With a 2-0 record in Lexington and one win left to go, NC State appeared to have all but punched its ticket to Louisville for the 2017 NCAA Super Regionals. Unfortunately for the Wolfpack, Kentucky rebounded from its loss against State and won its next three games, the latter two against the Pack. Thus, the Wildcats advanced, and the Wolfpack returned to Raleigh.
State ended the 2017 campaign 36-25 overall and 16-14 in conference play. There were ups and downs throughout the season, but the Pack cannot afford to look back with the 2018 season kicking off next month.
The Wolfpack returns most of the starting lineup from a year ago with some glaring exceptions. However, this season looks to be promising especially when compared to last season’s lackluster finish. State enters the season ranked No. 13 according to Perfect Game and No. 23 according to Collegiate Baseball. With that said, here’s what Wolfpack baseball fans can expect from the team this year:
Many of the Wolfpack’s strong arms return from a year before. One of those arms is graduate student right-hander Johnny Piedmonte who will seemingly never leave. If he puts up the numbers he did a year before (7-0, 2.77 ERA), I’m sure head coach Elliott Avent won’t mind that a bit. Eyes will also be on southpaw senior Brian Brown (4-3, 3.76) who will get the opening day start against Seton Hall on Friday, Feb. 16 after missing last year’s season opener due to injury.
An early contender to join Piedmonte and Brown in the weekend rotation was 2017 All-ACC Freshman Michael Bienlien (3-3, 4.66). Aiming to continue the success he started a season ago, Bienlien appears to be injured and will have his 2018 debut delayed. Another promising sophomore, right-hander Dalton Feeney (3-2, 2.53), will be shelved the entire season after an injury in fall scrimmages resulted in Tommy John Surgery. Freshman left-hander David Harrison will be the Wolfpack’s Sunday starter to begin the season.
The saving grace in most games last season came out of the bullpen. Joe O’Donnell (4-0, 3.91), Austin Staley (2-3, 3.59) and Kent Klyman (1-0, 2.16) all return in 2018 to lead State’s relief pitching. The Pack also has strong newcomers to add into the fray including freshman Reid Johnston as well as JUCO transfers Nolan Clenney and Josh Jimenez.
Behind the plate, Brad Debo looks to pick up where he left off after picking up Freshman All-American honors. After leading the team in batting (.335), the Durham native will likely be the top candidate to replace Andy Cosgrove who was drafted by the Twins in June’s MLB Draft. Senior Jack Conley, redshirt freshman Brady Gulakowski, and freshman Patrick Bailey will also compete with Debo for the spot behind the plate.
The left side of the infield from a year ago is gone with Joe Dunand drafted to the Marlins and Evan Mendoza to the Cardinals. However, in the case of the former, his replacement was all but solidified. Freshman All-American Will Wilson looks to shift from last year’s position at second to fill in the gap at shortstop. This will allow senior Stephen Pitarra to reassume his natural spot at second base after filling in for an injured Shane Shepard.
Replacing Mendoza at third base is another story. With Shepard more or less locked in at first, this opens the door for many incoming infielders such as freshmen David Vasquez, Devonte Brown, and J.T. Jarrett. In addition, Shepard’s spot at first will be contested by JUCO transfer Evan Edwards, putting either of the two as options to shift over to the hot corner. However, the frontrunner at this time appears to be redshirt sophomore Dillon Cooper whose experience in the program gives him the edge over the others vying for the spot.
With seniors Josh McLain and Brock Deatherage opting not to sign pro contracts after getting drafted by the Dodgers and Pirates respectively, the 2018 outfield will look identical to what the fans had seen for the last two seasons.
McLain brings his speed and leadership back into center field, Deatherage brings his speed and bat power back into right field, and junior Brett Kinneman will complete the outfield in left while looking to pad out his draft resume by continuing his success at the plate.
Behind that trio, State has solid depth that will likely see action throughout the 2018 campaign. Sophomore Lawson McArthur should see extended playing time beyond just the occasional ninth-inning defensive replacement. Freshmen Terrell Tatum and Hunter Baker also will look to make their marks in their first year in the program.
After the #Pack9 Party at the Close-King Indoor Practice Facility on January 18 at 6 p.m., the Wolfpack will start the season with a home series against Seton Hall starting with a double-header on Friday, Feb. 16 starting at noon. State’s conference schedule will begin on March 9 when Boston College comes to Doak Field.
In addition to the Eagles, the Pack will host Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, UNC-Chapel Hill, and Wake Forest while travelling to Clemson, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Duke, and Florida State. In addition, State will also get a non-conference matchup against the Tar Heels on April 17 at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
After the Pack’s regular season ends in Tallahassee, the 2018 ACC Baseball Tournament will return to North Carolina May 22-27 at the DBAP.
GrayWolf98 said:
I would be nice to get a breakdown of the ACC this season and how the Pack matches up. Love me some ACC baseball.
