NC State baseball notched two high fashion wins over the Duke Blue Devils in a fall exhibition at Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Friday, Oct. 13. The first game was nine innings long and ended in a 10-3 Wolfpack victory while the second game was only seven innings and ended in a 5-1 win for the Pack. 

“I think it’s great for two conference teams that are this close together to come out here,” said head coach Elliott Avent. “It gives you things that you need to work on and it gets some players out there.”

The Pack9 squad entered the contest with exactly half of the team being fresh faces to the program, including six transfer athletes and 14 true freshmen. Despite the roster turnover, the team demonstrated good chemistry and meshed well together on the field. 

“I went to the Phillies game last night and to see the Phillies, with how they were so connected as a team and were able to beat a great Atlanta ball club,” Avent said. “It doesn’t matter what level you play — chemistry and players pulling together is a big deal in the sport of baseball.”

While the roster has plenty of new faces, Avent remains the one constant in Raleigh. He is entering his 28th season as the Pack’s head coach and continues to build onto his already impressive Wolfpack tenure as the winningest coach in program history. 

“He’s a good guy, he’s got a lot of experience,” said graduate third baseman Alec Makarewicz. “I love hearing his wisdom every day and he’s got a lot of good lessons to learn from.”

NC State was able to capitalize on lead-off doubles in both games. The Wolfpack collectively hit three lead-off doubles and scored the runner each time before the third out. The Wolfpack hit six doubles in between both matchups and graduate first baseman Garrett Pennington accounted for two of those doubles with one being a two-RBI double to start the scoring in game two. In addition to his excellent play on the field, Pennington has also taken up the role as a team leader. 

“Not only can [Pennington] play — he’s a good baseball player — but what he’s done is he’s given us good leadership… He’s been around college baseball and he’s big on chemistry and bringing the team together.”

Throughout the evening the Pack9 prioritized getting its young guys opportunities to face an opposing team. Throughout both games seven true freshman pitchers took the mound. These true freshmen combined to face a total of 33 batters in both games and only gave up five hits while punching out six batters. 

“We got a lot of young pitching that not only seemed pretty good, but they seemed very poised for such a young age, ” Avent said. “They’re the most poised pitchers I remember in a long time since Carlos Rodon, maybe Jake Buchanon and Mike Rogers.”

The Pack9 defense looked to have already made improvements from last year. Friday night’s defensive highlights included diving catches by sophomore right fielder Andrew Shaffner and sophomore left fielder Josh Hogue. The infield looked smooth with junior shortstop Brandon Butterworth leading the group, going six for six on defensive opportunities in the opening game. 

“Brandon Butterworth, a transfer, was outstanding tonight defensively… Hogue, a new transfer coming in, had a pretty good night,” Avent said. “It’s just fun watching these guys play and come together.” 

During the double-header, the red-and-white remained focused throughout all 16 innings. In both games the Pack was firmly in control and played complimentary baseball — a good sign for the upcoming 2024 season. 

The Pack9 will return to the field in February, hoping to build off of an NCAA tournament appearance last spring.