NC State head coach Elliott Avent, RHP Ryden Garino, and UTL Dalton Bargo met with Inside Pack Sports to discuss the 14-7 win at Virginia Tech.

NOTE: Click the videos above to watch the full press conference!

HC Elliott Avent

Elliott, big win. You guys had to rally early on to do it, then obviously survive the rain delay. Just speak your thoughts on this, if you don't mind.

It was just a crazy second inning. Cooper Consiglio wasn't in a rhythm, and then a couple of crazy things happened that I thought we could have taken advantage of. That rundown was a silly run there in the first. But then Coop really settled down about the fourth or the fifth. He looked like the old Cooper Consiglio, and that was big for us.

Ryder Garino came in and was lights out. I think he struck out seven of the nine guys he faced, but then we had a two-hour rain delay. He said he was good to go after only throwing 40 pitches, but I wasn't going to sit him out there after two hours. We did some good things. Dalton Bargo stepped up today and did some good things. I hope Mikey Ryan is okay; that is a tough, tough blow right there. I hope that kid is okay; he has been playing lights out for us. Anyway, it was a good comeback win today.

I want to ask you about Cooper. On one hand, obviously, you say he is struggling a little bit, but I feel like he is still doing a vital job in the sense of eating up innings with the staff.

Cooper has been great all year; he is lights out at times. I think it was around that fourth or fifth inning when Clint Chrysler was going to take him out, and Coop said, "No, I'm rolling, leave me in there." A couple of things happened with the first two hitters, but you could see in Cooper's body language and his face when he feels like they can't hit him. I saw a little bit of that today, about the fourth or fifth inning. So, yeah, he has been outstanding for us all year.

And he took valuable innings, too. I would say Bargo and the guys are raking and always responding. It was never really a lull when Virginia Tech scored those runs and took the lead; they came back immediately. How important was that?

Getting down 5-2 after yesterday and some things that have happened to us—with Jacob Dudan and Ryan Marohn being out, and now Mikey—it can get in your head a little bit. So it was big, that five-run inning and the big home run by Bargo. But I thought Bargo's big at-bat was the sac fly. Now, the two homers are things he can do, but I thought his best at-bat was when he rode that thing out and got the big sac fly.

You guys came back and locked this down. You used Anderson Nance. How do you feel about your pitching going into tomorrow? Are you going to plug it up? How are you going to manage it?

Luke Hemric will be fine. He'll go out there. He has been out there a lot. Luke Hemric will start this thing, and we have a lot of guys behind him.

I know, just sometimes you're worried about the injuries and all that. Are the innings a concern?

It is a concern, but guys just have to keep stepping up.

Big win. Are you really worrying about the NCAA and the ACC standings yet, or are you just taking it moment by moment?

No, I think about that all the time. It is all about the postseason. Right now, we're a .500 team, but hopefully we get a game above .500. Every year, it seems like a 14-16 or 13-17 team in the ACC gets into the postseason because the ACC is one of the better leagues in the country. I think we're in good shape; we just have to keep playing. 

RHP Ryden Garino and UTL Dalton Bargo

Dual interview here. Ryder, first of all, congratulations. You came in there and locked them down. Is that a mindset thing? How do you feel when you get in there, and the chips are on the line?

Ryder Garino: Yeah, I mean, every inning is the same. I just try to stay mentally tough, and if something happens, I stay locked in. If I come in with a runner on base, I just focus on getting ahead of the hitters and doing my job.

When you were called into this game and then had the rain delay, were you thinking, "Hey, I can still do this"? How did you feel?

Ryder Garino: I was going to keep going in after the pause, but it just kept getting longer and longer. Two hours in between pitches is just not smart. So, the coaches said to stay healthy and kept me out of the game.

Do you see all of these as must-wins?

Ryder Garino: Yes, every game is a must-win. Every conference game matters. It doesn't matter who it is against or where it is; every game matters for sure.

I want to ask both of you the same question. Consiglio eats up innings; he has had some struggles, but he still gave you innings. Like in Winston-Salem, everyone said, "Gosh, look at that stat line," but he ate up innings. How big is that for what you guys are trying to do, and how big is that for you guys in the dugout seeing a guy lay it on the line even when it isn't going well?

Ryder Garino: Yeah, it is great. When things don't go well, he still competes. He doesn't worry about the past; he keeps going and keeps throwing strikes. He does what we need him to do.

And then when you see a teammate like that...

Dalton Bargo: I think Coop just symbolizes what we're trying to be as a team: a bunch of competitors. We showed it today, and Coop showed it as well. He didn't have a lot go his way, but he got up on the mound, got right back to it, competed, and did everything we asked him to do to keep us in the ballgame.

When he's on the mound, and he's competing like that, it feeds into the lineup. We think, "All right, this dude is competing, let's go compete for him at the plate." That is what we did today, and we came out on the right side.

You're in a position similar to a relief pitcher, where you have to be ready when called. You were called today; speak to that. How hard is that?

Dalton Bargo: I mean, you just have to be ready for whenever, no matter what it is—whether it is playing defense, getting an at-bat, starting a game, or pinch-hitting. It is just knowing there is always a chance your name is going to get called. You have to be ready because you never know what will happen.

A couple more. Just take me through the first two at-bats and the home run. What did you see on that pitch?

Dalton Bargo: I saw a changeup in, and I wasn't trying to do too much with it. I was just trying to hit something hard in the middle of the field. I got a good pitch to swing at, put a good swing on it, and kept it fair. Then, for the sac fly with less than two outs and a runner on third, the goal was just to get the run in. I battled, saw some fastballs, and then he threw a breaking ball. I stayed through it, hit it out to center, and got the run in.

How big was that to keep that inning and that flow going?

Dalton Bargo: It was huge. We jumped out to a 2-1 lead early, and then they answered. But our ability to answer right back shows who we're trying to be as a lineup and as a team. I think we put all the pieces together today.

Finally, sort of akin to what I asked him, how big are these games, and how good can this team be in the home stretch?

Dalton Bargo: These games are massive. Obviously, they play a big role in the postseason, which is where we want to be. We treat every game the same—no more, no less. But yes, they are must-win games. If we play our game like we know we can, there's no doubt that we're going to compete and win the ballgame.

I appreciate you both for your time. Congratulations.

Thank you so much.