Two season ago, Evan Mendoza was a pitcher with a 6.75 ERA in nine appearances.  Last season, he led NC State in batting average as the starting third baseman.

Only a year after converting from pitcher to position player, Mendoza went on to bat a team-high .362 and start 52 games for the Wolfpack during the 2016 season.

Originally from Maryland, Mendoza moved to Sarasota, Florida after his freshman year of high school, and was named the Herald Tribune Preps All-Area pitcher of the year in Florida his senior year at Sarasota High. All signs pointed to him continuing as a pitcher when he committed to play for NC State.

“He came here as a two-way player, but in my eyes he was always more of a pitcher,” said head coach Elliott Avent. “He was outstanding in the fall, so I penciled him in as a pitcher.”

Now a junior, Mendoza himself thought that his college career might take a different path when he first got to NC State.

“In high school I was doing both all the way up until senior year,” Mendoza said. “I was probably more focused on pitching because I was just better at it.”

After being sparingly used out of the bullpen and making just a few appearances in the field in 2015, Mendoza knew he had to make a change. Halfway through his freshman year, he started his transition from pitching to being a position player.

Mendoza had always been both a pitcher and position player growing up, but hitting in college compared to lower levels is markedly different. While he had faith in his own defensive capabilities, he knew he had to focus on offense if he was going to become a full-time position player.

“It was just a lot of hard work,” Mendoza said. “I remember going down in the cages, hit off the self machine. You don’t need anyone else. You can hit at 1:00 in the morning, you can hit at 8:00 in the morning, whatever time you want. I used that as much as I could.”

Mendoza was sure to make Avent aware of his desire to play a position.

“Evan kept telling me how bad he wanted to play, how much he wanted to play, and I listened to him,” Avent said. “I said ‘Okay fine, go out that summer,’ and he went to Maryland and proved he could play a position and he did. He worked his butt off and he’s come back here.”

Mendoza spent the summer after his freshman year playing for the Baltimore Dodgers of the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League, hitting .300 in 110 at-bats while playing the infield. He was also named to the CRCBL All-League Second team as a second baseman, proving he could handle being a full-time position player at the collegiate level.

When he arrived back in Raleigh, he was determined to win a starting spot for the upcoming season.

Mendoza did just that, leading the team in batting average in 2016 while making 52 starts in the field and appearing in 55 games overall, a majority of them at third base. He also logged four home runs, 33 RBIs and a stellar .417 OBP in his first season playing the field full-time.

This past summer, Mendoza played in the Cape Cod Baseball League in Massachusetts, which is generally considered the top summer league for college players around the country. He continued his excellent offensive production as a member of the Bourne Braves, hitting a team-high .315 with a 757 OPS. He also made just one error in 25 games playing the infield.

“That was a great experience,” Mendoza said. “I had a lot of fun, met a lot of great players, had a lot of characters on the team. Just a lot of guys that made you laugh, really enjoy the game.”

After the 2016 season ended in heartbreaking fashion for the Wolfpack in the regional, Mendoza has high expectations for the talented 2017 squad.

“No doubt, win the national championship or get to Omaha,” Mendoza said of the team’s goals. “With the talent and hard work we’re putting in this year and past years, I think we have a pretty good shot of making it pretty far this year.”

As fall practices wrap up, players are still trying to find their role on the team, but Mendoza seems to have cemented his place in the lineup. No matter how far the Wolfpack makes it this season, Mendoza will certainly look to continue to make an impact as a position player. 

“I’m as proud of Evan as any player I’ve ever had here,” Avent said. “He’s grown as a person, he’s grown as a player, he means a lot to this ball club and he’s fun to watch play.”