The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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TRACKING THE PACK 12 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Strong Fall Positions Ryder Garino For Rotation Spot Ryder Garino wore an infec- tious grin as he stood in front of NC State's dugout at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. He soaked up the joy of helping the Wolfpack to a 7-4 win over North Carolina Oct. 16, and rightfully so. But, at the same time, the junior right-hander tried to downplay his fall exhibition suc- cess as the Wolfpack's most ef- fective pitcher. Instead, he tried to be humble while describing what the past month has been like for him in preparation for the 2027 campaign. "A couple ups and downs, but just staying resilient," Garino said with his smile growing by the second. "I worked really hard this summer. … It's all paying off. It's wonderful." There were plenty more ups than downs for Garino this fall. He turned in a team-best 41/3 in- nings pitched, allowing just 1 hit with 0 walks and 7 strikeouts, becoming the only pitcher on the staff who tossed more than two frames and didn't allow a run or free pass in the process. Garino's growth this fall was a direct result of his summer in Raleigh. Rather than playing collegiate summer ball on the Cape, which he would have had an opportunity to do, the Wolfpack staff believed it would be best for him to stay on campus to continue getting stronger in the weight room. The 6-foot-5 righty lifted four times a week under the guidance of baseball strength coach Mike McCaughtry, while he consistently ate beef and rice, in ad- dition to a constant stream of protein shakes and countless trips to Chipotle. Those efforts paid off for Garino. He spent most of the fall with his fastball sitting in the low 90s, an improvement from it fluctuating in the high 80s to low 90s a year ago, while his changeup, slider and cutter all seemed to become more effective. He was pounding the strike zone with ease. In his first season at NC State last spring, he allowed 29 earned runs on 34 hits, with 55 strikeouts and 17 walks in 39 innings across 19 appearances, in- cluding one start. Garino's fall showing has him firmly in the mix to earn a start- ing spot in the Wolfpack's weekend ro- tation heading into the 2027 campaign. From first-year coach Chris Hart's perspective, Garino's dominant fall outings were critical in the big picture for the rest of the pitching staff. "He's been pretty darn good," Hart said. "His stuff's up a little bit. He has a quality fastball. I think he rose up even more against UNC. I think he set the tone for the whole pitching staff and the whole team." How Much NC State Will Pay For 2026 Nonconference Basketball Games Just over a month after releasing its men's basketball nonconference sched- ule, NC State released the contracts for its eight buy games within its 2026-27 nonconference slate to open the Justin Gainey era in Raleigh. The Wolfpack is set to shell out $740,000 for the eight home games against mid-major programs, accord- ing to documents obtained by TheWolf- packer.com. It marks the highest total paid by the program over the last three seasons after NC State paid $540,000 for a half dozen one-off home games under Will Wade, while the program paid $664,000 for seven such contests in Kevin Keatts' fi- nal season in 2024-25. NC State will pay five teams — Camp- bell (Nov. 2), East Tennessee State (Nov. 6), Presbyterian (Nov. 10), Troy (Nov. 13) and Elon (Nov. 28) — $90,000 each, which is in line with the most common rate paid over the previous two seasons. Alabama A&M (Dec. 22) and Norfolk State (Nov. 25) will each receive $105,000, while UNC Greensboro (Dec. 11) is in line to be paid $80,000 for its short drive to Raleigh. Additionally, NC State owes Division II Lenoir-Rhyne $5,000 to play an exhibi- tion at Lenovo Center Oct. 24. Although the Wolfpack has eight buy games on the schedule, which is the most over the past three seasons, it will recoup more than enough to make up for the sum it owes the mid-major squads. Its nonconference game against UNC at First Horizon Coliseum, for ex- ample, will pay NC State a $1 million guarantee, while its trip to play Ole Miss in Jackson, Miss., is set to pay $100,000. NC State has not released the game contracts for its neutral-site clash with Tennessee in Nashville or its trip to the Baha Mar Championship in the Bahamas. The Wolfpack also paid VCU $190,000 to back out of a return game to complete a home-and-home, which was set to take place in Richmond this season. — Noah Fleischman ■ RED AND WHITE NOTEBOOK Garino, a junior right-hander, bolstered his case for a spot in NC State's 2027 weekend rotation with a strong fall, capped by two perfect innings in a 7-4 exhibition win over North Carolina Oct. 16. COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS