Inside Pack Sports beat writer Rob McLamb feels the freshmen could have a major impact on Wolfpack baseball as the team enters the final month of the regular season.
Fresh Produce
The season sweep over East Carolina carries bragging-rights value and importance within the current RPI rankings.
What went slightly under the radar, particularly in the first Wolfpack win over the Pirates in Greenville, was NC State getting outstanding production from members of its freshman class.
It began, figuratively and literally, with Luke Hemric’s effort as the starting pitcher at ECU on April 15.
After Hemric was pulled from the game in Greenville, the Pack turned to Mikey Ragusa, Sam Harris, Aiden Kitchings, and Truitt Manuel to get the final outs.
Sans Ryan Marohn and Jacob Dudan, counting outs over the course of a weekend is what NC State tries to do, and the outs necessary will require pitchers stepping up from the fringes to the forefront.
There will be bumps. Hemric gave the Wolfpack a chance to win its series at Virginia Tech, but a three-run homer in the sixth inning helped push the Hokies past NC State.
Hemric is going to be a key for NC State. If his game continues to grow in May and potentially June, he could be a difference maker.
The lefty has college-ready stuff, and it is not hard to envision NC State turning to him in the back end of the conference tournament, regional, or Supers. The trust level is there.
Hemric has something special to give.
If NC State’s pitching staff is close to fully healthy, Hemric can be the guy who eats up innings and bridges gaps over the course of a weekend. If the Pack does not see some of its injured hurlers return, Hemric can use that as his chance to grow into the pitcher he and his coaching staff envisioned when he was recruited from nearby Apex, NC.
The freshmen of the diamond are also getting previously unexpected reps. Christian Serrano stepped in at shortstop for the injured Mikey Ryan and went 2-for-3 at the plate as the Pack run-ruled ECU in Raleigh on Tuesday.
Serrano was highly touted coming out of high school, which is where he would still be if he had not reclassified late last season to get to NCSU a year early. Ryan is in a walking boot, and, at the moment, there is no clear timetable as to when he will be back. This is Serrano’s chance.
Ragusa, Kitchings, and Manuel also returned to the mound to befuddle the Pirates in the rematch, which helped NC State climb the RPI rankings ahead of this weekend’s home series with Miami. Pitching depth is a must in the postseason. The Wolfpack freshman class is earning trust there.
And, of course, Rett Johnson continues to shine at the plate as the freshman from Youngsville, NC, is closing in on claiming an ACC batting title. At this point, with an 18-game hitting streak, it seems odd when Johnson does not reach base.
Getting to the NCAAs means mistakes can be made, but not repeated. The freshmen must use this situation as a way to position the program into this season’s national tournament while also giving the group valuable experience for an even brighter future.
Expect the newbies in NC State’s program to have a lot to say about what the Wolfpack can be over the remainder of the regular season.
And NC State does have talent in its freshmen class to do it.
