MCLAMB'S MUSINGS: Raking, Pitching, Rivalry, and Miller Time

Inside Pack Sports beat writer Rob McLamb shares his thoughts and observations from Wednesday's action at the 2024 ACC Baseball Championship in Charlotte. 

Top of the Evening

Final: NC State 19, Virginia Tech 9

Remarkably, this is a plausible football score for NC State fans over the past two or three years, but it was Elliott Avent’s swashbuckling bunch who beat Hokie pitching like a piñata.  

The stats are ridiculous, 

Eli Serrano III: 3-for-5, HR, BB, 2 RBI, 4 runs scored

Garrett Pennington: 4-for-5, 3 2B, BB, 2 RBI, 4 runs scored

Alec Makarewicz: 4-for-4, 2B, 2 BB, 4 RBI, 4 runs scored

That is 11 hits in 14 at-bats with four walks and 12 runs scored for the top three players in the batting order. I am not the smartest fella, but I think that will do it most of the time. 

Of course, the next three batters in the lineup (Jacob Cozart, Brandon Butterworth, and Alex Sosa) combined for seven hits (2 HR, 2B) with four walks in 14 at-bats, including nine runs batted in, for good measure. 

Marohn

The biggest question entering the game was how much NC State would value winning it. The key to discerning Wolfpack was the pitching approach.

NC State head coach Elliott Avent elected to send freshman lefty Ryan Marohn to the mound. This caused some folks concern. What if the Wolfpack needs Marohn later in the tournament?

I spoke with three people who write consistently about college baseball and delve into the bracketology on an annual basis. None thought losing two games and going home would keep NC State from hosting a regional. They all also felt that winning the ACC title with a loss to Virginia Tech would still be enough to move into a national seed. In that sense, the game truly was meaningless if you trust the opinions of insiders. 

I probably would not have pitched him but I don’t see it as some egregious sin.

I do believe Marohn can be available for an inning or two on Saturday or Sunday if NC State makes it there – especially if it is a situational appearance (such as one batter, lefty vs. lefty). 

I also understand that using Marohn Wednesday more closely resembles what NC State has done this season. The freshman was spectacular against Wake Forest in the season’s final series, but there was not a midweek game for NC State before that. If you look at Marohn’s stats, the effort against Wake Forest is the major extent of his work against ACC competition before Wednesday. 

In that scenario, it could be argued that Avent did use pitchers who were less likely to give major innings throughout three games, Marohn included.

However you look at it, NC State certainly locked up a regional host bid, provided itself a base to leap into the national seed talk, and – maybe most importantly – gave Marohn confidence that he will excel when he is called to pitch again in the postseason. 

Duke Again

NC State now gets another high-stakes matchup with Duke. 

I have been on record (whining incessantly) about my wanting to see this rivalry be bumped up closer to the status it once held. As the ACC (rightfully) expands to protect itself in the coming years, there will be trips to Dallas, Texas, and Northern California for the Wolfpack team and its faithful – and those games will count in the ACC.

Why not build back up the rivalry between two schools in cities that share an international airport? Fans will complain about the extra travel for the newer schools, which is understandable. Give them the matchups that are a short trip away in Durham to help offset the distances away from the other teams.

What I like about the rekindling of the NC State/Duke rivalry in baseball is its lack of dependence on regular season matchups. The two neighbors are playing critical contests against each other in postseason play. To be fair, judging from the events of a couple of months ago, you could say the same for men’s basketball.

Wouldn’t it be neat to see NC State and Duke face each other again a few weeks from now in a Super Regional? How about in the College World Series? Sign me up. 

NC State fans are blessed to have two shades of blue to hate. 

Miller Time

Duke’s starting third baseman is Ben Miller of Durham, North Carolina. Miller transferred in with two seasons of eligibility after guiding Penn to an Ivy League title last season, along with a near Supers appearance. 

Miller was recently named First Team All-ACC and flirted with a conference batting title before slumping somewhat late. His addition to the Blue Devil lineup in the two-spot has been quite helpful for Duke, as the heart of the order often gets its licks in during the first inning with Miller on base. 

However, none of that is why I mention him here.

Miller graduated from Jordan High School in Durham. He was a three-sport star and is destined to be in the school’s athletic Hall of Fame sooner rather than later. 

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While Miller dabbled in basketball, he starred in baseball and football. Both programs were in a wretched place when he got to Jordan (and started varsity as a freshman) but both were conference champions by the time he left. His story, which now includes an Ivy League title and could eventually include an ACC crown, or more, is almost too far-fetched for Hollywood.

But it is real. He is real. Miller is a terrific athlete, an intelligent young man, and remarkably focused with diligence most do not possess. He could have easily been an outstanding quarterback at the college level, but his baseball exploits show that he probably made the right decision on which sport to focus on.

We met at Jordan when I was an assistant football coach for the varsity team, working under NC State alum and my good friend Anthony Barbour. The first time I spoke to Miller while at Jordan, I told him he would be one of the best student-athletes the school has ever produced. I got that one spot on. It was fun watching him grow. 

I have not watched many games more times than I have watched the one with Miller guiding us past Green Hope in a monsoon to lead us to the 2018 league crown. 

Why do I mention this? I need folks to understand that while I am not rooting for Duke, I do root for Ben. 

If Duke should win against NC State and advance, I am going to want a team most Wolfpack fans hate to win the conference (I may even go to the game to watch it if that happens). I pray you all do not take that personally.