The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1523120
50 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Elliott Avent Keeps Building On The Pack's Storied Baseball Legacy Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu. PACK PERSPECTIVE BY TIM PEELER A t the end of one of NC State's most successful athletic sea- sons in decades, baseball coach Elliott Avent staked his case — again — for being the Wolfpack's most passionate voice and a suc- cessful leader on the field of com- petition. Following in the footsteps of another NCAA championship for women's cross country, the first men's basketball ACC title since 1987 and first Final Four appear- ance since 1983, women's basket- ball's second trip to the Final Four ever and the successive ACC titles won in women's cross country, men's swimming and wrestling, Avent took the Wolfpack baseball squad on a wild trip to Omaha for the Men's College World Series. It's the third time NC State has advanced to college baseball's biggest event since 2013, done in surprise fashion by overcoming some significant injuries to win the NCAA Raleigh Re- gional and to beat homestanding Georgia in the Athens Super Regional. That the Pack lost two one-run games at Charles Schwab Field to Kentucky and Florida doesn't diminish a season that was as pleasing as the Final Four trips by the men's and women's basketball teams. It was a team that overcame injuries and played with passion during the most im- portant time of the year. For Avent, advancing to this year's Col- lege World Series was satisfying in ways that are completely different than the trip the team made in 2013, with a sophomore core that included future major leagu- ers Trea Turner and Carlos Rodón, and in 2021, when his team was sent home for controversial reasons related to CO- VID-19 protocols during the height of the pandemic. This was a team built with transfers, homegrown talent and some top leftovers from the 2021 team, a unique combina- tion that came together later in the year. The 68-year-old Avent plans to take the lessons learned from this trip into future seasons. "We all know it's a completely different landscape in college sports right now," he said. "We're still going to build our program through recruiting great players and developing them here, whether they are high school players or portal players that want to come here." Success can be self-defeating, of course. Major League Baseball pushed the draft of amateur players to July. Three Pack players with remaining eligibility — outfielder Eli Serrano III, catcher Jacob Cozart and pitcher Dominic Fritton — went to a pre-draft combine in Arizona after returning home from Omaha. Replacements and enhancements are on the way, however, with the latest re- cruiting class and a new crop of transfer players set to arrive. "We probably won't know until Aug. 1 who all will be coming back to school," Avent said. "If you protect yourself in the portal too much, then how do you keep everybody happy? You don't want to over-recruit, because everybody's com- ing looking for something. "Chemistry has always been one of the things that I think makes college sports not only special, but it's what makes it work. It's something we have to take into consideration." Something else to consider is that Avent just completed his 36th season as a head coach, 28 of which have been at NC State. With 1,242 victories in more than 2,000 games coached, Avent is the winningest coach in any sport in school history. There was an inordinate amount of conver- sation on the ESPN broadcasts during the NCAA Regional, Super Regional and World Series about him riding into the sunset. But he's talked to family, to mentors and to NC State's administration, and has no plans to leave anytime soon. "I did get the question a lot," he said. "I didn't really understand why. It's something I don't ever think about until the season is over, because if you think about it during the season, you're not doing justice to the team. There's no way you can operate or run a business when one foot is out the door." Avent's feet are planted firmly in the dirt of Doak Field at Dail Park, at least until the ongoing upgrade project is fin- ished. The second phase of the facility's renovation is scheduled to begin this summer, with hopes of being done before the 2025 season. Those player-oriented renovations are part of a $20 million up- grade and will include a hitting facility, a pitching laboratory and updated locker rooms, players' lounge and weight room. Avent wants to see that project through, and maybe take another trip to Omaha, as well. "I'm not leaving right now," he said. "I still have a lot to give to the team. When I think I don't, that's when it's time to talk about it. "I certainly would love to see all this effort that we've made on fundraising for our facilities completed. It's something I want to see finished. It means so much to so many people out there — former play- ers, fans, people who have given money. "I feel like it's my obligation to see it finished off, to continue the legacy that Coach [Sam] Esposito and Coach [Ray] Tanner started before me." ■ Avent has compiled a 1,036-615 record and made three Men's College World Series appearances in 28 seasons at NC State. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS