While most celebrities who throw out the first pitch at a baseball game are not exactly impressive, Pack fans can expect the star visiting Doak Field on Saturday to throw a strike.  He is the “backup” pitcher for the Garner Trojans, after all.

With Garner native Scotty McCreery in attendance to throw out the first pitch, the baseball game between the Seminoles and Wolfpack is officially a sell-out.

McCreery is one of the top three finalists for the show American Idol. Each finalist visits home when they enter the final two weeks of the show.

When it was announced on Thursday, following the revelation that he would be in the top three, that McCreery would be at the Pack’s game Saturday, tickets became a popular commodity. 

The Idol star arrived late Friday night at the Durham International Airport and will take part in several other activities for the show outside of throwing out the first pitch. McCreery will be taking part in a parade held on Buffaloe Road as well as a concert from 3 to 4 p.m. amongst other festivities.

McCreery was spotted earlier on this season with a Pack shirt on during his practicing sessions during the show. But on Saturday night, N.C. State will not be able to offer him much more than a free visit to the field along with a jersey.

While the appearance is clearly not for an official visit, athletics spokeswoman Annabelle Myers still had to clear the visit through the NCAA to assure that it would not be considered as such. Therefore, the Pack cannot offer so much as a free hot dog to McCreery under NCAA rules.

Pack fans should expect a large crowd early on at Doak Field and plan to arrive early to avoid traffic.  The game is set for a 9:05 p.m. start and Varsity Road will be closed to vehicular traffic at 5 p.m.