NCAA Division I baseball doesn’t have one main ranking system, but whichever one you use, NC State is one of the top teams in the country. To some fans’ surprise, this year’s team seems to be better than last season’s.
Last season’s NC State baseball team went 42-18 in the regular season but stalled in the postseason, going 0-2 in the ACC Tournament and 2-2 in the NCAA Regional, falling to Auburn in the final game.
The infield this season is about the same, besides the loss of Stephen Pitarra and Shane Shepard, but the outfield lost all three starters in Josh McLain, Brock Deatherage and Brett Kinneman to the MLB draft. These gaps are not easy to fill when you look at the numbers the three of them put up but the current starters have done just that.
The 2019 season has started at a record of 27-2 and 10-2 in the ACC, which is truly a historic run for any team in any sport. Like last year, this team looks deep enough and talented enough to make a run, but it has something more. It has the team chemistry and comeback mentality that makes good teams great teams.
Freshman Tyler McDonough has come in to fill the center field spot that McLain held last year and has done a great job. McDonough is batting .366 in the five spot of the lineup and not enough has been said about him. Rightfully, he’s being recognized nationally for his success and value to the team.
McDonough, however, is not batting leadoff as McLain did. That spot belongs to sophomore left fielder Jonny Butler who is only batting .277 but has an on-base percentage that is .001 higher than McDonough’s. Butler’s hitting has come on pretty strong too; he went 4 for 13 in the Virginia series with a huge triple in game three that started a four-run rally.
Right field is the only outfield position in question, mostly revolving between sophomore Terrell Tatum, sophomore Devonte Brown and, more recently, junior Lawson McArthur. In fact, all three of them played right field and got an at-bat in Friday’s loss. Then, in the ninth inning, freshman Luca Tresh pinch-hit in that spot and hit a two-run homer.
With Tatum, Brown and McArthur all unable to take the spot and run with it, Tresh is an interesting candidate for some consistent opportunities. Tresh is 5 for 21 (.238) this season but three of those hits are extra-base hits. The freshman came in as a catcher/outfielder and has huge upside but hasn’t had the consistent at-bats to show what he can do.
Moving to the infield, question marks existed only at second base and third base. However, sophomore David Vazquez has shown he deserves to be on the field. He is batting .302 with 10 extra-base hits this year while getting reps at both positions. It looks like Vazquez will primarily play second base instead of sophomore J.T. Jarrett who doesn’t compare with Vazquez offensively.
This only leaves third base, which will be held by freshman Vojtech Mensik. Mensik went into a pretty big slump a couple of weeks ago where he struck out a lot, he seems to be out of that. The third baseman hit 5 for 9 with five runs and three RBIs in the two midweek wins but only went 2 for 10 against Virginia. Besides Vazquez, redshirt junior Dillon Cooper may be the only option but Mensik has played great defense and should control that spot for the rest of the season.
Another hole left from last year is in the starting rotation. ACC Pitcher of the Year Brian Brown, as well as Johnny Peidmonte, left after last season. Sophomore Reid Johnston stepped up last year on Friday nights and, after a slow start this year, looks to be ready to lead the team again. Johnston was awarded ACC Pitcher of the Week after his six-hit complete-game shutout against Virginia on Saturday.
Junior Jason Parker has had a phenomenal year so far, posting a 2.08 ERA in seven starts. However, he has had two below-average outings in a row against Virginia and Miami that dragged down his numbers. As good as Parker is, he will bounce back and once he and Johnston are hot at the same time, it will be even more difficult to take a series off this team.
The last question mark is the Sunday starter. As deep and effective as the bullpen is NC State could pull a bullpen day as it did against University of Virginia. Redshirt sophomore Dalton Feeney started the game and went 3.1 effective innings on a pitch limit. Feeney was the first of seven pitchers that took the mound in the game.
However, head coach Elliott Avent likely wants an every-Sunday starter who he can count on. Sophomore Canaan Silver and junior Alec Barger could take that spot as so far this season, they have five and four starts, respectively.
Both have pretty good numbers and are great options but a dark horse option is redshirt freshman Cameron Cotter. Cotter didn’t appear in any games last season but has been incredible in his six appearances this year. He boasts a 0.71 ERA over 12.2 innings, including a huge two-out save in game three over the Cavaliers.
Whichever way you bend it, this NC State team is really good and is deep enough to make a run in May and June. There are some question marks but it’s mostly due to a plethora of good options for different positions, which is a good problem to have if you’re Avent.
NC State’s next game will be Tuesday against South Carolina at BB&T Ballpark in Charlotte before traveling to Boston College this weekend.
