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NC State Baseball

Avent: "We Have To Go Play Well"

May 30, 2019
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NC State head coach Elliott Avent met with the media to discuss the Wolfpack heading into the Greenville Regional.    

NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview.


Is not making the ACC Championship lingering?
No. It’s about playing well. I didn’t think we played well against Florida State, but it had little consequence. The Georgia Tech game we did play well, we just didn’t take advantage of opportunities – and they played well and did take care of opportunities. The team that takes the most advantage of opportunities usually wins. We have to go play well for three or four days in Greenville.

How did your team respond in practice?
Good. They’ve been good all year. There was a lull when we didn’t play well. We were a little down, whether it be injuries or not playing well, or a little bit of both. They got that back and we went to Chapel Hill and played very well. We’re still missing some guys. Vojtech Mensik didn’t play for six weeks and played sparingly at the tournament. David Vazquez went home today; he was our starting second baseman most of the season. Practice has been good, play has been good. It’s going to be a good tournament, we’ve just got to play well.

Are you looking forward to the matchup between Patrick Bailey and the Campbell running game?
I would rather have a good throwing catcher and Campbell didn’t like to steal bases. He can throw. I still remember the throw in the ACC tournament. He’s one of the best in the country which is why he’s on team USA and up for the Buster Posey Award. He’s a great player.

How has Bailey grown since you started recruiting him?
I texted him this morning and told him everything. I said “Happy Birthday. Your dedication, commitment, and hard work has taken you from a great player in high school to one of the best prospects in the country. I’m proud of you and you have a great future.” That’s it in a nutshell.

What makes Campbell so good?
They’re a veteran team. They are tough and well-coached. They have good arms. We’re familiar with them; we beat them in their place and they beat us here. We’ll have to play well.

Does the familiarity with Campbell help you?
I think it helps both teams because you’re familiar with what they do. It helps both teams.

What about Seth Johnson from Campbell makes him so good?
He’s got a great arm. High draft picks are guys that can make it to the big leagues. Numbers matter, which is why analytics is such a big part of the game. Numbers matter more than they used to. High draft picks are guys that can make it to the big leagues.

Do you think you’ll see him on Friday?
I don’t know.

Does not hosting give you extra motivation?
It shouldn’t. We expected to be home and thought we deserved it. We don’t control that. Being close to home helps since we don’t have to fly. We’ll stay here and drive over tomorrow morning. We’ve been here all week and we couldn’t have done that if we had to go somewhere else.

Did you have to manage any disappointment with not hosting?
I didn’t talk about it. At this time of year your seniors and juniors manage things. You hope that’s what happens. I was disappointed myself, but you move on quickly. I’m sure they moved on quickly and we figure out what we do now.

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Avent: "We Have To Go Play Well"

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