The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/125393
tracking the PACK Getting To Know: Caitlin Dent ■ Softball NC State senior center fielder Caitlin Dent has played different positions and gone through some ups and downs at NC State, but she is having a stellar final season. Dent comes from a famous baseball family —her father, Bucky Dent, played and managed in Major League Baseball. Her twin brother is currently a senior on the Florida baseball team. Bucky Dent played for four pro baseball teams. He was voted into three all-star games, won two World Series and was World Series MVP in 1978. The 1978 season was highlighted when he famously hit a three-run home run for the New York Yankees in an AL East Division playoff game against the Boston Red Sox. Caitlin Dent has already surpassed her junior year statistics. She hit .213 with 16 runs scored, four home runs and 16 RBI for the Wolfpack in 2012. Dent has had a wonderful senior season through 49 games, hitting .297 (sixth on the team) with 32 runs scored (second), 10 doubles (first), 13 home runs (second) and 45 RBI (tied for first). The Boynton Beach, Fla., native recently took some time to catch up with The Wolfpacker. What has it been like to have this surge in home runs? "It's been awesome. I'm kind of speechless when Quick Questions Best movie you've watched recently? "Safe Haven." Favorite class at NC State? One of my PRT (Parks, Rec and Tourism) classes, with Dr. [Kimberly] Bush. She was awesome and I learned a lot in that class. I really, really enjoyed that. What is your long-range career goal? I'd love to work with the New York Yankees. What does it mean to wear No. 20? My dad, brother and I all wore it. We represent it proudly. Any superstitions on the field? I have to step over the line with my right foot. Any favorite defensive plays? My diving catch against UNC this season. Favorite place to eat back home? It's called Spazio's on Atlantic Avenue. What was the highlight of your recruiting trip to NC State? One of my good friends since I was 8 years old played here, Stephanie Call, and ended up transferring. When I came here, it was a lot of fun meeting the girls and having her with me. I just loved the campus and going on the football field. Favorite NC State athlete in another sport? Marissa Kastanek (women's basketball) and Trea Turner (baseball). I grew up with Trea and went to the same high school. I love watching him play. Through 49 games, Dent was hitting .297 (sixth on the team) with 32 runs scored (second), 10 doubles (first), 13 home runs (second) and 45 RBI (tied for first). photo courtesy nc state media relations people talk about it or ask me about it. I couldn't be more thankful and it feels awesome knowing I have the power to do it." Was the solo home run and three-run walkoff homer to beat UNC 11-8 in eight innings April 13 the highlight of your NC State career? "That definitely was and topped it off. I honestly was just thinking about driving in that run and wanted to hit a line drive and put it in play, so we can score. When I got that pitch, I was just so zoned in and I didn't know what was going on. I couldn't hear anything around me. "When I saw it went out, I was so pumped and couldn't get home fast enough to give my teammates a hug because we won the game." "We just were like, 'No way.' We were still young to understand, but we knew what he had done. Everyone will just come up to me and say, 'Your dad was my role model.' To hear that is very nice. He was like the Derek Jeter of his time. It motivates me to be like him." Do you ever get reactions when you play at Boston College? "It has been all right. We went to Fenway Park on a tour last year or two years ago. My coach told the tour guide who I was. They said I had to leave and couldn't be here right now, and I was like, 'No.' They were like, 'We are just kidding.' The tour guide was just ragging me the whole time." What do you credit for the surge this season? "Honestly, coaching. The coaches have given me the confidence to get back to my old self again. I'm back to who I used to be in high school and when I got here. They have just uplifted me and have coached me all the way. They believe in me. They know I can get the job done. "It makes me relaxed in the box. [NC State head coach] coach [Shawn] Rychcik and [assistant] coach [Katie] Grimes have helped me a lot with my hitting. She is always there encouraging me, and so is Rychcik. They have brought out the best in me." How much did you mother, Marianne Dent, handle everything while your father coached? "My mom is definitely the foundation of our family. She is unbelievable. With my dad away for six months a year, it was hard. She was always there for Cody and I. She was always our motivator and uplifted us every day. She'd be there at every single game. If she couldn't be there, it was because she was either at my game or Cody's game. "She made it work as much as possible, and been there by my side through thick and thin. I want to grow up to be like her." With you born after your father finished playing baseball, at what age did you start learning about his Major League Baseball exploits? "Maybe around 8 years old or so. My twin brother, Cody, and I started to learn about it, and my mother showed me the video of him hitting it [the homer versus Red Sox]. Who inspires you? "Of course, my father. He has always been there for me. My parents, both of them, are always on my side. Coach Rychcik and Coach Grimes have definitely been there a lot.When I play, I just want to make them happy." — Jacey Zembal May 2013 ■ 11 10-12,14,16.Tracking The Pack.indd 11 4/30/13 4:19 PM