NC State baseball intent on moving past NCAA decision, sweeps its way into new season
There were a lot of pleasant surprises at Doak Field over the weekend. Perhaps the one that caught the attention of N.C. State baseball coach Elliott Avent the most was the crowded hill.
After an emotional and disappointing end to N.C. State’s 2021 season, the beginning of a new year might have been therapeutic for the Wolfpack.
It’s been eight months since the Pack returned from Omaha, their chances of competing for a College World Series title dashed in an overnight decision by the NCAA.
Fans have patiently been waiting for N.C. State to get back on the diamond, to start the quest for a return to Omaha. In the offseason, numerous publications ranked the Wolfpack in the top 25, believing this team has the talent to make another run.
Preseason expectations were met with a packed house Friday as N.C. State opened its season against Evansville. The first pitch was around 3 p.m., but he stadium was buzzing long before then, with fans itching to get a first look at the new team and show they still have their backs after the way last season ended.
Avent, the longtime skipper, took one look at the grassy hill next to a set of bleachers, and realized it wasn’t a typical Friday afternoon, opening-day crowd.
“I’m shocked,” Avent said after the Pack’s 24-6 win over Evansville that night. “The hill was full and it looked like students, right? And this place was packed for opening day. A great tribute to our fans, but a great tribute to last year’s ball club. I think they actually came out to honor last year’s ball club with this great crowd and we appreciate that.”
Moving past 2021
N.C. State was hitting its stride, on the brink of the College World Series best-of-three championship last summer. But, at 2:10 a.m. on June 26, the NCAA announced that the Wolfpack’s game against Vanderbilt had been declared “a no-contest because of COVID-19 protocols.” The previous night, the Wolfpack dropped a 3-1 contest to Vanderbilt while missing several players who were in COVID protocol. The NCAA pulled the plug completely a day later.
Over the next few days, there were more questions than answers. Fans took to social media to express their frustration with the situation, and in particular the NCAA.
The only proper fix, though, was to get back on the diamond.
The Wolfpack took care of business, sweeping the Purple Aces on opening weekend. N.C. State outscored Evansville 37-10. Average per-game attendance at Doak Field over the weekend was 2,962.
The die hard fans weren’t the only ones to catch Avent’s eye during the first weekend back.
“I came by this morning and you got Preston Palmeiro, Jack Conley and Terrell Tatum and they are taking live at bats in the cage off (Evan) Justice,” Avent said. “That’s just so much fun. Former players when they call you and text you opening day, that’s very, very special.”
The Wolfpack has a roster full of new faces, with a host of transfers and true freshmen. Dominic Pilolli transferred to N.C. State from Charlotte. When he came out for warmups, he was blown away by the home crowd on Friday.
“It’s a testament to this program,” said Pilolli, who homered twice in his N.C. State debut. “They produce year in and year out. Coach Avent does a great job, all the coaching staff, they know good baseball, they know good product. I’m glad we were able to give them a show today.”
Welcome, Tommy White
If the NCAA is the “bad guy” in the eyes of State fans, the hero is freshman Tommy White.
Over the weekend White, a 6-foot, 242-pound first baseman, had an unreal college debut. In his first at-bat Friday, he cracked a home run over the center field wall. It was the first of three that day. White, the prep All-American out of IMG Academy, finished the weekend with five home runs.
He finished the weekend by going 9-for-14 at the plate with seven runs scored and 12 RBIs.
“That kid can play,” senior J.T. Jarrett told the media on Sunday. “I’m obviously happy he’s on my team.”
By the end of the weekend, White was already a social media legend among the Wolfpack faithful. Three days prior he was just a rookie trying to get his feet wet.
“I was just hoping to maybe get my first hit,” White said after the win over Friday. “I was super nervous. I was just trying to have fun. This is not what I expected.”
White figured fans would show up on a picture perfect weekend. Like Avent, though, he was pleasantly surprised by how much red he saw in the stands. The freshman knows its a complete carry over from last year.
“I never played in front of so many fans before. It was unreal,” White said. “It was really good having the support of our fans. I expected it to be a pretty good crowd because of what the team did last year, I was still in awe of everyone who showed it.”
