The second three-game schedule on N.C. State’s schedule will instead be a two-game weekend, as coach Elliott Avent canceled today’s game against Gardner-Webb. He said he canceled the game because of the cold weather, which can increase the chances of injury.
“It’s just too doggone cold. It’s not that we don’t want to play in it. Our guys want to play in it,” Avent said. “I’d like to play in it. But sometimes as leaders and as adults we have to make the right decision.”
“You’ve got to be smart and protect your players, knowing you’ve got plenty of time to make the game up.”
The Wolfpack will still play two games against Gardner-Webb this weekend — one tomorrow at 2 p.m. and another at 1 p.m. Sunday. Junior Andrew Brackman will pitch tomorrow, but Avent hasn’t decided on a Sunday starter. He will choose between sophomore Eric Surkamp and redshirt junior Jeff Stallings.
In Brackman’s case, Avent said he wants to be cautious with how much he lets the 6-foot-10 star throw in the cold.
“It may not affect him the first two months of the season, but how does it affect him in May and in June?” Avent said. “How does it affect him when we need him to be the strongest, and when we’ve got scouts baring down on him to see how high of a pick he’s going to be?”
The cold has affected the team’s practice this week. Thursday, the team spent most of its time in the indoor batting cages at Doak Field.
“Obviously, we were inside most of the day today. The infielders went outside for about 20 minutes,” Avent said. “They were able to get some work done with the pitcher on defense. They’ve got some work on things where they have to coordinate with each other.”
Senior Caleb Mangum, who is coming back from an ankle injury, is expected to see the field again this weekend after only catching for Brackman last weekend against William and Mary.
“Caleb has been released by the doctor to catch whenever we see fit,” Avent said. “But he did say that the smart thing is the less we catch him the better it will be for the healing process. We knew we were going to get him in there and with freshman David Lindsay doing the bulk of the catching. We thought we’d let him get out there and catch Brackman and know when he was going to play.”
While the coach admitted Brackman is “probably more comfortable” with Mangum, he wouldn’t say definitively that the senior catcher would catch for Brackman.
“We haven’t made that decision yet, but if I had to guess, with two games on the horizon, I’d say Caleb is probably going to catch Brackman,” Avent said.
Avent said last week he was still trying to solidify a starting infield and that a few players caught his attention last weekend.
“Tommy Foschi played very well at short[stop], and Ramon [Corona] showed what he can do at second base,” Avent said. “Pat Ferguson did a good job at first base, as did Ryan Howard.”
Howard, a senior transfer from Tarleton State, struggled last Friday at third base against the Tribe, according to his coach. However, Avent defended the player Thursday after practice.
“That was a tough day to play defense,” Avent said in defense of the senior third baseman. “He was there [third base] on the worst day of the series [because of the cold weather].”
Overall, Avent seems pleased with the competition in the defensive infield, and he said he likes the chance to evaluate different players at different positions.
“We saw where a lot of guys can fit in and what a lot of guys can do,” Avent said. “It’s nice to have guys who can play a couple of different positions, especially with the way I like to switch guys around during a game. I’ve been known to switch guys around during a game.”