NC State head coach Elliott Avent, alongside C Drew Lanphere, LHP Heath Andrews, INF Chris McHugh, and LHP Cooper Consiglio met with the media to discuss the series win against Boston College. 

NOTE: Click the video player above to watch Elliott Avent’s press conference, and the hyperlinks below for the players!

HC Elliott Avent

On bouncing back after yesterday...

No, really good. I mean, in this league, in any league, you gotta learn how to play on Sunday. Sunday is a hard day to play. And we made a game time change, and there was a no winning start time, and a lot of things going on. And obviously a disappointing loss yesterday. 

Not only a disappointing loss, but the way we fall back and took the lead and then give up an eight spot was, and we just gotta keep getting better. But it was really, really big to bounce back and play well today. And a tough game, Heath was outstanding, Cooper was outstanding.

And obviously, they were the story today. How did you approach picking here we start today between those two guys? Because they both started on Sunday for you this year.It's hard, it's hard.

I mean, I'm not saying it comes down to this, but we need another left hand in the pen right now. And came that close to putting Cooper in yesterday. And he hit him with a one run lead. You keep thinking about it, you won't. Heath hadn't pitched in ten days. Just came back from his grandmother's funeral on Thursday.

And he's missed some time. And with that extended rest, he just didn't know how he would be. But like I said, really proud of Cooper. He probably should have got the ball on the eighth yesterday. We made TBA on Sunday for that reason. You gotta try to win series to have a chance.

And we got the lead there in the seventh. Cooper should have got the ball then, but you're thinking about Sunday and how Heath was gonna be with this extended rest of being gone. And I decided to keep Cooper for the day and have both of them for the day. Just didn't expect Heath, after what he's gone through, to go out and pitch the gym he pitched today. But yeah, Cooper's, he was lights out there. 

And that's a great mentality to be able to be starting all year and then accept that role and go in. But Evan Justice did it force in 21, he was a star. He went to the bullpen, and that's when we became NC State that beat Arkansas and went to the World Series. And quite likely could have won a national championship. And so we gotta figure out the back of the bullpen right now. We gotta figure out the entire bullpen. And we need another lefty in the bullpen.

I'm not saying it's gonna be Cooper, but it was today. Speaking more on Heath, obviously, he managed a lot of traffic. I think there were seven hits, eight hits, something like that. He overcame three defensive errors in the field. And yet they were 0 for 13 with runners on base, 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position. What does it mean to have him buckle down when it needed to be done?

Like I said, he was amazing today. Like I said, we've been playing good defensively. We played very shotty. If you looked at the errors, they were unforced errors. It's just like hitting the ball in the net in tennis. It's like, what are you doing, right? And so Heath pitching around that just shows how strong, not just how good his stuff was today, how strong his mentality was today. Like I said, this whole story today was Heath and Cooper. That's the whole story today.

Heath, a starter in a situation like that, is he also kind of a closer? Because he's gotta deliver that series win, do you think? Does he have to have kind of a mindset if it finishes?

He's gotta have that toughness. And he was in the bullpen when we finished up that game against Georgia in 24 to go to the World Series. He was in the pen when Derrick Smith got that last out, he was in the pen.

Next guy in, he probably had the next bat at Georgia. So he's been there before, did it, I think, his freshman year. Virginia was unbelievable, pitched like the last four or five innings. So Coop's been there before. And like I said, we haven't, missing all those scrimmages early on, this puts us in a situation where we still don't know how this thing's gonna map out. I know we gotta get the bullpen straight. You cannot win in college baseball without a bullpen.

Got Wilmington and Tallahassee coming up this week, big week. This thing really kicks in. I think by the time you get back for a home series in ACC play, basketball probably about wound up. You'll probably, you'll be the only show in town. It's gonna be a lot of crowds, a lot of excitement.

It's a great ballpark, if you look at this ballpark. Matt Postell was here yesterday from when I first got here 30 years ago. He was on that team when I landed. And a lot of players are showing up. Grant Sasser's parents were here yesterday. I think Grant was here yesterday, I didn't see him.

And just so many players are showing up, and they see this place and they go, wow. And so it's good for fans too, and it's gonna get better. We gotta get that left field thing built down the left field line, and this is a great place. I've always said this is the most charismatic part in the ACC. And now we gotta get more seats and do some things. So it's a great place to watch baseball.

How excited are you for the level of competition amping up, the way it's gonna do over the next few weeks?

Yeah, I'll let you know after we line up today. 

Did you like what you saw from the guys in the lineup today?

I just think McHugh and Ty, they haven't been swinging like they can. It's not about hits or averages or whatever, it's about what they need to do. And we weren't getting the production at all on top of the lineup.So just kind of moving it around a little bit. And they had trouble getting Rett Johnson out all week. 

I think he was on base every time I looked up yesterday, and practically every time I looked up today. And he just plays the game, he competes, he knows how to play counts. He understands the game. And you gotta play this game, you gotta compete with the game. You can't just wanna go up there and swing. It's an art to play this game, you gotta figure it out. 

C Drew Lanphere

On getting the first series win of the way in the ACC play...

Yeah, winning a series in the ACC play, obviously losing a game like yesterday, it was tough, but always bouncing back, trying to get after it the next day. 

What was it like for you, kind of seeing Heath out there today and during a week or so, what was that like seeing him get back on the mound and do what he did?

It was awesome. It was just like him against Coastal, he's been dominant, just does what he does, does a lot of strikes and gets a lot of outs, so. 

What do you think was the best for him?

I'd say location, able to throw the sinker where he wanted it, slide it wherever he wanted it, keep them on their toes. They didn't really know what was coming.

How important is it for you to, try and flip the lineup over? I mean, obviously you try to get a sack bump down, but instead they decided to walk you, so, but turning the lineup over consistently today, how important do you think that was to the team's success?

Yeah, it's really big. I mean, obviously, always getting right back up with two outs, you can always get on a really fast guy. So getting it over, getting the guys back at the top of the order, who hit it really well, is very important in any city play.

As a catcher, when a team has a player like Brett, how difficult does that make that on an opposing defense when you have a guy like that? 

It's really tough. Obviously, when he's at the plate, you got to worry about him bunting. When there's a shift, he can hit it backside. And then when he's on base, you always have to worry about him stealing because he's fast. So it makes it very challenging for the opposing team.

How impressed have you been with him as a freshman, playing as much as he has and being as successful as he's been so far? 

I mean, yeah, he's been really good on the field, but I've been more impressed with him as a person. I was a really good teammate. Obviously, in Puerto Rico, he had an injury, so he wasn't playing. But he's the first guy out there, congratulating everybody, giving people water and everything like that. So he's a better person.

Big week coming up, Wilmington, and then trip down to Tallahassee. Just speak to the excitement level of that. I think you got Georgia Tech after that. So when you do come back, you'll probably be the only show in town. But basketball will be over. It's amping up.

Yeah, I mean, it's a fun way to see play starts every week's challenging. We just focus on one game at a time, one inning at a time, one pitch at a time.

LHP Heath Andrews

Heath, how important was it for you to kind of manage the traffic? Because there was a lot of traffic, but you're able to buckle down each time. I think they were 0 for 13 with men on base and 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position, what was the key to kind of keeping them from being able to do what they wanted to do?

Just keep attacking, take it one pitch at a time. Always do what you can. 

What was this like for you upstate pitch since the Coastal game? How did you kind of approach the last two weeks or so to be ready for today?

Every game I was ready, because I was in the bullpen Friday, Saturday. So just being ready every day. 

How did that kind of help you be ready for today, kind of being ready in the last two days?

Just knowing my name, got called, and just going out there doing the best I can. 

And how much confidence does a seven inning Albany ACC flight give you? 

A lot.

How much, what was working well for you? 

Slider was working well. Drew said command was well, and I think it was, it was the same group, so. And then the defense had three errors. 

How do you not let that affect you on the mound when you think you got out and something happens behind you? 

I think errors, the team is better than that. I know I can trust my defense as much as possible.

You're a starter, but in a sense today you were also a closer, because you were closing this series out, they needed the win for the series. Speak to that mindset. Do you like being in those situations?

I don't really think of it that way. I think of it as, I'm here, I got the start, so I can do everything I can to help us win.

You got a big week coming up. You guys go to Wilmington and you got Tallahassee, and this thing's kicking in. Just how exciting is this now?

Very exciting. ACC play, you look forward to it every year. 

INF Chris McHugh

What's it like for you guys to bounce back from your series loss and come out in the series win? 

Yeah, I mean, obviously, we felt like we had that game yesterday and then, won the big inning, which, happens, but that was a pretty big inning for them. Just able to bounce back, winning an ACC series is always tough. That's a good Boston College team, so that was big. 

What was it like for you to see Heath go out there, first start in a while, and go out there and give you guys, seven innings? 

Yeah, that's what he always does. Like, I can never hit against him, so I get confused how anybody could ever hit against him, and that's just what he does. So, that's legit stuff, so that was really cool to see. It doesn't shock me.

Was there a kind of a game plan to try and make sure you guys were able to kind of hold their running game at bay?

Yeah, for sure. I mean, we know Boston College always runs well, so, I mean, you got Marohn, Coop, and, a dude who hold runners on really good. So, had a lot of bang-bang plays where they were called safe, where I thought they were out, but just, keeping them at bay with the base running. I mean, they might have gotten maybe two or three all weekend, so that was huge.

Wilmington's no slouch, and then you got to go down to Tallahassee. This thing's getting down to the nitty-gritty and starting to fire up. Just how exciting is that?

Yeah, I mean, it's exciting always going to Wilmington's pond. They got a good team up there. But, yeah, and then Tallahassee, I mean, from now on, it's just, all go. So, a bunch of good teams, but we're excited.

I was going to say, how was the field play today?  It felt like it was blowing in a little bit, maybe not carrying as well as it had because there were some hard hit balls that didn't quite go very far. I feel like you launched one.

The Doak was the opposite today, so, you got to take what you can get with this win. I think Bargro had one where he killed two, but, you got to live on the ground a little more in days like today because, I mean, nothing was going. That was the same on Friday, so definitely different this weekend, but, proud of how we adapted to it.

LHP Cooper Consiglio

What's it like for you guys to bounce back today and get the series right? 

Yeah, it's great for us. Every win in the ACC matters, every game matters. So it's really good for us to come out of this first series with a win. 

How did you approach today?

Obviously you've started the last few times you were out there.

How did you approach getting the opposite goal as a closer today? 

Yeah, I'm just ready to go whenever they want me. Just do what I'm told, always available whenever needed.

It's a lot of, bend but don't break today with the pitching staff, not just yourself, but speak to the work you guys did when they had runners out there.

Yeah, we put an extra emphasis on that this week, holding runners. We kind of got a little lax with that last week, so we made sure to put some more emphasis in that, and I think that paid off.

Got a big week coming up, you know, obviously at Wilmington, Tallahassee. I think I've asked everyone. I'll ask you, how neat is this?This thing's kicking in now. It's for real.

Yeah, this is when the real season starts, so it's always fun. It's good to get out there with a bunch of adrenaline in your system, get nice and amped up, so it's a lot of fun.

Where's the room for growth between now and Tallahassee?

Just, get to come together more. The best thing that a team can have is good camaraderie and good leadership, and I think that's one of the things that we'll continue to improve going forward.