The UNC Wilmington baseball team spent an unusually long time in left field, circled around Head Coach Mark Scalf, listening to him address the team after Wednesday night’s 11-2 loss to regional rival NC State.

The loss, which dropped the Seahawks record to 11-12, was disappointing for many because it had looked like the team—which entered the season with high expectations—had finally turned a corner after an underwhelming beginning to the season. After a four-game stretch that included a mid-week win over Coastal Carolina and a weekend series win over West Virginia, the Seahawks came out flat against a nationally ranked NC State team that was desperate for a win.

For the Seahawks, pitching continued to be an issue. Freshman Cory Gantz got the start, and actually pitched well after a tough first inning. Gantz got off to a rough start, walking the leadoff hitter before giving up a line-drive home run to shortstop Trea Turner. He settled in after the first, lasting 3.2 innings while allowing three earned runs on four hits, while walking two and striking out four. Despite the limited appearance, Scalf saw some things he liked from the freshman.

“After the first inning, I thought Cory threw well,” he said. “It was probably a bad pitch selection in all honesty, that breaking ball he threw to Turner; [that Turner hit for a home run] he probably would have been better off throwing a fastball or changeup. Outside of that, I thought he threw the baseball pretty good for us- he gave us a chance.”

The Seahawks got a run back in the bottom of the second, when first baseman Corey Dick legged out a one-out double. Right fielder Robbie Thorburn followed up with a double of his own, cutting the lead in half. UNCW would get another run in the third, courtesy of Terrence Connelly, but that was it on the night for the Seahawks. The game was just another example of the inconsistency that has plagued the offense thus far.

After this loss, the team is under .500 this far into the season for only the third time in the last 17 seasons. As conference play starts this weekend, neither the players or coaches are feeling the pressure of losing control of the season just yet.

“We just have to keep hanging in there, keep making the pitches,” Dick said. “I think that one thing that’s big for us right now is those big innings. We need to eliminate those, or keep them to a minimum. Offensively we just need to keep hitting it. Honestly, I think we’re fine. I think we’re in that stage where we’re trying to find that perfect matchup; our lineup can go several different ways without skipping a beat.”

UNCW’s bullpen struggled mightily against the power-hitting Wolfpack lineup. Evan Foster, Will Shepley, Blaze Tart and Evan Phillips all saw action, and all surrendered at least two runs. Of the eight walks allowed on the night, UNCW’s bullpen was responsible for six of them. The walks, along with two hit batters, accounted for 10 of State’s 11 runs.

“We’ve got to be a little tougher mentally,” Scalf said. “We’ve got to be able to overcome mistakes—whether it’s pitching mistakes or hitting mistakes, we’ve got to be a little tougher. If one guys doesn’t get it done, the next guy has to step in and take care of business.”

Conference play starts this weekend as the Seahawks travel to Harrisonburg, Virginia to take on James Madison University. The Dukes (8-14, 5-7 at home) are currently on a five-game losing streak. Games one and two will start at 6:30 p.m., with the Seahawks starting their Sunday getaway game at 2 p.m.. They’ll stay on the road early in the week, going to Chapel Hill to play UNC before coming home for a Wednesday night rematch with Coastal Carolina.