The Wolfpacker

70 ■ THE WOLFPACKER the unquestioned staff ace will be sopho- more left-hander Brian Brown (7-3 record and 2.03 earned run average last season), a Freshman All-American a year ago and a Mike Caldwell clone, for those old enough to remember the former Wolfpack great and NC State Athletics Hall of Famer. Brown rarely hits 90 miles per hour on the radar gun, but he can throw his fastball and plus-changeup for strikes in any count. "If there's a name on our pitching staff that's known out there, it would be Brian Brown," Avent said. "He finished the sea- son so strong. He was so good and so con- sistent at the end of the year that I think his name got spread around ACC circles." Behind Brown, the likely candidates to Newcomer To Watch Freshman infielder Xavier LeGrant — A terrific natural hitter, LeGrant priced himself out of the 2015 draft with his bonus demands. He would have been a high pick otherwise. In 17 games as a senior at the O'Berry Academy in Charlotte, Le- Grant went 22 for 44 with six doubles, two home runs, 14 RBI and nine steals. He slugged .722 with a .582 on-base percentage. He came to the plate 55 times without striking out, and hit safely in his final six at-bats of the season. LeGrant made a name for himself internationally two years ago when he bat - ted .344 (11 for 32) with 12 runs and 12 RBI in 12 games for the 2014 USA Baseball 18U team. Raleigh Office 3105 Glenwood Avenue, Suite 103 Raleigh, NC 27612 (919) 787-0036 (919) 787-7769 Fax Fayetteville Office 2932 Breezewood Avenue, Suite 110 Fayetteville, NC 28304 (910) 486-4400 (910) 486-3331 Fax Serving great hamburgers in Fayetteville, Hope Mills, Spring Lake, Siler City, Sanford, Clinton, Warsaw, Whiteville, Lumberton, Laurinburg, Dillon, SC, Marion, SC, and Conway, SC! BRYANT RESTAURANTS, INC. Always fresh. Never frozen. ■ By The Numbers 19 Freshman All-Americans for NC State since 1984, including 11 since Elliott Avent became head coach in 1997. Brian Brown became the Wolfpack's most recent Freshman All-American in 2015. 14 NCAA Tournament appearances by the Wolfpack in Avent's 19 seasons in Raleigh. That includes 11 NCAA berths in the last 13 seasons. 942 & 717 Total career victories and victories at NC State by Avent, who has 27 years as a head coach under his belt, 19 of them with the Wolfpack. He picked up career win No. 900 on May 3, 2014, with a 9-2 thumping of Coastal Carolina, and notched NC State win No. 700 with an 11-7 victory over Florida State on April 4, 2015. Junior Andrew Knizner impressed both at the plate and behind it in his first season as a catcher, and he potentially could be a high draft pick in next June's MLB Draft. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP

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