The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1532241
46 ■ THE WOLFPACKER PACK PAST Aspiring Major Leaguers Have Long Flocked To NC State's Field Of Dreams BY TIM PEELER E lliott Avent was standing in the dugout at Doak Field and Dail Park, leaning on a rail and looking over the two construction projects in front of him. There was, of course, his 2025 NC State baseball team, in one of its first spring practices following another ap- pearance in the College World Series, the program's third since 2013 (all under Avent) and fourth overall (going back to 1968 under Sam Esposito). The other ongoing project, which will be noticeable all season long for those who attend games, is the new- est round of upgrades to the stadium, which opened nearly 60 years ago and still lags behind other college baseball facilities in the state. Avent is hoping to see progress in both as the season goes along. "It's chaos around here," he said. "It's always chaos around here." In some regards, that's always true. Avent does run a well-organized, highly developed, analytically sound program, but it still sometimes looks like one of the coach's scattered and frantic romps to visit an umpire following a disputed call. That's the way Avent's program has always appeared since he took over from fellow alum Ray Tanner 29 years ago. Yet here's the secret to Avent's — and the program's — success: consistency at the top, going back more than 100 years. Since Charles "Chick" Doak was hired as the program's first full-time, baseball-only coach in 1924, four of the seven head coaches have been in place at least 15 years. Tanner, who was only skipper for nine seasons, spent a com- bined two decades with the program as a player, assistant and head coach before leaving for South Carolina in 1995. Additionally, since World War II, there have only been four coaches: Vic Sorrell, Esposito, Tanner and Avent. The program has thrived on all the things that have happened before, both in the long and short view. "Baseball is about memories," Avent After starring at NC State, Mike Caldwell played 14 major league seasons, finishing second in the 1978 Cy Young Award race and winning two games for the Milwaukee Brewers in the 1982 World Series. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS