The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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MARCH 2015 ■ 57 Ratledge in the 2011 State Games of North Carolina. After a week's worth of games, Avent fell in love with Ratledge's game, loved everything about him, and wasn't shy about telling others. "He was a pleasure to coach," Neil Avent said of Ratledge. "Super competitive, driven to win, plays hard all the time, just a great kid. I called Elliott and told him he was going to have to start him. I told him I didn't know how soon it would be, but I promised him [Logan] was one of those kids who would play his way into the lineup sooner rather than later." Neil Avent was right. Ratledge spent all of one game on the bench before he broke into the Wolfpack's starting lineup as a freshman. He started and played second base against Youngstown State in the second game of the year, going 1 for 5 with a double. He went on to play 53 games that year and started 39 of them — 19 at second base, nine in left field, four in center and seven in right. He batted .261 with 11 doubles, a home run and 21 RBI. By season's end, he was a fixture in the lineup while the Wolfpack advanced to the NCAA Super Regional in Gainesville, Fla. A year later, NC State had arguably its greatest season ever, setting a school record for victories with a 50-16 record and advanc- ing to the College World Series for the first time in 45 years. Ratledge was right in the middle of the action with that CWS team, playing 52 games and starting 49, all at sec- ond base. He batted .250 with six doubles, two triples and 11 stolen bases that year, but he saved his best for last. From April 23 until the end of the season, while the Pack played one must-win nail-biter after another, Rat- ledge batted .325, scored 14 runs and stole six bases in 23 games. He hit safely in 18 of those 23 games, including a career-best eight- game hitting streak. Ratledge turned in his best season to date as a junior in 2014, batting .274 with six doubles, five homers, 30 RBI and 10 steals. He batted .292 with two homers and 15 RBI in conference games, and again saved his best for last. Over the final 25 games of the season, he hit a team-best .340 with a .453 on-base percentage, five doubles, 17 RBI and seven steals. While Ratledge played well the last three years, Rodon and Turner were three-time All- Americans, and Austin earned All-America honors a year ago as a junior. Scouts flocked to Doak Field at Dail Park every weekend in 2014, but mostly to see Rodon and Turner. Secure and confident in his own skin, Rat- ledge was fine with that and happy with his career to date. "I'm happy with the ability I've been given," Ratledge said. "It's not necessarily the Trea Turner speed or the Bryce Harper power or whatever, but I feel like my tools have been enough for me. The competitive- ness that I have and the attitude that I take to the game every day of wanting to win and playing as hard as I can, that's made me bet- ter as a player." If Ratledge was disappointed at not get- ting drafted last June, he hides it extremely well. His head coach, meanwhile, makes no attempt to hide his gratitude that his second baseman and one of his key team leaders is back for his final season. "Logan has always been an important part of our club," Elliott Avent said."He's always been a good player, very steady, a good base runner with good instincts, and a good de- fender who can make plays. He's a winner. His value in the middle of our infield goes without saying. "The thing that makes him so special is his consistency. He's very consistent and very confident. He's a great second baseman and having him over there is going to be big for us this year. We need him to have a big year for us to be successful." Ratledge got the season off to a rousing start. Batting leadoff for the Wolfpack the first two games of the year — easy victories over Villanova and Davidson — he hit the first pitch of the season into left field for a single, setting the tone for the offense. By the end of the weekend, he had five hits for a .625 average, scored four times and drove in a pair of runs in 10 plate appearances. With a much younger team, most college baseball observers have lowered expectations for NC State this season, at least compared to the last few years. That's not necessarily the case with the Wolfpack players. With a solid core of senior leaders with College World Series experience back for their final season, along with an impressive group of younger players and newcomers, Ratledge said the feeling among the players is, why not us? "Every year, we have the same goals of do- ing well in the regular season and making the ACC Tournament, getting into the postseason and then making some noise and making a run," Ratledge said. "We've got several guys left from the World Series team. Those guys still have that in the back of their minds and are hungry for more. "The young guys have done a great job of really fitting into how we play here and how everything is supposed to go. They all want to get there. It's Omaha. Everybody wants to get back there. That's the attitude that we have." ■ Over the final 25 games of the 2014 season, Ratledge hit a team-best .340 with a .453 on-base percentage, five doubles, 17 RBI and seven steals. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP "The thing that makes him so special is his consistency. He's very consistent and very confident. He's a great second baseman and having him over there is going to be big for us this year. We need him to have a big year for us to be successful." ■Head coach Elliott Avent on Ratledge