DUGOUT REPORT: Seventh-Ranked Wolfpack Throttles Lancers

No. 7 NC State head coach Elliott Avent, center fielder Devonte Brown, and right-handed pitcher Logan Whitaker met with the media following the Wolfpack's 19-3 win over Longwood Wednesday afternoon.

Brown finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate versus the Lancers with one double, one home run, three runs batted in, and four runs scored. In his first collegiate start, Whitaker shut out Longwood’s offense in five innings, yielding just two hits while striking out five.

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

Opening Statement

I thought we played good today. I thought we played really, really good. In the second inning, I thought a lot of good things happened there. Tommy White came back from an 0-2 count to draw a walk. Gino Groover had a two-strike hit. We’ve been doing really good job with two strikes this year. [Dominic] Pilolli got a triple. It’s nice to see him run because he’s coming off that ACL injury. [Josh Hood] got a double down the line and broke it open a little bit. The key for me: you called the right two people up here. For Logan Whitaker to go through what he went through, there were many, many people that thought his career might be over. He’s gone through so many injuries. I heard him say, “I appreciate the coaching staff on not giving up on me.” You can’t give up on a person who never gives up on himself. I tell the players all the time: “You can’t give up on somebody who refuses to give up on himself.” That’s what he did. I thought many times that he would say, “That’s it. I can’t do it anymore,” but he kept coming back. To see him go out there on the mound the other day and then to see him pitch five two-hit, shutout innings and get the win was amazing. And I was very proud of Devonte Brown. He and J.T. Jarrett have been leading us all fall. They’re the only two starters remaining from the Pack13 squad that came back along with [Noah] Soles, [Eddie] Eisert, and DeAngelo Giles. What those two have meant to our ball club, their leadership in the locker room, off the field, and on the field today… I don’t know what the score was, 16-0 or 17-0, when he beat out that infield hit to third base, going that hard, he speaks how this program wants to play, how we do play it, and how we hope to continue to play it. I’m really proud of Devonte, but the story for today for most people was Logan Whitaker.

On the relief pitching today…

We’ve got to build a bullpen. We don’t know who that is yet. We’re trying to figure it out. It was a tough game for [Trey] Cooper and especially Cooper King. Trey Cooper’s got great stuff, but he goes out there and hits a couple of guys and walks a guy. That can’t happen. He’s trying as hard as he could, but he’s got to figure it out quick because he’s got great stuff. That was a tough thing to bring Cooper King into. It’s a 19-nothing game. You sit there for three hours which seems five hours, and you’re getting up and coming into a bases-loaded jam. It’s a tough situation for him, but that’s an opportunity for him, and he knows that. We’re trying to develop a bullpen. The game didn’t end exactly the way we wanted, but we played very well today.

On Groover, Pilolli, and Bo Robinson’s impact on the program…

First of all, to have the privilege of coming here everyday to this ballpark and this office with the coaching staff and support staff that we have is a dream come true. I’ve been coaching my whole life, and I’ve been around so many great coaches and so many great people: trainers, strength coaches, equipment managers. It’s a blessing everyday to come here around this staff and support staff. It’s unbelievable, but Bo Robinson has added a different dynamic to this coaching staff. He fits in so well immediately. To see him, Coach [Chris] Hart, and Coach [Clint] Chrysler work together is amazing, and that’s part of our strength. Then you take two of the better players off that ball club which is a great ball club down at UNC Charlotte, but you get a couple of players off that club. It’s a big plus.