NC State gearing up for big baseball season
The NC State baseball team is ranked No. 17 in the country and had 20 Major League Baseball scouts in attendance Friday to watch the Wolfpack play an intra-squad game.
Baseball America came out with its national rankings Jan. 21, and eight teams from the ACC are in the top 25, with league favorite Louisville at No. 2. NCSU coach Elliott Avent is excited about the potential of this year’s squad, but also claimed that the Wolfpack’s No. 17 ranking was more a sign of respect for past achievements than anything else.
“You get ranked early on because that is who you are and that is what you have earned [in the past],” Avent said. “It’s about putting in the work, getting everything done and grinding through a season.”
Junior catcher Patrick Bailey is a key component for the optimism heading into this season. NCSU hosts James Madison on Feb. 14 for the season opener.
Bailey, a projected high MLB Draft prospect, hit 10 home runs with 46 runs batted and a .288 batting average last year. He also drew an impressive 41 walks to help accumulate a .390 on-base percentage and posted a .513 slugging percentage.
“It’s a lot of pressure [on Bailey],” Avent said. “There is so much money now in baseball. We’ve had first-rounders like Will Wilson last year.
“They go to the draft parties [for teammates], talk to these guys, think about it all year and have advisors. There is a lot of pressure.”
Avent will sort through various pitchers to figure out whether starting or coming out of the bullpen is the way to go for them. Junior pitcher Nick Swiney went 7-1 with a 4.61 earned-run average last year with three starts in 26 appearances.
He noted that Bailey is also important for the pitching staff from his spot behind the plate.
“I’ve been spoiled and this is my third year with him,” Swiney said. “He knows the game really well. I rely on him a lot. Our relationship has grown over the years. He is the best there is.”
Sophomore Tyler McDonough is the other big gun back on offense. He was third on the squad with a .320 batting average last year, to go along with five home runs, 47 RBI and 10 stolen bases. He could play in the outfield or infield this season.
“When you read the NC State scouting report this year, it will be, ‘Don’t let Pat Bailey and Tyler McDonough beat you,’" Avent noted. "We’ll have to have some guys step up around them.”
Some help from the junior college ranks and freshman shortstop Jose Torres is expected to provide the Wolfpack a boost. The 6-0, 162-pound Torres, who attended Baltimore (Md.) Calvert Hall, was drafted in the 24th round by the Milwaukee Brewers. He hit .402 and drove in 44 runs his senior year.
“He has great skills as a baseball player,” Avent said. “He could have gone much higher [in the draft]. He is the guy that wasn’t supposed to come to college. If things had happened different [in negotiations], maybe he wouldn’t have. He came here for summer school and loved it."
Junior infielder/outfielder Austin Murr, freshman pitcher Chris Villaman, freshman pitcher Sam Highfill and freshman pitcher Matt Willadsen of Holly Springs, N.C., are other newcomers to watch.
“[There are] a lot of young players that have a chance to be pretty good here and I think the fans will like them,” Avent said. “[With junior college transfers], it is about getting the right guy. It’s about getting the hungry guy.”
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