DUGOUT REPORT: Wolfpack Dominates High Point

No. 7 NC State head coach Elliott Avent, second baseman J.T. Jarrett, and right-handed pitcher Logan Adams met with the media following the Wolfpack's 18-3 win over High Point Tuesday afternoon.

Jarrett finished 3-for-4 at the plate with two doubles, one home run, five runs batted in, and two runs scored. Adams picked up his first win wearing the red and white after striking out seven batters and giving up two runs on four hits and three walks in 5-2/3 innings on the mound.

NOTE: Click on each respective thumbnail to watch each interview. A transcript of Avent’s comments is posted below.

On the offense four games into the season…

The offense is good. It’s a good offense. Now, it’s obviously early in the year, so everybody’s not pitching the way they’re going to pitch at some point. We’re getting some pitches to hit right now, and we’re doing a good job with that. Hitting’s a growing thing. At the end of the year last year, we faced [Arkansas’ Kevin Kopps] who nobody in the country hit, then you go face [Stanford’s Brendan Beck], and then you [face Vanderbilt’s Jack] Leiter and [Kumar] Rocker. It’s a growing process. We’ve got a lot of young guys. We’ve got a lot of first-year guys in this league, and they’re still growing and understanding things. Where we’re at right now, you’ve got to be really pleased.

On the talent in the lineup with respect to their experience in college baseball…

You’ve got to meld into a unit. Top to bottom, you’ve got to be somewhat productive, or people are just going to get pitched around. That’s where we’re at right now. We’ve got a lot of good hitters in this lineup. I was just talking to Josh Hood and his parents, and I was talking with Tommy White’s parents. We get to know the parents when we recruit these young men, but you get to know the parents more when they’re here. These guys just have to keep growing and keep getting better, but right now, our main emphasis is on defense and pitching because defense and pitching are what’s going to get you to where you want to go. We’re trying to figure out who we’ve got in the bullpen and those kinds of things. Right now, we’re pleased with how we’re playing.

On the process of getting Adams to Raleigh…

Coach [Clint] Chrysler and Coach [Chris] Hart do such an unbelievable job recruiting. Coach Hart’s been with me so long here and kind of runs our recruiting. The things he’s done recruiting-wise when you talk about getting players here, he got Trea Turner out of Florida. He got Tommy White out of Florida. He kept Payton Green here. He kept Jacob Cozart here. All these guys have opportunities to go other places. He’s done an unbelievable job, and he did the same thing with Logan Adams. It just comes with hard work and relationships. He’s built a reputation, and I’d like to think our program’s built a reputation of treating people right and developing people. That’s our reputation out there in college baseball, and Coach Hart’s a big reason for that. When he makes the call on somebody or they pick up the phone and call him, they know they’re getting the real thing as far as what we have here at NC State and what their role would be. He did a good job with Logan Adams and getting him here as well.

On Carson Kelly’s performance…

Carson Kelly is a product of a baseball town in Sanford. That’s a baseball town. Charlie Spivey, forever down there in Sanford and Lee County, did things the right way and produced so many great players, and Carson Kelly follows in that line. He’s just such a good person. He’s a team favorite because he’s such a good person and such a good teammate, and obviously you pull for guys like that. He has good stuff, and he’ll continue to grow. It was good to get him out there and get him off to a good start.

On DeAngelo Giles’ first career home run after entering the program in 2020…

Nobody outworks DeAngelo Giles. As a matter of fact, when he hit that ball, he hit it a long way. Either Bo Robinson or Clint said, “Hey, that’s what happens when you keep working and work hard.” Nobody outworks D-Giles, and he’s done some very good things for us here. It was good to see him get that. He went out at second base and played pretty well. He’s just a guy that works very hard.