I don't have any tattoos. I know many of you assumed I had some sort of permanent representation of an Excel spreadsheet on my person, but it is not true. Call me old fashioned, but my surface area is limited and I'm a bit particular. Which is not to say that I haven't considered what Earl Wolff decided to do.

As tempting as something like this might be, I can't help but imagine some bizarre future scenario that makes it inexplicable. What if there is no such thing as North Carolina in 40 years when you're explaining this to your grand children? What if State changes its nickname to "Cash Money All-Stars" after it joins the SEC in 2014? Then those eyes are just extra weird.

Okay, as for that no tattoos part, I was lying. Aside from a flaming basketball, I have the initials KH tattooed very close to my heart, right next to Tracy Smith's 2009 offensive rebounding percentage. Never forget.

The Mighty Wolfpack announced its presence with authority, or at least benefitted from some wildness from the Deacon moundsmen, to sweep the series way back in the ides of March. The Pack took 19 free passes en route to outscoring Wake Forest 20-11 in the three-game set at the Doak. Staff ace Carlos Rodon (9-0, 1.59 ERA), much to the chagrin of many Pack backers who want the big lefty to face UNC later in pool play, will square off against Wake's hottest hurler, sophomore Jack Fischer (4-4, 2.77). First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be televised on both the interwebs (ESPN3) and good old fashioned television (FSNSOMETHINGOROTHER, I think).

Follow below the jump to see how some of State's mainstays performed in the regular season against Wake Forest.

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Miami starter Eric Erickson does not have overpowering stuff, but he did a good job of controlling the game, and while State had nine hits off him, few were hit hard. The end result was a 2-1 deficit for the Wolfpack entering the ninth inning. That's when it all fell apart for a solid Miami bullpen:

Miami entered the bottom of the ninth with a 2-1 lead and Eric Nedeljkovic (0-2) -- their fourth pitcher-- on the mound. Nedeljkovic retired the lead-off hitter but Brett Austin singled. John Gianis pinch-hit for shortstop Matt Bergquist and singled to right, advancing Austin to third.

Nedeljkovic was replaced by closer E.J. Encinosa, who walked Trea Turner, to load the bases. Chris Diaz chopped a grounder to third and reached first base safely when first baseman Esteban Tresgallo couldn't come up with the low throw.

The tying run scored on the play.

Encinosa then walked Ryan Mathews on five pitches, forcing in the winning run.

Ethan Ogburn was outstanding for the Pack--save one mistake that was taken over the right field wall--and Vance Williams kept Miami off the scoreboard in 2+ innings of relief.

Carlos Rodon will start against Wake on Thursday.

With the conference tournament getting underway today, let's take a look at how some of the Wolfpack baseballers' stats stack up nationally and relative to league foes, starting with the big lefty.

Nationally*

Carlos Rodon

T 1^st in winning percentage (1.000, 9-0)

T 5^th in strikeouts (114)

10^th in ERA (1.59)

11^th in hits allowed per 9 innings (5.81)

19^th in strikeouts per 9 innings (10.69)

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Following all this expansion talk, here’s my attempt to analyze how the ACC might stay relevant in the football discussions. Will it happen, probably not, but it could (and I think outside of an SEC invitation, most would like to stay in the ACC if it remains viable). What do you think?

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Happy opening day of the ACC Tournament, Pack. Come 3:30 the battle for (hopefully) super regional status begins. On to your morning's entertainment.

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