After winning 10 of its last 14 games and sweeping this past weekend’s series against Maryland, the only thing hotter than the Wolfpack baseball team (25-13, 9-9 ACC) is the bat of sophomore first baseman Harold Riggins.
In State’s series against the Terrapins, Riggins blasted one home run in each of the Pack’s three games, increasing his season total to six. In case that wasn’t enough, Riggins also added five RBI and six runs scored while walking twice.
“I haven’t been trying to do too much,” Riggins said. “I’ve just tried to put good swings on the ball and focus on my approach to the plate.”
The 6’4″ and 230 pound Riggins has helped propel the Wolfpack offense this season and has given opposing pitchers headaches due to a rare combination of power and quickness, as well as a keen eye at the plate.
Over the coarse of the last 10 games, Riggins has batted an impressive .487 to go along with five home runs and 17 RBI.
“Over the last three weeks he has added an extra threat to the lineup for us,” coach Elliott Avent said. “He’s been on fire lately and just punishes the ball when he hits it.”
Part of Riggins’ success this year can be attributed to his commitment toward improving his conditioning during the off-season. The first baseman showed up to practice in the fall as a new, slimmer version of the Riggins Wolfpack fans saw last year.
“He started really caring about his body,” sophomore Pratt Maynard said. ”He’s realizing that if you keep your body in shape, your performance gets better because you can only play as good as your body feels.”
Riggins has certainly noticed an improvement in the field this year. The slugger said he feels as though his range and mobility have improved since dropping the weight.
“Losing all of that weight has really helped my mobility,” Riggins said. ”I always thought I was pretty quick before but now I can get to balls in the field a lot quicker.”
Although he can be intimidating in the eyes of opposing pitchers, Riggins is nothing more than a gentle giant and is one of the most positive players in State’s clubhouse. Fellow teammates enjoy Riggins’ presence and take pleasure in being around him.
“It’s always nice to see Harold at the ballpark. We hang out everyday on and off the field,” Maynard said. “He’s been playing tremendous lately. When he takes batting practice, he hits balls that literally go out of sight.”
A tribute to Riggins’ work ethic can be seen in his dedication toward learning a new position halfway through the season. After starting 18 games at first base, the sophomore manned the left field for the Pack during the last five games in the absence of senior centerfielder Kyle Wilson.
“He’s gotten faster and been tracking down fly balls out in left field,” Maynard said. ”He’s played some great outfield for us and it has been nice having him out there.”
Both Riggins and the Wolfpack will look to continue their recent hot streaks as they travel to Greenville, N.C. today to square off against in-state rival East Carolina (24-12, 6-3 in C-USA) at 6 p.m. State will be seeking revenge after the Pirates won both games last year by a combined margin of 17 runs.
“Our mindset is going to stay the same as it’s been for the whole season,” Riggins said. ”They beat us pretty badly both times we played them last year. We’re going to go out there, play hard and see what happens. Hopefully we’ll come away with a win.”
