The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1532241
MARCH/APRIL 2025 ■ 49 Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu. Sorrell coached for 20 years at State, though he produced hardly any major leaguers. The most successful profes- sional pitcher during that era was Dur- ham native Roger Craig, who played one season of freshman basketball under Case, but never played baseball for the Wolfpack. He won multiple World Se- ries titles as a player and major league manager. It wasn't until Esposito, a member of the Chicago White Sox 1959 World Se- ries champions, took over the program in 1967 that the Wolfpack established a stronger foothold in college baseball and began to regularly produce major league talent. He recruited three pitch- ers — Mike Caldwell, Tim Stoddard and Dan Plesac — who went on to play for 13 or more seasons in the 1960s, '70s and '80s. Caldwell was a strong starter for the San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers and other teams for 14 years, finishing second in the 1978 Cy Young Award race and winning two games for the Brewers in the 1982 World Series. Stoddard played on NC State's 1974 men's basketball national champion- ship team in addition to winning three ACC baseball titles. He's the only ath- lete ever to win both an NCAA men's basketball title and a World Series championship, which he did with the Baltimore Orioles in 1983. Plesac also signed to play basketball with the Wolfpack but became an All- America pitcher and the school's initial first-round draft pick. The four-time All- Star is one of six pitchers in major league history to appear in more than 1,000 games, which he did over the course of an 18-year career with six franchises. When Avent became head coach in 1996, he had a few players who ap- peared in the majors and produced first-round picks Corey Lee, Andrew Brackman and Joey Devine. The three power pitchers made it to the majors, though their time was short because of injuries. Devine did pitch well enough to set a record for a reliever with a 0.59 earned run average for the Oakland A's in 2008. It wasn't until 2014, in the aftermath of Avent's first College World Series ap- pearance, that the Wolfpack produced players with more longevity. Carlos Rodon and Trea Turner were taken in the top 13 and are still playing today. Both have played in the All-Star Game and the World Series for their respective teams, becoming among the highest- paid and most accomplished players at their positions. The Power Of Belief Two seasons ago, left-handed pitcher Evan Justice and catcher Patrick Bailey became the latest NC State players to reach the big leagues. Bailey has earned a starting job with the San Francisco Gi- ants, while Justice made 10 appearances in his first season with the Colorado Rockies and a one-inning appearance in 2024. As he prepared to leave for his fourth spring training (his second major league camp), Justice recalled when he first thought playing in the major leagues was an attainable goal. "I vividly remember a conversation I had with pitching coach Clint Chrysler," Justice said. "He was not the coach who recruited me, but he watched me pitch. He asked me one day, 'Do you think you could be a major league pitcher one day?' "I didn't know what to say. He said, 'I think you can.'" For Justice, one of the latest Pack players to make it all the way to The Show, it was the force of everything that happened after he arrived at NC State that helped make his dream come true. "I knew Coach Avent believed in me," he said. "And the staff believed in me. Once I got to camp with the Rockies, I watched the guys who had big league service time and how they went about their business. "I definitely didn't see anything different in them. I had played in the College World Series. I had played in the ACC. I had played for a program that regularly sends players to the big leagues. That's when I started thinking I could be one of those guys up there." In the Arizona Fall League following the 2024 major league season, Justice became one of the few pitchers to ever complete a full season without giving up a hit or a run. In nine games, he walked one batter, struck out 11 and dominated hitters in the six-team league. Now, with all that came before him, all that he experienced and all that's ahead, he believes he has the tools and confidence to stay in the majors. ■ Since 2013, Elliott Avent has led NC State to three appearances in the Men's College World Series, including a trip last year. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS