Sunday but took two of three from Florida State to be 19-1 overall and 5-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.  VCU starts Atlantic 10 play this weekend, having fallen in two of three at UCF last weekend to come into the week at 14-5 overall.  VCU plays William & Mary on Tuesday night.
 
 Towson last played N.C. State in a weekend series in Raleigh in May 2010.  All-time, the Wolfpack leads the series 6-0, with the first gme being in 1991.  Towson and VCU used to play together in the CAA, playing just its second game since 2005.  Including a 7-2 win on April 3rd in Towson last year, VCU leads the all-time series 26-16, having won the last four.
 
Strong Home Weekend for Starters
The Towson starting rotation in the four-game home weekend from March 15-17 was stellar.  Josh Seils, Gavin Weyman, Kody Reeser and Oluwasayo Kintunde combined to go 2-0 with a 0.36 ERA in 25.1 innings, including 28 strikeouts against Cornell and Fordham.
 
Seils Named CAA Pitcher of the Week
Josh Seils was part of a stellar performance by the Towson University baseball team's starting pitching over the weekend, earning Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Pitcher of the Week.  The sophomore right-hander was Towson's first game starter on the weekend, taking the hill against Fordham.  He delivered a great start, going eight scoreless innings with six strikeouts and five hits allowed.  Seils's performance earned him his first victory of the season.
 
Towson Athletics – Helper Helper Community Service National Champion
The Towson University athletics department considers community service to be one of its highest priorities, and today, the NCAA has announced that Towson is the Division I national champion of the NCAA Team Works Helper Helper Competition for the Fall 2018 semester.
 
Towson completed the most community service hours among all schools in the competition, including 75 different Division I departments and approximately 300 total programs across the country.
 
"It is a great honor to be a national champion of community service," said Towson director of athletics Tim Leonard. "Community service is a part of our DNA here at Towson University, and our student-athletes represent this institution with pride here in the Greater Baltimore area.  This is a fantastic achievement for everyone in our department, including all student-athletes, coaches, administration and staff."
 
Towson student-athletes and staff completed 5,583 hours of community service from September to November around the Greater Baltimore area. 
 
Pair of Three-Year Starters Are Back
Two position players returning in 2019 have been primary starters in each of their first three years.
 
Richard Miller has been the main third baseman for Towson for three seasons, entering 2019 with 136 games played and 116 started, starting at least 27 games each season.
 
Starting at 104 games mainly at catcher, Trey Martinez has made at least 29 starts in each of his first three years, playing in 119 games going into 2019.
 
In addition, senior Dean Stramara has appeared in 53 games as a pitcher, mainly out of the bullpen.
 
Tom Flacco Joins the Baseball Team
Tom Flacco, the 2018 CAA Offensive Player of the Year for the Towson football team, comes to the diamond for the baseball team in 2019.
 
Flacco, a graduate of Rutgers University, was drafted in the 32nd round out of high school in 2014 by the Philadelphia Phillies, electing to attend Western Michigan to play football.
 
His brother, Michael, played in the minors from 2009-12 after being drafted in the 31st round by the Baltimore Orioles.
 
Maryland, My Maryland
Towson sports 12 players from the home state of Maryland, coming from all areas of the region.
 
In addition, two freshmen, Trent Gast-Woodard and Nick Brown, each are from the home city of Baltimore.  Gast-Woodard and Brown each attended Archbishop Curley.
 
Stramara Named to NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List
Senior Dean Stramara is one of 75 players nationally to be selected to the 2019 NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List.
 
In 2018, he had the best ERA for Towson at 3.94 in 21 appearances, striking out 48 batters in 59.1 innings.
 
Scouting the Opponents
N.C. State's place at #1 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper ranking is the program's first-ever top placement in the country.  The Wolfpack was the second-to-last unbeaten in Division I.
 
The team is hitting .290, including 85 extra-base hits in its first 20 contests.  Freshman infielder Tyler McDonough is hitting .376 with six doubles, two home runs and 18 RBI while senior infielder Evan Edwards has a team-best six home runs, hitting .306.
 
The Wolfpack pitching staff has an ERA of 3.16.  Dalton Feeney, a redshirt sophomore right-hander, has a 0.63 ERA and four saves while junior southpaw Kent Klyman is 5-0 from the bullpen with a 3.21 ERA.  Among potential starters for Tuesday includes Michael Bienlien, a junior righty at 2-1 with a 3.52 ERA.
 
VCU's 14-5 record includes a win over then #6 North Carolina.  In the infield, junior Paul Witt hits .413 with 18 RBI and senior Zac Ching is the main power hitter, standing .310 with eight doubles, three home runs and 20 RBI.
 
With a staff ERA of 3.75, VCU may potentially start sophomore left-hander Devin Dunn with a 6.14 ERA or senior righty Curtis Bafus at 1-1, an 8.56 ERA and 16 strikoeuts.  Senior Mac McCarty is the closer with four saves and a 1.59 ERA.