There have been a lot of things that have changed during the last 20 years. “Toy Story” was in theaters, the Grateful Dead broke up and the first generation PlayStation was released. However, for NC State baseball, one man has been the model of consistency.
Head coach Elliott Avent came to NC State in 1997 after being the head coach at New Mexico State from 1989 until 1996, where he amassed a 225 wins with the Aggies.
Since coming to NC State, Avent has registered 733 wins as the head baseball coach for the Wolfpack, a mark which helped him pass legendary NC State baseball coach Sam Esposito for most wins in school history in 2010. But for Avent, not much has changed during the last 20 years.
“It feels great entering my 20th season; I feel great,” Avent said. “When I first got here, I was really excited and really charged up. I just feel like every year gets better.”
Avent always looks for moments in his past that can be teaching lessons for the team. One of those moments presented itself at the end of last season in the Pack’s NCAA regional elimination game versus the TCU Horned Frogs.
“I think the way things ended last year makes you smarter, it makes you appreciate things more,” Avent said. “When you get to certain places, it makes you learn from the past.”
One thing Avent is known for is his impact on the lives of his players off the field. Junior first baseman Preston Palmeiro hopes that Avent will be someone he can go to after his collegiate career is finished.
“He’s probably one of the best coaches, if not the best in the country, in terms of caring about his players off the field,” said Palmeiro, a Colleyville, Texas native said. “He’s just helped me become a more well-rounded person and a complete student-athlete.”
Avent is very passionate about the game of baseball, and in some cases he reciprocates that passion to umpires during the game.
During Sunday’s game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, sophomore left fielder Shane Shepard made an incredible diving catch, but the second plate umpire for the game ruled it as a double. After the coach saw the call on the field, he went out to have “chat” with the ump.
Many thought that Avent was so animated during the argument that he was going to get an ejection, but Avent returned to the NC State bench following the incident. Palmeiro described him as a guy who cares a lot about the game and his players.
“If I had to describe him in one word, it would be eccentric,” Palmeiro said. “He’s out there, but he means well and he brings out the best in us.”
Avent also talked about the call during his Around the Bases program, hosted by Backyard Bistro, Monday.
“You never forget bad calls, because they cost you,” Avent said. “We’ve gone to four officials, which has made it easier.”
While he was displeased with the call on the field, Avent is known for being against the implementation of instant replay.
“Despite some bad calls in the Sunday game, I still don’t like instant replay,” Avent said. “I think it takes too much time. They’ll go up to the booth for three months when even my dog knows it was a bad call, and they come back and say it’s wrong. It’s terrible.”
Avent is very well-engaged with other sports outside of his own, whether it be watching the NCAA tournament or keeping tabs on the success of the NC State wrestling team.
“We have a school here that’s really embraced wrestling,” Avent said. “It was just heartbreaking to see the way [Nick] Gwiazdowski lost. I was at Dail Park, hoping for some retribution.”
The Wolfpack hosted the ACC Championship wrestling team during a Saturday game against the Boston College Eagles.
“We had them out for a Saturday game against Boston College,” Avent said. “We were going to have Pat and Gwiz throw out the first pitch, but Gwiz backed out. Tommy Gantt threw out the first pitch, and Pat lobbed it from home plate. Those are a great group of guys.”
With Avent giving no indication of leaving any time soon, the baseball team looks to have at least 20 more consistent years in a world that is constantly in flux.
