Junior shortstop Brandon Butterworth grew up an NC State fan and dreamed of hitting a walk-off home run in a Wolfpack uniform. He spent his first two years of college at Western Carolina before transferring to NC State this season.
In his first game against rival No. 11 UNC-Chapel Hill (29-9, 14-5 ACC), Butterworth hit the first walk-off of his life in the bottom of the ninth to give the Wolfpack (21-14, 11-8 ACC) a 9-8 series-opening win at Doak Field.
“That’s something you dream about your whole life,” Butterworth said. “Someone steps up and gets a good moment, whether it’s me or anybody in the lineup and it happened to happen with me. And you know, couldn’t ask for a better moment.”
Butterworth knew the fastball was coming and head coach Elliott Avent told him to be on time with his swing. The junior shortstop timed it perfectly, sending the ball over the left-field wall for his third home run of the season.
For the first time in his life, Butterworth ran the bases with the entire team waiting to mob him at home plate. As Doak Field was lit red, the Monroe, North Carolina native rounded the bases and said he felt like he could’ve done it with his eyes closed.
Before tonight it hadn’t been the season Butterworth had hoped for at the plate. He entered the game with the worst batting average among players with 75 at-bats and just two home runs. Despite the poor offensive production, Butterworth has been a mainstay in the lineup because of his elite defense.
Avent gave him high praise, saying he has played as well at shortstop as anyone who has played the position at NC State. That list includes legends like Jonathan and Chris Diaz as well as current MLB star Trea Turner.
Junior catcher Jacob Cozart, one of the best defensive backstops in college baseball, complimented Butterworth’s hard work to get better at the plate while being an elite defender.
“He’s been the most consistent defensive player we’ve had,” Cozart said. “I knew he was gonna step up and do a job. I mean, he’s worked his butt off to get to that point, and I’m just really happy for him.”
Cozart himself had been struggling at the plate trying to live up to his preseason All-American honors. Leading up to the game, Cozart had recorded just two RBIs in his last eight games before exploding for a season-high five RBIs against the Tar Heels.
Three of those RBIs came off a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to give the Wolfpack an 8-5 lead. After waiting over 10 minutes for UNC to make a pitching change, Cozart wasted no time sending the first pitch he saw over the right field wall just left of the foul pole.
“I knew it was gone,” Cozart said. “I just stuck with what I’ve been doing, keep trusting what I do and trust the process. Put my best swing on it and good things will happen.”
His home run was just one part of Cozart’s big day at the plate. He opened the scoring for NC State with a two-RBI single in the bottom of the first and manufactured a walk that later turned into a run.
Both his home run and RBI-single came with two outs and two runners on. Each time, Cozart came up clutch and drove in much-needed runs against a high-scoring UNC squad.
“I think that was not only big for our ball club but big for him,” Avent said.
After having to use nine pitchers on Tuesday, NC State only used three, far fewer than the Tar Heels’ seven. Graduate right-handed pitcher Sam Highfill started on the mound, giving up four runs on five hits in 3.1 innings.
Sophomore pitchers Shane Van Dam and Derrick Smith combined for the last 5.2 innings, allowing just three runs. Smith pitched the last two innings and used his electric fastball to keep UNC at bay.
The Wolfpack looks to clinch the series against the Tar Heels on Friday, April 19. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. and will be televised on ACC Network.
