For junior left-handed pitcher Nick Swiney, baseball has always been a part of his life. The son of Brent and Cathy Swiney, Nick Swiney was born in Nashville, Tennessee. At three years old, his family moved to Huntersville, North Carolina, and he started playing baseball at the age of four, playing catch with his father and grandfather in their front yard.
Swiney developed a passion for the sport at a young age. His father grew up outside of St. Louis, so Swiney would attend many Cardinals games with his family as a kid.
“I really liked watching them play,” Swiney said. “It was a fascination for me to see those guys, and you grow up wanting to be like them.”
Swiney attended William A. Hough High School, where he played baseball. His younger brother, Evan, a senior at the same high school, also played baseball. In middle school, Swiney loved to compete, which is where his passion for the sport grew even stronger.
“I truly started to love the game probably when I was in middle school, the competing aspect of it, and I really enjoyed pitching,” Swiney said. “I love to pitch, the one-on-one battle between the hitter.”
Throughout his high school career, Nick credits his mother and father as having significant influence on his dedication and success in the sport. His father influenced him more on the game itself, while his mother came at it from an off-the-field perspective.
“It’s not only a game,” Swiney said. “You learn a lot of things from baseball, like meeting people, building relationships. So my mom would come at it from a different perspective.”
Swiney chose NC State because he wanted to attend a school that felt like home for him and was close enough for his parents to come and watch the games.
“I really liked what [head coach Elliott Avent] brought to the table, the way that NC State went about their business on a daily basis, and how when I came on my visit, all the players looked like it was a family atmosphere, and that’s something I look for,” Swiney said.
One of Swiney’s favorite parts about the program at NC State is the tight bond he shares with his teammates and the activities they participate in off the field.
“There are guys who go fishing together, we’ll go to movies together, we’ll go to other sporting events together,” Swiney said. “I think coach Avent does a really good job of that, making sure we’re really close and just doing things as a team as well.”
One tradition Swiney enjoys the most is eating breakfast as a team at Big Ed’s when school is on break or out for the summer. He said his teammates have many special traditions, including watching movies together.
Since Swiney picked a school where his family is close by, they are able to come and support him at all the team’s home games. His family will also fly to away games, including going to Minnesota, Clemson and Georgia Tech. During the season, Swiney especially enjoys being able to take a quick trip home on Easter, where he can spend time with family.
This season, Swiney is looking forward to getting out there and competing with all the other guys. Despite a long season with many ups and downs, he knows it’ll be fun.
“Once you get out on the field and you’re playing with all your friends — I mean, these are my best friends,” Swiney said. “So just getting to cheer them on whenever I’m not in and anything I can do to help.”
As a junior, Nick understands the freshman experience. He likes to help his younger teammates out and be someone they can look up to and come to for support.
“I like to help the younger guys as well, just because I know when I went through it freshman year — you come in, and it’s kind of intimidating,” Swiney said. “So just anything to make them feel more comfortable, and know that they can go out there and they can produce for us and get us to where we want to go.”
When asked about how he would describe his team, Swiney mentioned the end goals NC State baseball has in mind every season.
“I think we all have a goal in mind, and it starts with the coaches,” Swiney said. “They really engrave into our brains what our end-of-the-year goal is. We all want to go to Omaha and win it, obviously, and there’s going to be a lot of ups and downs throughout the season, but we just have to stay the course.”
