Head coach Elliot Avent lit a fire under N.C. State’s baseball team after Canisius shut out his No. 5 Wolfpack Sunday. Avent’s tactics worked flawlessly, inspiring an 11-4 demolition of the Golden Griffins (1-1 overall) Monday afternoon at Doak Field.
Junior catcher Brett Austin, batting in the leadoff position, went four-for-six Monday, with three RBIs and two runs scored. Austin said he looks to be aggressive in his at bats, a strategy that paid off for him in spades against the Golden Griffins.
“When I’m leading off, I hunt first pitches,” Austin said. “If you get a good pitch, you [swing at it] and that first pitch might be the best one too.”
This isn’t the first time in Austin’s career he has batted in the leadoff slot. Last season when the Pack’s regular leadoff batter, then-sophomore shortstop Trea Turner, went down with an ankle injury, Austin took over Turner’s leadoff duties. Austin said he asked Turner last season if there was anything he should do differently when batting first in the order.
“Last year when they put me in leadoff, I asked [Turner] ‘What do I do? Do I see pitches or do I swing on the first pitch?’” Austin said. “[Turner] told me, ‘Just go up there and do whatever you want to do.’ I want to go up there and hunt the first pitch… That’s what I did today; just took the same approach, hunted pitches early and didn’t miss them.”
Avent said the team’s performance improved from Sunday’s showing, in which the Pack was shut out and had two defensive errors.
“Today [Monday] was better,” Avent said. “[Sunday] was terrible, but we were better today.”
Austin said he and his teammates, including junior infielder Logan Ratledge, were eager to redeem themselves after losing on Sunday.
“Logan and I were talking last night and he was like, ‘Man, I’m about to go hit in the cages right now.’” Austin said. “We were all ready to get back out here and prove ourselves, because yesterday [Sunday] was a little embarrassing.”
But Avent picked out the performance of the Wolfpack’s battle-hardened relief pitchers, specifically senior pitchers Andrew Woeck and D.J. Thomas, saying their efficiency allowed the Pack to conserve energy, which it used on offense.
“Look at what Woeck did yesterday and what D.J. Thomas did today: they just came in and threw strikes,” Avent said. “We had quick innings and didn’t have to be on our feet for 20 minutes playing defense, and then try to come in and hit a little bit.”
“If you do what D.J. and Woeck did, you’re going to be successful. They showed our staff what needs to be done. But D.J. and Woeck are a couple of seniors, so they’ve been around the block.”
A notable change to the Wolfpack’s lineup saw Austin move to right field on defense, with sophomore catcher John Mangum taking over behind the plate. Austin said it was a nice change of pace to be in the outfield, at least for one game.
“It’s relaxing [to be in the outfield],” Austin said. “We don’t have to focus nearly as much and there’s not as much pressure. But it feels good to be out there and rest my legs a little bit, and Mangum did a heck of a job [at catcher] today.”
Avent said tinkering with the lineup at the beginning of the season is standard operating procedure for every team around the country.
“No team that I know of, in basketball or baseball, knows what their lineup is at the start of the season,” Avent said. “You play yourself into your lineup. The old saying goes, ‘If you want to play more, play better,’ so we’re trying to give some guys an opportunity to see who plays well. [The players] decide who plays, [coaches] don’t decide that.”
