Wolfpack baseball 2020 preview: Pitching

NC State baseball’s first pitch is Friday with James Madison coming to town on Valentine’s Day for a weekend series.

A year ago, the Wolfpack’s team ERA was 4.08 for the season, which ranked fourth in the ACC. Its 550 strikeouts also tied for fifth in the league, but on the flip side it was hit hard at times. Its 536 hits allowed and 49 homers given up both ranked 10th (fifth-most in the league).

So what’s the outlook this year for the Pack on the mound? We take a look here (presuming good health for all names mentioned).

Right-handed junior Reid Johnston is 13-3 in 38 career appearances, including 24 starts, with a 3.41 earned run average over 142 1/3 innings for the Pack in his first two seasons. This summer, he made the All-Star Game in the prestigious Cape Cod League after he went 2-0 with a 1.82 ERA in six starts and 24 2/3 innings against some of the best prospects in college baseball.

“Reid has played so many roles for us,” NC State head coach Elliott Avent said. “He’s intelligent. Reid is just a guy that doesn’t seem to have a pulse. The game doesn’t bother him, no matter what the situation is.

“He is one of the best competitors we have.”

A year ago, redshirt junior Nick Swiney actually earned a spot in the rotation to start the year, but he was hit hard the three times he began a game on the mound. In those three outings, Swiney never lasted more than 2 2/3 innings, and all total he threw 5 2/3 innings and allowed seven hits, 10 runs (nine earned), six walks while striking out seven.

But that last start came March 27 against North Carolina A&T. By the end of the season, Swiney, with his lively fastball and knee-buckling curve, was probably NC State’s best pitcher.

In his final 12 games, Swiney threw 36 innings and surrendered a paltry 14 hits and eight runs (seven earned) for a 1.75 ERA. During that stretch, he had 59 strikeouts with 17 walks. He finished the year with a team-high 95 strikeouts in 56 2/3 innings.

“I don’t think people have any idea how good he is,” Avent said. “He is so good. … We’ve had so many guys that have put up big numbers. There was a time at the end of last year that he was throwing so well.”

If Johnston and Swiney lead the candidates for the weekend rotation, questions surround who could potentially join them. Junior lefty Canaan Silver started there last season and made eight starts on the campaign, but he had mixed success and only threw twice — both in the ACC Tournament — in the final month of the season.

Avent has a deep pool of capable arms who shined in bullpen roles and spot starts a year ago, but he also signed some talented newcomers. Freshman lefty Chris Villaman and rookie righties Matt Willadsen and Austin Pace were all highly regarded prospects. Prep Baseball Report rated those three the Nos. 4, 2 and 5 players in the state’s 2019 class, respectively.

Junior college transfer Logan Bender, who started his career as a freshman All-American at Campbell, is another newcomer. Bender posted video game numbers last season for Catawba Valley Community College — 7-0 in 13 appearances, including 10 starts, with a 0.78 ERA and 114 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings pitched.

Avent should have a deep pool of pitchers to potentially fill out a bullpen after figuring out who will be in the rotation to begin the year.

Redshirt junior righty Dalton Feeney (1.86 ERA and seven saves in 23 games in 2019) could be a MLB Draft prospect with a big year.

Redshirt sophomore Cameron Cotter is another big-throwing, right-handed arm on the roster, but he'll miss the season after a back surgery.

Senior 6-foot-7 lefty Kent Klyman had a career 2.30 ERA in his first two seasons, spanning 51 games and 78 1/3 innings. After a slow start last year, Klyman pitched more like his old self down the stretch, sporting a 2.31 ERA while giving up nine hits and striking out 16 over 11 2/3 innings in his final seven games.

Junior lefty Evan Justice’s raw stuff belies the 4.66 ERA he posted a season ago. He was drafted in the 39th round by the Miami Marlins but elected to return to NC State. Justice allowed 31 hits in 36 2/3 innings and struck out 36 batters. One of the keys for Justice will be cutting down on his walks (33 in 64 1/3 career innings).

Junior lefty David Harrison also had promising results last year and actually ended the season as the third starter, although they were "bullpen games" in which Harrison threw no more than three innings. Harrison posted a 2.67 ERA in 33 2/3 overall innings, allowing 32 hits and walking only seven while fanning 33.

Sophomore right-hander Baker Nelson had a high ERA of 6.59, but he has good stuff, which is why he was called upon 25 times out of the bullpen in 2019. Nelson struck out 23 in 27 1/3 innings, and his year was highlighted by striking out three in 1 1/3 hitless innings of relief in a win at UNC.

In addition to the freshmen listed above, Avent also noted that rookie righty Sam Highfill has impressed. Both Highfill and Willadsen have the potential to be two-way players this spring.

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