Get To Know: Luke Hemric

Luke Hemric is a left-handed pitcher attending Apex Friendship High School in Apex, North Carolina. Having recently committed to NC State, the lifelong Wolfpack fan is one of several members of the class of 2025 group that is looking to guide NCSU to greater heights.

Hemric, who pitched a perfect game for his school in the state playoffs this past season, is buoyed by the group of commits that the Pack has drawn from the class of 2023 through 2026 and feels that there will be great times ahead.

Inside Pack Sports recently spoke with Hemric, and here is your opportunity to get to know one of the many great recruits that have committed to join the Pack in the coming seasons.

Inside Pack Sports: When did baseball become a thing in your life?

Hemric: When I was young, I played T-ball and I actually quit. I started to play a lot of soccer and basketball. I still play basketball to this day, but around eight or nine I stopped playing soccer and I tried to do a new thing, which was baseball, and I just played rec at like nine years old through 11.

I was just playing rec. I got to a point where I was growing out of it and I was just getting a lot better than all the kids, so I went over to West Raleigh and played there for about a year and a half. They have like a rec league, and they have this All-Star team, which is like a travel organization. I played on their All-Star team over the summer. Once I got to around 12 or 13, I started to kind of like outgrow everyone and get a lot better than the kids I was playing with.

I just tried to try out for new teams and better teams, just get better opportunities, but I would say I like started playing at nine. That was when I first played rec. You could say I was a late bloomer because I wasn't all that until, I would say, about 14 or 15, is when I was facing really good competition, but I really was starting to stand out and it wasn't even until this past summer that I started to get ranked. I was unranked going into this last summer that I just played. Then I played a couple of tournaments, and even though I didn't perform well that's when I started to get on people's headlines. That's when I started to get ranked and stuff like that.

Inside Pack Sports: Do you have a favorite baseball team or any favorite players that you model your game after?

Hemric: My favorite position player is Trea Turner. I love watching him play, especially when he was at State. I love Carlos Rodon and I love Clayton Kershaw; that's why I wear number 22, because of Clayton Kershaw. I've always modeled my game after his. I think he is just outstanding, but I also loved watching Carlos Rodon at NC State. He was just so dominant, and it was awesome watching Trea and Carlos play there. So yeah, those two, and I guess my favorite team, it would probably be the Atlanta Braves. I tend to follow college baseball a lot more than I follow MLB, but I'd say the Braves are up there.

Inside Pack Sports: Tell me about the perfect game that you pitched in the playoffs.

Hemric: I think that was my first career perfect game. I threw a no-hitter earlier in the year, but it was only five innings, so I'd classify this one as really the first no-hitter and perfect game I've ever thrown.

We were playing Pine Forest. They're out of Fayetteville. It was the first round, and they were the 10th seed, so we traveled over there to play them.

Everybody around me was solid. We had defensive plays, like from our right fielder who made an awesome diving catch to save it, and our second basement jumped up and made a huge play towards the end of the sixth.

Once that happened, that's basically when I knew, or thought it was, it was going to happen, because I was getting confidence from the defense and, of course, I was throwing BBs. I think I had like 15 Ks, so obviously just getting strikeouts was super confident building for me, and seeing our defense staying active and making plays for me in the back, that just picked me up.

Inside Pack Sports: At what point did you think the perfect game was attainable?

Hemric: In the top of the seventh inning, we were the road team, so we were batting, I was just chilling, just getting locked in for that bottom of the seventh inning. Nobody was talking to me. They just walked by or just pat me on the back and stuff like that. Nobody was saying a word, and that is good.

I was just getting mentally prepared for that last inning because I knew we only played seven innings, so they had top of the lineup coming up. I know I had to show my best stuff to them because it was their third time through the order. They had seen me all night.

I struck out the first three batters previously. They were oh-for-six with six Ks. Then they came out the hit at the bottom of the seventh and I struck every single one of them out again. That was dominating for me to set the tone early in the first going one, two, three, and then with all of them striking out. At the bottom of the seventh going back to the top of the order and striking them out again, so they went oh-for-nine with nine Ks. That was pretty dominant from my standpoint, and I was just super proud.

We won nine to zero.

Inside Pack Sports: You had a little wiggle room in the seventh inning because of the score. I'm sure that helps.

Hemric: We were up nine-to-zero, I think we scored two more in the top of the seventh, but I'm glad because there is a run mercy rule after five innings. We kept pouring it on and I could have gone only five or six endings max, but I went the full seven. I got to get the complete game. A perfect game.

Inside Pack Sports: How much are you enjoying attending and pitching at Apex Friendship?

Hemric: Apex Friendship, I think it's actually the largest school in (the 4A) East. It has over 3000 students, so I have a lot of friends there and the coaching staff has been awesome with me.

It's a huge place, but it's fun. It's a lot of fun. You have got a lot of people coming to the basketball games, to the baseball games, and it's almost like a family base when you get to all your brothers and your friends. They are kind of like a family. I have a group of guys that we all hang out a lot together and it's really fun.

Inside Pack Sports: Sam Highfill is from Apex, of course, and many current NC State players, along with recruits that you will play with, are all from North Carolina. How much of a bond does that create knowing you will be with guys that you have known and competed with/against over the years?

Hemric: Actually, one of my buddies, Ben Peterson, committed to NC State out of high school, but he's playing at UNC right now. I watched Highfill in Apex when I was just a little kid and he was dominant even at the plate. He was really good. Of course, when he got to NC State, I watched him in the College World Series and I thought that was super, super cool, especially with him being from right around here in Apex. The same with Matt Willadsen. He's from Holly Springs. One of my buddies is literally neighbors with him, so I've seen him out and about there.

That's cool. You don't have to be that top guy from Florida or California or some number one ranked player. There are good athletes everywhere and I don't have to be playing out at a baseball academy. I can just be playing at a public school for all my friends and creating great relationships like that.

One of our other 2025 commits, Sam Harris, I see him all the time just outside of baseball. He's a few ways away in Raleigh, but it's just like you're always representing North Carolina when you have all these commits. Jackson Lucas, he's at Garner, he's out of North Carolina. We played him this year and that was a very exciting game. It was pretty fun. It's just like representing your state and a lot of these guys grew up as State fans like me. It's like their dream school. They're representing their dream school. That's pretty cool.

Inside Pack Sports: What do you hope to accomplish individually and team-wise before you graduate high school?

Hemric: I think we definitely, next year, we have a great chance of making a run for the state championship. That would be awesome for us, especially as a new program coming in. Apex Friendship hasn't been around for a long time, but we're starting to grow a lot and we're starting to get a lot better. We're only going to be missing two guys from our starting lineup going into next year. I think we're going to be really, really good. I think we have a run in the States. We had a young rotation this year on the mound, and we have everybody on the mound coming back. They're going to be seniors or juniors or sophomores that are going to be coming back. That's going to be awesome for us, just as a program.

I think this year was a program-changing year for us because we won the conference tournament. That was the first time we've ever done that, and we won a playoff game. That was the first time we had ever done that. It was a step forward in the right direction for us and we're only going to be missing two guys from our starting lineup going into next year. We have guys who are just going to step right up and fill those positions in, so I think going into the next few years Friendship is going to be a program to watch out for. I think we will be good next spring.

I need to get velo up in general and just become a better athlete on the field and a better person. I broke the strikeout record for all-time in one season here at Friendship, but I think I'm going to try and win conference pitch of the year next year and the year after. That would be back-to-back awards. I'm going to try and set the all-time strikeout record in the conference and go for player of the year for the state. Those are big goals for me, and it always just starts with the work that I got to put in over the summer, in the fall, and the down season. I'm not going to be getting those goals if I'm just sitting around wanting it to happen.

I think those are reachable goals for me, especially with this year I had being only a sophomore, I led the conference in strikeouts by almost 20. I think I had 83 and the guy behind me had 62, so that was huge for me. I threw a perfect game. I threw two no-hitters. That's huge for me, just in general for personal accolades, but there's so much room for improvement for me. I can get my walks down. I always can get my earned runs down. I think coming into these next few years, you're just going to see a more dominant and mature version of me.

Inside Pack Sports: When did you start getting noticed by colleges?

Hemric: Last summer I went to Atlanta, Georgia, and I played at the East Club complex. I started to play well and perform. Of course, there are a lot of scouts there. That's when I started to get calls. My first call was actually from East Carolina. I was talking to them for about six or seven months all up until February-ish, so I was really at one school. I had East Carolina on me for six, seven months.

Once high school started, North Carolina and North Carolina State came out to watch me play versus Green Level High School. I pitched that game. I performed well, and they both got in contact with me. Of course, Coach Chrysler started talking to me, but it was just those three. I think the first real moment that I started to get noticed by colleges was East Carolina back in the summer.

Inside Pack Sports: What do you think of NC State’s coaches?

Hemric: I love them, especially Coach Chrysler. He's my position coach, so I must build a strong relationship with him. Of course, the NCAA, they have made that new rule that just recently passed where I cannot call them until August 1st of my junior year, my rising junior year. I was talking to Chrysler, calling him a lot and that relationship we've built has been awesome just for me and my family too.

When he came to my games, he was always just around my family asking how we were doing, stuff like that or just being a nice guy. When we're on the phone with him, he's always itching to know what's going on in my life, not just baseball, but just personal relations, making sure I'm doing well in school and all that. That's very important for me because I love building relationships, but especially because Coach Chrysler is my pitching coach, so it's super important that we have a great relationship.

A big thing about Chrysler and Hart is that I asked them, “How do you love State?” That was one of the exciting factors that they've loved the school ever since they've gotten there. It's been the best decision they've ever made. I thought that was important for me because I want to go to a school where the coaches love it just as much as the players.

That's that family aspect that they love about State. They want to stay there, and they want to continue to improve their program to be the best that they can be. They're not just going to see a job open and be like, ‘I'm just leaving boys’ and go somewhere else because we're going to be so good with them. Nah. They're all about that family and just getting to know everybody and making sure everybody's on the same page with their right mindset of trying to win a championship, which is that one goal. That's super important.

Inside Pack Sports: How much have you dealt with coach Avent? What are your thoughts?

Hemric: When they threw me the offer, I think in March, he was on the call as well. It was Coach Hart, Coach Chrysler, and Coach Avent. He was nice. They threw out the offer, but he was like take as much time as you need to make this decision. There's no timeline. There's no pressure on you. They just want to keep seeing me play well and not have all these thoughts in the back of my head.

They're super, super generous, especially to my family. They gave me so much information just about the school in general that we had no idea about, especially things like the housing and basically the cost of everything and all that. He's just been super, super nice. My mom, one of her coworkers, is neighbors with Avent. They've talked about me just for a little bit and it's kind of cool that there are connections everywhere. Yeah, I love Coach Avent. He's awesome.

Inside Pack Sports: What are your thoughts on NC State's investing money in the renovation of Doak?

Hemric: It was a huge thing for me. That's important because that just shows that the athletic department cares about the baseball program. That's an eye-opener for not just me, but athletes all around the country when they decide between this school and that school. State is putting a lot of money to renovate all their facilities and everything. That was very important for me when I was making my decision to see who cared about their program or who was just kind of like it is a sport off to the side. I think State does a nice job of making sure of that. They sell out crowds all the time, they have a great atmosphere and they're upgrading their facilities to make it even better.

Inside Pack Sports: Aside from baseball, what is it about NC State do you find appealing?

Hemric: I always grew up an NC State fan. Of course, I was born and raised here in North Carolina, but I grew up an NC State fan. I have season tickets for football, so I go to all their home football games and that's always just been a big thing that I've always cheered for State.

I didn't know if I would be at this point. Maybe four or five years ago, if you were telling me I would've committed to State this past spring, I would've thought you were crazy, but I think just me putting in that work and State was always in the back of my mind. Once I got in contact with them, I was just itching for them to toss me the offer. Then once they did it was about a couple weeks later that I committed. I was just super excited because I've always been a State fan. I went to their baseball games when I was young. It's kind of a family thing. My dad went to State, my dad's dad went to State, and my mom's dad also went to State, so it is kind of just keeping it in the family.

Inside Pack Sports: Does your family follow sports? How happy are they for your success in baseball?

Hemric: Yeah, we are big Panthers and Seahawks fans over here for the NFL. Of course, we love hockey too. We're huge Hurricanes fans, that's big for us. We're super passionate about sports and they support me, of course, I play basketball too, and they support me in my basketball games and baseball a lot. They love watching me play baseball and they're super supportive. It is not just my parents but like my grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles. They're always like tuning in to watch or just supporting me and watching me play. That's pretty awesome.

Inside Pack Sports: What do you plan on majoring in at NC State?

Hemric: I think I'm going to plan on studying communications and business and go along that route.

I think just going to NC State as a whole -- my grandparents did it, my dad did it. They're successful men right now. They have great jobs and I think that if baseball is not the route for me and I don't pan out. I always have that education in the bank. That's important for me because going to NC State, you're going to get a great education and you're going to have great facilities just on campus for you, especially for the baseball program. They have people that'll help you with your schoolwork and try to make it as easy as possible for you, not only to just learn but to just grow as a student and as a player on the field.

I think going to NC State is not a four-year decision. It's a 40-year decision to where like, you're going to be able to get that education, you're going to be able to have that backup plan if baseball doesn't work out. You're going to have a future in life, not just in baseball, but doing your job and going to work every day. And it'll be a successful job because of the education that you're able to get at NC State.

Inside Pack Sports: What was the response like when you announced your commitment to NC State on social media?

Hemric: Right before I committed, I was talking to Sam Harris about it because he was letting me know like, ‘Dude, your phone's going to blow up and go absolutely nuts.’ And I was like, ‘Nah, no way.’

I posted on Instagram, and I posted on Twitter later. I was getting like a hundred notifications every 10 minutes, and it was crazy. New people following me, just congratulating me. I got a whole bunch of Twitter followers from just NC State fans in general and I think that's special, especially because I'm only a sophomore. They're super invested in the program. They're following along, knowing that State is always going to be getting better and they're getting dudes out here that are legit. I thought that was cool, but yeah, my phone was blowing up a lot -- especially on IG. It was just a lot of my friends and family around here just telling me congratulations and letting me know how proud they were of me.

Inside Pack Sports: It seems from the outside looking in that the recruiting classes that NC State is bringing are already doing a good job of communicating with each other and building relationships. Is that the case?

Hemric: Yeah, for sure. As soon as I committed, I got added to a group chat that's like called the Pack 25 and it's just like I made a whole lot of friends by committing. I mean, one of our 2025 catcher commits, I didn't know him until I committed, and we've been talking a lot and we're starting to get to know each other a lot more. I think that's just important, not for now, but when we get on campus, so it's not like these guys are strangers. They're your brothers, they're friends and that's important so it has that family type aspect to where you know that these guys are going to have your back and they're not just random guys that you just met.

Inside Pack Sports: When you get to NC State with the class of 2025 group, and meet up with the ones that are there and then the ones that come after your class, what are the goals?

Hemric: Always winning the ACC championship and national title is the goal. I think State is recruiting well. They have some of the top players in the 2025, 2024, and 2023 classes that are coming in, and I think the future is bright.

I think when I get there in my sophomore year at State, we're going to be competing for the top spot in the acc and we're going to be competing for a championship almost every year. I think that we're just going to keep getting stronger and stronger because of the recruiting that Coach Hart, coach Chrysler is doing right now. They're going out, they're going to see the top guys and they’re letting them know that they want to get them. They're getting people from Florida; they're getting people from in-state and out-of-state. I think we're going to be really, really good when I get there and the years that I am there.

Inside Pack Sports: If you could just speak directly to NC State fans, what would you tell them?

Hemric: I would just say, you know, be patient. It's a young team. We've got a huge recruiting class coming in 2023. I think you guys are going to be surprised because we're going to get there. We probably won't have the highest expectations, but we're going to be rocking and rolling. We're going to be beating the top teams in the country and come postseason time, we'll be competing for the ACC championship or we're going to be competing for that national championship. I think you should be patient and watch out because State is going to be a top program in the nation by the time I get there and my time there, for sure.