First pitch for NC State baseball is Friday, if the weather holds up. The chance of rain appears more threatening for the Saturday and Sunday home games against Bucknell.
NC State had one of the best teams in the country through April a year ago, but injuries eventually caught up to the pitching staff. The shorthanded Wolfpack was still able to host a regional, but failed to advance out of it.
That team was led by a powerhouse lineup fueled by arguably the best outfield in college baseball. This year, head coach Elliott Avent’s squad is hoping that a much deeper pitching staff can help carry the load.
Here’s a preview of the pitchers:
Starters
How the rotation will look is always a fluid situation. A year ago, then-freshman Reid Johnston began the year as one of the Pack’s most reliable bullpen arms and had four saves. He ended the season by making 10 starts and becoming the Friday starter. He finished with an impressive 7-1 record and 3.06 earned-run average over 64.2 innings, allowing only 54 hits and 15 walks while striking out 49.
“He’s going to battle you and compete and throw strikes,” Aaron Fitt of D1Baseball.com noted during a recent appearance on The Wolfpacker Podcast. “That’s what he does really well. He pounds the strike zone. He’s got some life. He gets it up there, 90 [miles per hour], maybe 92 once in a while, but he is more about advanced pitchability.”
State has a deep pitching staff, though, which could afford Avent more options despite losing the ACC Pitcher of the Year in Brian Brown. That’s partially because of an influx of junior college arms — notably righties Alec Barger and Jason Parker, and lefty Canaan Silver, who could all be competing for starting jobs.
Barger in particular was a prized addition. He turned down a chance to play for the Milwaukee Brewers after being drafted in the 16th round to come to NC State.
Juniors Michael Bienlien and Mathieu Gauthier, a pair of righties, also have starting experience, and sophomore lefties David Harrison and Evan Justice each flashed potential during their rookie seasons.
The wildcard is redshirt sophomore righty Dalton Feeney. He was a prized signing and showed tons of promise as a freshman (14 appearances with a 2.53 ERA, which ranked second on the team) and again in the fall of 2017 before injuring his elbow, missing all of last season. Early reports on Feeney have been promising this spring, although he is likely to be worked up slowly.
“This is a guy that was up to 96-97 miles per hour before he got hurt … he could have been that legitimate dominator,” Fitt said.
Bullpen
The closer is likely to be junior lefty Kent Klyman, who had four saves and a 2.34 ERA in 31 games last year, allowing only 46 hits in 61.2 innings and striking out 67 while walking 25. Klyman is on the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List.
Fifth-year senior Joe Ingle was on that list three different times in his career, all when he was playing for East Carolina. Ingle had eight saves as a freshman to make the NCBWA Freshman All-America squad. He followed that up by saving 12 games as a sophomore. After an inconsistent junior season with two saves, he transferred to NC State and adds bullpen depth.
“That kid was a very, very good closer a couple years ago for the Pirates," Fitt said. "… I saw him in the fall. He looked like the same old Joe Ingle that I remembered."
NC State also returns fifth-year senior Nolan Clenney, a stalwart who appeared in a team-high 33 games last year and posted a 3.43 ERA in 44.2 innings. Clenney struck out 54 and allowed only 32 hits.
Sophomore lefty Nick Swiney was also a reliable reliever with 20 appearances and a 3.52 ERA in 30.2 innings, striking out 37 and scattering 25 hits.
Whoever does not win starting jobs will also figure prominently into the bullpen.
“The strength of our staff over the years has been a good bullpen, and we hope to have a good bullpen this year,” Avent said this preseason.
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