When Pack Pros perform in the MLB like Carlos Rodon did in his no-hitter or Trea Turner did all of last season with an OPS of almost 1.000, it can be easy to forget how much they meant to NC State’s past baseball team. While the Pack only has three current players on MLB rosters, all three contributed in big ways during their time at NC State.
Pitcher Carlos Rodon – Chicago White Sox
The most noteworthy of these three as of late is Carlos Rodon, who recently threw a no-hitter after coming up just two outs shy of throwing the first perfect game in the MLB in almost a decade. Rodon was every bit as electric almost every night he took the mound for NC State as he was on the night of his no-hitter.
The choice to attend NC State instantly paid off for Rodon, as he had one of the most impressive freshman seasons in college baseball history. He was the first freshman in ACC history to win the ACC Pitcher of the Year award and first freshman in college baseball history to be named a finalist for the Golden Spikes award. On top of that, he led the ACC in innings pitched, complete games, ERA and opponent batting average.
His sophomore season may have even been better than his freshman year. He set an NC State single-season record with 184 strikeouts. What topped his personal accolades that season was the team’s success. In 2013, the Wolfpack reached its first College World Series since 1968. This was in no small part because of Rodon, who had a miniscule 1.20 ERA in eight postseason starts for the Wolfpack. The Pack ultimately fell short of its ultimate goal of winning the College World Series, but Rodon certainly did his job.
Rodon’s junior season was his least noteworthy, but that was only due to the incredible career he had up to that point. He still finished with an ERA hovering around 2.00 and struck out 117 batters, which was good enough to be taken third overall by the White Sox in the 2014 MLB draft.
Shortstop Trea Turner – Washington Nationals
Rodon’s teammate, Trea Turner, had a college career that was almost as storied as Rodon’s. Turner’s career got off to a hot start due to his speed and durability. As a freshman, Turner started all 63 of the Wolfpack’s games and stole 57 bases on only 61 attempts. This steal total would have put him at 133rd in the nation amongst entire teams, stealing more bags than over half the teams in college baseball.
Turner’s sophomore season also played a huge role in the Wolfpack’s magical 2013 run to the College World Series. He led the Pack in average, hits, runs, OBP and stolen bases, all despite missing 11 games due to injury. He also took over as the Wolfpack’s all-time leader in steals in just his 94th career game.
Much like Rodon, Turner’s junior year was his worst statistically. He had career lows in hits, OBP and stolen bases, but he did take home the Brooks Wallace Award for college baseball’s best shortstop, so his worst season should be taken in relative terms. All of this was enough for Turner to go 13th overall to the Washington Nationals in the 2014 MLB draft.
Catcher Andrew Knizner – St. Louis Cardinals
The final Pack pro, Andrew Knizner, is not a household name yet, but he certainly deserves recognition for his play with the Wolfpack. As a freshman, he was the first Wolfpack player to be named ACC all-conference as a freshman since Rodon in 2012. This was thanks to 47 RBIs and an OPS well over .800.
Knizner’s sophomore and junior seasons were much the same. Knizner continued to hit at a high clip, finishing his time at NC State with a career average over .310 and 119 RBIs. He also collected an All-American recognition, finishing on Perfect Game’s All-American first-team in his sophomore year. He did fall further in the draft than Rodon or Turner, but he was taken in the seventh round of the 2016 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.
