NC State INF Chris McHugh met with the media to discuss Coach Avent's retirement, the regional matchup at Auburn, and much more!
NOTE: Click the video above to watch the full press conference!
I guess, kind of building off of that, but more seriously, a lot of the guys, your teammates here, have talked about ways that Avent has helped them outside of baseball, life lessons, whether it's advice with girls or parking tickets or class. What's the most random thing that he's helped you out with that's been impactful?
That's a really good question. If I had some time to think, I would give you a great answer. Let's see. He doesn't give me advice with girls because I have a lot of them, shout out, but he does give me some tips on how to keep her happy, so I guess that would be it. That would be it, yeah.
What is the biggest way that he's impacted you as a baseball player?
Yeah, I would say confidence. Sometimes, when I came here from VCU, I lacked it because getting to a big-time school, you've got to really earn your job here. But I think he kind of just let me relax and ease into it, and then I really worked myself into being a good player, and I think a lot of that is from him.
How does he instill that confidence? I know some of your teammates have talked about getting late texts after games, saying "good job," or just getting a pep talk before a game. What do the mechanisms of instilling that confidence actually look like?
I think he likes to joke around a lot with you, so he'll just have it in a tone where it's like, "Hey, like, you're not too bad." I think that's the biggest compliment I can get, him calling me not too bad, so, yeah.
Going back to Auburn, there's some familiarity there for you guys. What is it like to know how the field plays but also have that extra motivation?
I love that we're going back to Auburn, personally, because I think it's a very similar team to last year, besides maybe one really good hitter, but I think it's a very similar team. We know a lot of what they're about, and we know how the field plays. I've watched them a ton this year as well. I think they're one of the best teams in the country, and I'm really excited to watch them from an overall fan experience as well. I love the crowd they bring, and I think it'll be super fun, so I'm really excited to go back.
What do you think is the best trait that'll make Chris Hart a good coach?
Just the best hire in a while. I mean, that's, he's the best. Me and him have built such a great relationship. I think he's already ready for it, because I think he's manned a lot of the head coaching duties, as well as recruiting. He's one of the best. He knows how to run the offense. He also knows how to do the pitching. I mean, he can do a little bit of everything. I think that's his big thing. He's not; just because he's been a hitting coach doesn't mean he doesn't know anything else. He knows everything, and, you know, he's, I mean, he's taught us everything, and that's, I'm so happy for him.
What did he do well in your recruitment to get you to come here?
That's a good question. Well, he called me at 12 o'clock at night when I was about to commit somewhere else. So, that's what he did. He, on the last day, or something like that, called me at midnight, and he changed my mind to make me go here. So, he knows how to persuade, I'll tell you that. I didn't think it was going to be difficult for me not to take the other spot, but I did, and he flipped me. So, I think he can do just about anyone. He's really good at recruiting, trust me.
How did he do that? How did he get you to join?
Some stuff that maybe, let's just say, he's very persuasive.
How much different is it for him now, taking over this program, given where it was two years ago when you committed, compared to the facilities and all the things that you guys have now at your disposal?
I think that's so big for him. I don't know what you can't like about this place. Raleigh is beautiful. You've got top-notch facilities and a great fan base. I just think now the recruiting is going to be the best it's ever been because of these facilities, and I'm so excited to see this program.
