Elliott Avent: "Our Pitching Was Outstanding Today"

NC State head coach Elliott Avent met with the media to discuss the series win over Princeton. 

Elliott what's your overall takeaway from today?

Obviously, a loss is not something you want to be talking about. I thought those two guys from Princeton were outstanding.

I thought they pounded the zone, three pitches and kept us off balance. So we're gonna have to learn how to, we're gonna see that again. We gotta learn how to attack that a little better and figure out ways to score.

But I thought Coop was sensational in game two and as Duden was in game one. Ryder Garino on the first time out, Truitt Manuel, I thought they were outstanding. And so a lot of positives to take from today.

Game one played a lot of small ball and it led to a lot of runs and a big inning. And the second game, we kind of just tried to hit our way out of getting some runs. And I just, if we can learn from this and figure out ways when guys are, we're gonna face some good pitchers with our conference schedule and non-conference schedule, we're gonna face guys like this today, you gotta find ways to execute and put men on base.

But a lot more positives today than negatives. The negative is we lost the game. The positive is we played hard right there at the end.

Tied with a great at-bat and we just, so anyway, a lot more positives than negatives.

What's it like for you seeing Jacob go seven innings in a really strong?

It was impressive. That's the best he's ever pitched since he's been here. And I thought Drew Lanphere caught really, really well. He was a part of that.

So an impressive bond caught good in the second game. So it, like I said, Dudan was outstanding, but more positives than negatives today.

Was there any difference in the approach that they played from game one to game two?

I don't think so. I think it was, I thought the guy, I thought they got great pitches there. First of all, they're well coached. This guy's been around forever.

And so, great, great teams through the years. And I think he's got another good one right now. And so, first of all, give them a little bit of credit.

And, but we're, our timing's off and timing is everything in hitting. And we're in between pitches a lot and we gotta figure that out. And when you're in between pitches, it causes you to chase. And then, like I said, we gotta understand the value of playing the small game.

For the, from a hitting standpoint, is there some value in the second game, facing some high level pitchers early in the season, that you're still kind of getting into the flow of things?

Well, yeah, like I said, we're gonna face guys like this the rest of the year. And you gotta figure out ways to score runs. And you're not always gonna keep them at bay as Coop and Dudan did. They were, our pitching was outstanding today. 

And it's disappointing to lose the second game when you, I don't know how many hits they got, three or four, I don't know what they got, two or three, four, I don't know. And it's just, it's frustrating to get a loss. But if we grow from this, I think you learn a lot. You have the ability to learn a lot more from losses than players today ever do from wins. 

And so if we learn from this and figure out ways to come out on the other side, when days like that second game are happening, then it'll be of value down the road if we can learn from this. But that's what you hope happens when you get a loss like that, because you have the ability to learn from losses a lot more than you do from wins.

You're absolutely believed in, Jacob. Before the season, you're putting them in a starting rotation. These first two outings, how much does that, actually go out there and do it?

It's just how hard he's worked. I'm just so proud of him because, you know, he's been so valuable to us in the back end of the rotation for a team that went to Omaha and went to a final of a regional last year at Auburn. 

And his value has been incredible. And then to become a starting pitcher, the discipline, the work ethic that he has shown is just, it's just, is so awesome for a coach to see good things happen to people who put that kind of work in.

Is the second start, after his first one, is the second one harder, kind of, for him to kind of get a routine down of, from one weekend to the next, or is that, what are you-

That's just something he and Coach Bryce will work on constantly, and they do a great job of that, and obviously, he was well prepared.