The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/535299
132 ■ THE WOLFPACKER tering high school credentials. In his final two seasons at Coatesville (Pa.) Area High School, he won 17 of 18 decisions with an ERA of 0.44. He struck out an eye-popping 201 in 128 innings, an average of 1.57 K's per inning. He's never lit up the radar guns, but even in elite-level summer showcase camps, he constantly pitched ahead in the count and had little trouble putting away the toughest hitters. "We had a pretty good idea what we were getting with Brian," Avent said. "[As- sistant coach] Chris Hart recruited him and told me, 'You're going to love this kid.' "Hart knows me well, and he knows what I like in a pitcher. He saw Brian in Florida in a showcase and told me that he was a guy who doesn't throw very hard, but was smart, throws strikes and has a good changeup, and really knows how to pitch. "It reminded me of when [former as- sistant coach] Scott Lawler recruited Mike Rogers [in 2001]. Scott told me the same thing. Mike Rogers turned out to be a great pitcher for us, and Brian Brown is a lot like Mike Rogers." Brown's adjustment to college suffered a serious setback when his mother died last October. He flew home and missed about three weeks of school, including a consid- erable chunk of fall practice. Then, when preseason practice commenced in January, he was nursing a hand injury, although that proved to be a negligible factor in his preparation for the season. The loss of his Zebulon Dentistry supports the pack! Mark S. Barrett, D.D.S. B. Kevin Collins, D.D.S. (Wolfpack Club member since 2007) Zebulon FaMily Dentistry 313 Hospital Rd. Zebulon, NC 27597 Phone (919) 269-9698 Fax (919) 269-9778 Head coach Elliott Avent (above) called Brown a great student of the game, noting: "He knows how to make adjustments, both during a game and from game to game." PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP