NC State infielder Will Wilson has always been a talented baseball player, but few could have anticipated just how successful his 2017 season would be.
Serving as the team’s primary second baseman, Wilson started all 61 games for the Pack while hitting .300, slugging .507, getting on base at a .377 clip and finishing second on the team with 48 RBIs. Needless to say, he was an instrumental part of both the lineup and defense for head coach Elliott Avent’s squad last season.
The good news for Wolfpack fans? That was just his freshman year.
“I thought I made the best of it,” Wilson said of his freshman campaign. “I had a great coaching staff behind me.”
The coaching staff he praises was one of the main reasons Wilson chose NC State as his college destination. Wilson says working on hitting with associate head coach Chris Hart and Avent was a key part of his breakout rookie campaign that garnered many accolades, including being named to the D1 Baseball Freshman All-American team and the Freshman All-ACC team.
A product of Kings Mountain High School in North Carolina, where he hit .429 and slugged .690 with eight home runs as a sophomore, Wilson committed all the way back in 2014 as a high school junior and knew Raleigh would be the best fit for him.
“Everyone says NC State is a blue-collar atmosphere and a blue-collar school,” Wilson said. “I think I fit that.”
Now entering his sophomore season, Wilson is shifting to shortstop in Joe Dunand’s stead. Dunand was the Pack’s primary shortstop for the past two seasons, mashing 18 home runs in 2017 en route to being a second-round selection by the Miami Marlins and ultimately foregoing his senior year to sign with them. While Wilson has big shoes to fill, Avent believes that he’s more than capable.
“Will Wilson is one of my favorite players to watch that I’ve ever had,” Avent said. “He’s in the mold of Trea Turner.”
That’s high praise, especially considering Turner, a former NC State shortstop, stole 46 bases for the Washington Nationals last season. Even people outside the NC State sphere are catching on, as Wilson was named a 2018 Preseason Third Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball.
“He’s just fun to watch,” Avent said. “He makes plays, he loves to play, he plays with great energy.”
Wilson’s athleticism and energy were on display all last season, but he may have showcased it best against Clemson in a victory over the Tigers in late May. With the bases loaded in the eighth inning, he smacked a shot off the centerfield wall and sped around the bases for an inside-the-park grand slam, one of two grand slams for him on the season. Wilson batted .429 with the bases loaded in 2017, proving to be a clutch contributor for the Wolfpack.
A heartbreaking loss in last year’s NCAA regional to Kentucky sent NC State packing, the third season in a row the Wolfpack was just one win short of a berth to a Super Regional, but Wilson is determined to get over the hump. He says he wants to get past the regional round and possibly make it to Omaha, the site of the College World Series, a place the Wolfpack hasn’t returned to since 2013 behind the prowess of now-MLB players Carlos Rodon and Trea Turner.
“You always want to chase Omaha,” Wilson said.
NC State will open up the season ranked No. 13 in the Perfect Game Poll and No. 25 in the USA Baseball Poll, but Wilson hasn’t let that phase him.
“Preseason is preseason,” Wilson said. “You always have to go out and show people who you are.”
Wilson will take the field as the team’s starting shortstop Friday against Seton Hall when the Wolfpack opens up its season at Doak Stadium. If the Wolfpack is able to get past the regional round this season, the Wolfpack faithful may need to thank Wilson.
