Despite the turnover in the outfield from a season ago, the NC State offense showed its explosiveness this weekend against Bucknell, scoring 34 runs on 34 hits in its three wins.
The biggest producer at the plate was senior first baseman Evan Edwards, who went 6 for 14 (.429) with four extra-base hits, five runs, six RBIs and a walk.
“[Edwards] is just a really good hitter,” head coach Elliott Avent said. “If you look at his swing, it’s very short, very simple and his approach is very good. Good eye. He understands the game. Nobody really bothers him.”
The top of the order that includes sophomore outfielder Jonny Butler, junior shortstop Will Wilson, Edwards and sophomore catcher Patrick Bailey combined for 16 hits, including 10 extra-base hits, in 50 at-bats (.320), to go with 15 runs, 15 RBIs and eight walks.
The biggest question going into the season was if an outfield that lost Josh McLain, Brock Deatherage and Brett Kinneman a season ago could still perform just as well or better. In part, it still remains a question with a heavy rotation of pinch hitters and defensive subs.
“If you can stay positive, things can happen,” Avent said. “A lot of people are going to play on this club, we can’t quite figure out the lineup right now. There are a lot of guys that seem to be doing the same thing, so we are shuffling guys in and out trying to figure it out ourselves.”
Out of all the options, there was a heavy dose of sophomores Jonny Butler and Terrell Tatum. Butler batted leadoff in all three games, providing a lot of speed at the top of the lineup. The Heartland Community College transfer hit .372 last season and went 3 for 12 in the first series with three RBIs and three runs scored.
Tatum was very productive in the first series, starting two of the three games. He is hitting .625 after Sunday’s game with two runs and one RBI to his name. Along with Butler, Tatum adds another speed option to the lineup and will likely see his name on the lineup card throughout the season if he can keep the strikeouts low.
On Sunday, Tatum was pulled late in the game for a defensive substitution. Junior Lawson McArthur took his spot and took advantage of his only plate appearance by launching a go-ahead grand slam that clinched the victory for the Pack. The grand slam was his second career hit and first at home and although he has been mostly used as a defensive specialist or pinch runner, he could get more opportunities this season.
“I knew that I could trust him because he plays hard at practice,” Avent said. “This fall, he had a great fall, and he can be a really good offensive player. He struggled a little bit up until this point. He was actually in for defense, he’s one of our better defensive players and I put him in there for a guy who had two hits, Tatum.”
Freshman Tyler McDonough has also had a good weekend and put the cherry on top by hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning to add another insurance run. McDonough is 4 for 9 with four runs, three RBIs and two walks so far this season.
Past the likely regulars in Butler, Tatum and McDonough with a dark-horse player in McArthur, a number of players could see limited time in the outfield this season. Sophomore Devonte Brown, redshirt freshman Thayer Thomas and even redshirt junior Dillon Cooper found their way into the outfield early in the season.
Despite the switching around, NC State still scored 34 runs in a single series and there was confidence in every player that went to the plate. Behind the foundation of the infield, the outfield’s production is just a bonus to what this team can do.
“[The middle of the lineup] is still strong,” Edwards said after the win on Sunday afternoon. “Like last year, we got power top to bottom as you saw today and even when guys don’t play that day, then they get their chance, they’re going to come out and produce.”
