With the NC State baseball schedule released and the new recruits and transfers on campus, baseball nerds like me can get excited about the rapidly approaching start to the college baseball season.
Given how NC State finished last season, there is opportunity for the Wolfpack to take the next step and use its experience to compete for the ACC title and a berth at the College World Series. Without a doubt, the team is chomping at the bit to erase the memory of the heartbreaking loss that ended its 2014-15 season.
The knocks on the team entering the year last season were regurgitated ad nauseam; the loss of Carlos Rodon, Trea Turner and Brett Austin among others made for an extremely inexperienced and unproven team.
There were speed bumps in the early going, but once the team found its rhythm, it took off, landing within three outs of beating TCU and moving on to the Super Regionals.
Junior catcher Andrew Knizner and first-baseman Preston Palmeiro give the Wolfpack two studs at the top of the lineup and there is a young nucleus growing around them, opening the window for the Wolfpack to contend this year and beyond.
The schedule presents its own unique challenges, with no out-of-conference titans waiting to face the Pack early in the season.
Five of State’s non-conference opponents are teams that made the NCAA Regionals last year and of course includes conference heavyweights Virginia, Florida State and Louisville.
To an uneducated viewer, the early season schedule of Coastal Carolina, Morehead State, UNC-Wilmington, St. John’s and Wright State would seem like a cupcake stretch, however each presents a serious challenge to the Pack team.
The biggest “name” NC State plays out of conference will be Alabama as part of the Irish Classic at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary. The tournament will see Niagara and Bucknell come to Dail Park that weekend.
In all, the Wolfpack will only play five non-conference games this season on the road, allowing for the team to further mature in the friendly confines of Dail Park before traveling to meet conference foes.
It is a schedule that sets up well for the Wolfpack to have a healthy schedule and a good RPI when NCAA Regionals selection comes around. It’s a smart strategy similar to that which Wolfpack basketball coach Mark Gottfried uses when creating his schedule: load the schedule with winnable games against teams that are highly ranked in lesser conferences.
The roster adds seven freshman and one junior college transfer for 2016 after losing five players to the MLB Draft last season. It returns Knizner and Palmeiro to anchor the lineup and sophomore pitcher Brian Brown to stabilize the rotation.
And of course it returns head coach Elliott Avent for his 19th season at the helm of the Wolfpack, a calm and steadying presence that will no doubt benefit another young Wolfpack squad.
An NCAA Tournament run is expected this year for Avent and company—anything less will be a severe disappointment.
If the last two years are any indication, however, we can throw our expectations to the wind.
