The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1190316
JANUARY 2020 ■ 65 BY MATT CARTER C oaching a college baseball team is tricky because programs only have 11.7 athletic scholarships to distribute, but NC State could be in a good spot with its roster going into the spring of 2020. "It's hard to acquire the depth that you want to acquire," Wolfpack head coach El- liott Avent said. "You probably will never have the depth that you want. You're always a key injury or two away from having a prob- lem, but I think we have depth in the outfield. I think we have good depth in the infield, and I think we have great depth in pitching. We have one of the best catchers in the country." Thus entering the 2019 season, his 23rd as the Pack's head coach, Avent is an en- viable position. By the coach's own ad- mission, he likes his various pitching and lineup options, but of course he also is quick to add, "I may not say that in March." The longtime coach does have challenges. NC State lost its two most consistent bats in the lineup off last year's squad that went 42- 19 overall and 18-12 in the ACC. Shortstop Will Wilson was drafted in the first round by the Los Angeles Angels, and first base- man Evan Edwards was picked in the fourth round by the Miami Marlins. NC State does return junior catcher Patrick Bailey, a career .303 hitter who has belted at least 10 homers in both his years in Raleigh. Bailey spent the summer on Team USA tour- ing with the best college baseball players and is a potential high draft pick this summer. "We've had a lot of good catchers at NC State, and he's as good as any we've ever had," Avent noted. In the field, the coach has a wide variety of options. Sophomore Tyler McDonough, who had an impressive rookie campaign in which he hit .320 with five homers and stole a team-high 10 bases, could play center field or second base. Junior Aaron Murr was a junior college All-American who had a .440 batting average in two seasons at Des Moines Area College, and he could play outfield or first base. Junior Devonte Brown, a .286 hitter in 2019 who tied the Sunbelt Baseball League's record with eight homers this summer, could play out- field or third base. Avent hinted that his lineup could de- pend on whether he wants to prioritize de- fense or offense. On the mound, Avent loses one of his top starters from a year ago in Jason Parker, who was picked in the 16th round by the Cincinnati Reds, but he has a mixture of veterans and exciting newcomers that give him a lot of options. Right-hander junior Reid Johnston is 13-3 in 38 career appearances, including 24 starts, with a 3.41 earned run average over 142 1 ⁄3 innings for the Pack in his first two seasons. This summer, he made the All-Star Game in the prestigious Cape Cod League after he went 2-0 with a 1.82 ERA in six starts and 24 2 ⁄3 innings against some of the best prospects in college baseball. "Reid has played so many roles for us," Avent explained. "He's intelligent. Reid is just a guy that doesn't seem to have a pulse. BASEBALL PREVIEW ■ Key Series • April 10-12 at Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets won the Coastal Division last season and then ended NC State's ACC Tournament run in the semifinals. • April 17-19 vs. North Carolina: One of the highlights of last season was winning a series at UNC, which went on to win the ACC Tournament, taking the final two games by a combined score of 22-2. • May 8-10 at Louisville: The Cardinals had the league's best regular-season record at 21-9 and then made it to the College World Series. BUILDING DEPTH NC State Head Coach Elliott Avent Likes His Options In The Field And On The Mound Junior catcher Patrick Bailey earned first-team All-ACC and third-team All-America honors dur- ing the 2019 season. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS