DUGOUT REPORT: Wolfpack Clinches Series Versus Dukes

NC State head coach Elliott Avent, junior first baseman Austin Murr, and junior outfielder Jonny Butler met with the media following the Wolfpack's 9-6 win over James Madison Saturday afternoon.

NOTE: Click on each respective thumbnail to watch each interview.

Elliott Avent

“I like comebacks because when we talk about things in baseball and in life, there are some tough things thrown your way. If you’re going to give into the first sign of adversity or you’re going to give into what the score is, you’ve just got to play the game. Play the game for the fun of it, and play the game because that’s what you do. The mentality is the game is never over if we’re on defense ahead, and it’s certainly not over if we’re behind. I’m just really proud of how relaxed the dugout was. I can’t say they knew they were coming back, but they just kept playing the game, and things happened. That’s a pretty good team out there in James Madison. There were certainly some good arms that they threw at us.”

“I thought they were both outstanding. Matt [Willadsen] went out there early, got first and third, and rolled a ground-ball double play. Both are very composed for freshmen, and they’re freshmen from right here. It makes it a little different. You’re in your hometown. There are guys that you grew up with and family here. There are a lot of eyes on you. I thought they were both very composed, and I thought they pitched very well. Sam Highfill gets his first college W; he won’t forget that.”

“We’ve got a lot of it which is good. It also gives me a lot of decisions that sometimes I don’t want to make. Sometimes, you can outthink yourself or out-decision yourself. I try not to do that, but we do have some flexibility, and today it showed. [Tyler] McDonough was able to start at second, move to the outfield, and do some things. Devonte Brown started at third, moved to the outfield, and was able to do some things. We’ve got a lot of guys that are versatile. We’ve got some things that we’re trying to figure out early in the year. You’d like, by conference time, to figure out things you can do and what your lineup might be against this pitcher or that pitcher.”

“[Murr] is a good player. He plays with a lot of energy, and he loves to play. He’s a great teammate. He’s added a lot since he’s been here. He loves the game. I watch him sometimes before the game. He’s always thinking about the game. He’s kind of a throwback for me. He loves to play the game, plays with great energy, plays it the right way, and has a great confidence in himself. You saw how he went for that last pop-up which wasn’t even his ball. He just went and got it. He loves to play, loves to win, and has been a great addition."

Austin Murr

“I’m just trying to get something going. It took me a few at-bats early yesterday to get some of the jitters out and get going, but something I’m working on all year is to have a smooth approach at the plate and try to make something happen.”

“I got a fastball in. He tried to go in on the second pitch, so I adjusted my body a little bit, and he threw another one in that I was able to hit out.”

“Our lineup is loaded from top to bottom, so I don’t think a lot of teams want to pitch to any of us. Pat [Bailey] has been big for us. The walks obviously help, and he gets on base a lot for us.”

“It’s a lot of fun being from Minnesota. This is my type of weather, especially in these first few weekends. The fans are great. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s a great atmosphere in these first few games."

Jonny Butler

“We’ve got a ton of great leaders. We’ve a lot of good seniors and a lot of juniors on the team. [The freshmen] have come in, and they’ve been learning this whole time. They’ve done a good job of just soaking in everything. I don’t think there’s a doubt in anybody’s mind that we couldn’t come back here, and we did.”

“I’m feeling really good. It helps that I’ve been having a lot of great batters in front of me that have been getting on. It’s a lot harder for a pitcher to be throwing when you’ve got runners on. They’ve been a big help to me. I’ve been relaxed. I’m seeing pitches really well. It’s going good.”

“It’s awesome. I love it. I love the energy and everything about it."