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Throwing a fastball, freshman pitcher Carlos Rodon throws the ball down the center for a strike. Rodon got his first win of the season after coming into the game in the fourth inning during the Wolfpack’s 10-3 win over Marshall on Friday. Photo by Ryan Parry.
The transition from high school to college is difficult for most freshmen. There are many newfound freedoms, such as the lack of parental units checking in on their daily lives, forcing them to do their schoolwork or even go to class. It’s not a farfetched idea that students often have their worst semester during freshman year because they can’t seem to settle into their new college life.
Freshman athletes have to face even more challenges when adjusting to a new environment. Not only do you have to adjust to the new college lifestyle, but you have to adjust your game and meet expectations of your coaching staff and fellow peer members. These are the pressures that heavily recruited freshman pitcher, Carlos Rodon , faces on a daily basis at N.C. State.
Rodon was a heavily sought after pitcher at Holly Springs High School. As a senior at Holly Springs, Rodon had a record of 11-0 with 135 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.40. During his last three years of high school, Rodon lost only two games while collecting 23 wins. Rodon was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2011 MLB draft. Rodon had the high school resume to be a college superstar, but his success in ACC baseball was still questionable.
“This is a big step from high school,” Rodon said. “This is the ACC. It’s a good baseball conference. I didn’t know what to expect. And, of course, you always wonder if you are good enough the first time out.”
As it turns out, Rodon’s first outing as a college pitcher was almost perfect. His appearance came on Feb. 12 against Marshall. Rodon came into the game in the fifth inning and struck out the side. In four innings he gave up one hit and had seven strikeouts.
“My first time out, my first experience here, was a good one,” Rodon said. “I think I struck out the side and from there on I just started cruising.”
Cruising is an understatement, as Rodon has been dominant this season. Aaron Fitt of Baseball America ranked Rodon as the top freshman player thus far.
Fitt’s claim is well justified. Rodon ranks within the top-60 in Division I baseball in almost all major pitching statistics (ERA, strikeouts, strikeouts per nine innings, wins and hits per nine innings).
In NCAA Division I baseball, Rodon ranks 26th in ERA (1.41) and fourth among freshman. He is currently ranked 7th in most strikeouts at 67, good enough for first among all freshman. He averages 10.52 strikeouts per nine innings, which is 32nd in Division I and fourth among freshman. The stats are endless.
One of the more impressive and overlooked stat is that Rodon has made nine appearances and hasn’t received a loss yet. His record currently stands at 5-0. Of all these stats, the wins mean the most to Rodon. He came to N.C. State on a mission to make the College World Series and win.
“The stats are nice,” Rodon said. “They’re accolades… it’s whatever. I came here to win a College World Series. It’s a big team thing. Individual statistics don’t mean much to me.”