Hard as it may be to believe, baseball season has arrived.
In the majors, catchers and pitchers will soon be reporting to spring training camps in Arizona and Florida. In the college ranks, it goes one step further.
NC State hosts Seton Hall on Friday for opening day. The first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Doak Field at Dail Park, weather permitting. NCSU long-time head coach Elliott Avent noted the Pirates should be one of the best teams in the Big East. That only adds to Avent’s apprehension for opening day.
“It’s been hard to get ready so far this season … between weather and guys in and out of class,” Avent said. “It’s just been tough to try to get this ball club ready. You’re always excited to play baseball, and I’ll be excited next Friday. It’s opening day. Opening day is always special.
“I also know in the back of my mind we’re not even close to ready to open up. It takes the excitement away when you know you got a long way to go yet.”
Avent is fielding one of the most veteran squads he can remember having at NC State. He has eight players who have either been regulars in the lineup or contributors that have been with the program at least four seasons, plus junior outfielder Brett Kinneman has been starting since he was a freshman.
“They got a lot of experience,” Avent said. “Not saying we go as they go. We got a lot of young guys on this team that is going to have to help us. They are going to have to get those guys to grow up a little quicker.”
One of those young players that would have likely been an immediate contributor is freshman outfielder Terrell Tatum, whom Avent said “as good a freshman as we’ve had in a long time.” Unfortunately for the Pack, Tatum dislocated his shoulder last week.
Big lefty freshman pitcher David Harrison (6-foot-5) from Rocky Mount, N.C., is another freshman that impressed in the fall.
Harrison has a good role model to look up to in 6-foot-8 sixth-year senior right-hander Johnny Piedmonte, who went 7-0 with a 2.77 earned-run average in 15 games last season, including nine starts.
Avent can't recall having a sixth-year player on his roster before.
“He’s just tough. … I’m excited about Johnny Piedmonte,” Avent said. “He’s such a good person. He epitomizes everything that I think this program stands for. He’s a great team leader, great individual, always gives everything he’s got, has gone through some ups and downs with injuries his career. He just always tries to do the best he can.
“He’s a solid person when he got here, but I guess the way he handles adversity more than anything. … The things he’s had to overcome in his career which I think set most people back, he’s moved forward and getting better. His attitude, he set the bar that everybody should look at.”
In addition to Piedmonte getting a rare sixth year, senior outfielders Josh McLain and Brock Deatherage turned down the MLB after being drafted to return for their last season. Senior left-hander pitcher Brian Brown is set to be a four-year starter.
Sophomore Will Wilson, who is moving to shortstop, is already one of Avent’s all-time favorites to watch play. Yet Avent remains nervous about his squad.
“Part of it has been the weather and part of it has been things that happened, but I’m not sure we have done a good enough job in the offseason preparing,”Avent said.
One thing is certain, Avent will do everything in his power to get the Pack there. His love and pride for NC State is always on full display. He noted that NCSU has sold out season tickets in baseball for five or six years, and they have approached 700 sold season tickets this year.
Avent also has two mentors that he does not want to let down — Sam Espisito and Ray Tanner.
“My biggest fear when I came here was taking a program that Coach Esposito built and Coach Tanner continued and I was afraid I’d screw it up,” Avent said.
As Avent added, he has not done that yet, and he and his staff is working hard to not let it happen in 2018.
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