North Carolina State University Athletics
Baseball Hosts Virginia
3/16/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
NC State (13-7, 2-1) vs. Virginia (11-10-1, 0-0)
March 17-19, 2000
Doak Field / Raleigh, N.C.
The Series vs. Virginia: NC State leads the series with Virginia 82-47. There has been one tie. Last season, the Wolfpack took two of three games from the Cavaliers in Charlottesville, winning the first two games of the series by scores of 2-1 and 8-3 before losing the series finale 9-6. The Pack then eliminated Virginia from the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament with a 9-6 victory in the first round of the losers bracket.
In the decade of the 1990s, NC State had a 24-13 record against Virginia. Under current head coach Elliott Avent, the Wolfpack is 8-4 against the Cavaliers.
The NC State Pitching Rotation: Sophomore righthander Ryan Combs (1-3, 4.25) will start the series opener on Friday. Combs worked 5 1/3 strong innings last Saturday vs. Wake Forest, allowing just one earned run on six hits. He walked three and struck out one. Combs has made six appearances, five of them starts, and has allowed 35 hits in 29 1/3 innings. He has walked 12 and struck out 15.
Sophomore lefthander Dan D'Amato (3-2, 3.06) will start the middle game of the series on Saturday. D'Amato's last appearance was the rubber match of last weekend's series with Wake Forest, and he stifled the potent Deacons, limiting them to four runs, three of them earned, on eight hits in 7 2/3 innings. He walked two and tied a career high with eight strikeouts. D'Amato has made six appearances, all of them starts, and has allowed 33 hits in 35 1/3 innings. He has walked 16 and struck out 27.
Sophomore righthander Mike Sollie (3-1, 4.35) will start the series finale on Sunday. Sollie's last start was a three-inning stint on Wednesday against Pace. In a prearranged pitching split, Sollie earned the victory over the Setters after allowing just one run on four hits. He walked none and struck out five. Last Friday against Wake Forest, Sollie had his worst start of the season, allowing nine runs on seven hits in three-plus innings of work. He walked one and struck out two. Sollie has made six appearances, all of them starts, this season and has allowed 39 hits, walked eighth and struck out 18 in 31 innings.
Wednesday Vs. Pace: NC State won its third consecutive game and its fourth in the last five outings Wednesday afternoon with a 10-2 thrashing of visiting Pace University. The Wolfpack made it a rout by the third inning, substituted liberally, and got to give six different pitchers some work on the mound.
Sophomore left fielder Brian Wright led the offense by going 3-for-4 with a grand-slam home run. The homer was his third of the season and the first grand slam of his career. Junior second baseman Eric Mosley went 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Jamey Shearin hit a two-run double in four at-bats.
On the mouond, sophomore righthander Mike Sollie got the win with three innings of solid work. He allowed a run on four hits, did not walk a batter and struck out five. Five Wolfpack relievers made appearances and combined to allow just one run on four hits in five innings. They struck out six and did not issue a walk.
Head Coach Elliott Avent: Now in his fourth season as NC State baseball coach, Elliott Avent has maintained the proud and rich tradition of excellence that is Wolfpack baseball. In his three-plus seasons on the job, Avent has guided NC State to a 134-75 record, a .641 winning percentage and an average of 40 wins per season. The Wolfpack earned NCAA regional berths in each of Avent's first three seasons, running NC State's current streak of consecutive regional appearances to four.
Avent's first three seasons as head coach did nothing but enhance the Wolfpack's longstanding baseball tradition. Avent's first team had lost four of its best players and had seen its recruiting class wiped out by the major league baseball draft. Avent guided the '97 Wolfpack to a 43-20 overall record and had the Pack in contention for first place in the conference standings until the last weekend of the regular season.
Avent's 1998 team was just as big a success story as its predecessor. The Wolfpack had lost a 1997 senior class that batted .345 with 48 home runs offensively and posted a 23-9 record on the mound with a 3.98 ERA. Despite the personnel losses, the Pack just kept on winning, running up a 41-23 overall record and finishing third at the NCAA West Regional at Palo Alto, Calif.
The success continued in 1999. Despite heavy losses to graduation and the baseball draft the previous two seasons, Avent's '99 team jumped from the gate quickly, winning 17 of its first 18 games, including 14 in a row at one point. NC State won five of its last seven regular-season games, and then won a pair of games in the ACC Tournament to nail down the program's 12th NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 14 years, finishing the year at 37-25.
In Avent's three seasons at NC State, four Wolfpack players have earned All-America honors, two have been named Freshman All-Americans, and 11 have been named first- or second-team All-ACC. That success has carried over to the professional ranks, with 15 NC State players signing professional contracts after playing for Avent.
Avent Among The Winningest Young Coaches in America: According to research done by the George Mason University SID staff, NC State baseball coach Elliott Avent is the ninth winningest coach in the country among coaches age 45 or younger. At 43 heading into the 2000 season, Avent had an 11-year career coaching record of 346-279, including a 121-68 mark in his three seasons with the Wolfpack.
The 10 Winningest Coaches Age 45 Or Younger (Through 1999)
No. Coach (School) Years Record
1. Jack Leggett (Clemson) 20 665-402
2. Ray Tanner (South Carolina) 12 537-238
3. Pat Murphy (Notre Dame) 12 506-279
4. Bill Brown (George Mason) 18 501-438
5. Danny Hall (Georgia Tech) 12 461-237
6. Jim Wells (Alabama) 10 436-179
7. Rod Delmonico (Tennessee) 10 404-207
8. Mike Stone (Massachusetts) 17 399-306
9. Elliott Avent (NC State) 11 346-279
10. Gary McClure (Austin Peay) 12 337-337
Making The Most of Three Hits: NC State had its biggest inning of the season on Sunday, March 12, scoring nine first-inning runs against then-20th-ranked Wake Forest. The Wolfpack scored those nine runs with the benefit of just three base hits.
Brian Wright got the inning rolling with a sharp single up the middle, and Eric Mosley laid down a bunt that the Wake defense botched for an error. Mike Prochaska walked to load the bases, and Dan Mooney singled to left to score the first run of the inning. Craig Lee hit a grounder to short to force Mooney at second, driving in a run, and Josh Schmitt walked to load the bases for the second time.
Daniel Caldwell followed with a one-hopper to third base, but all hands were safe when Wake catcher Dan Conway dropped the throw home for an error, giving the Wolfpack a 4-0 lead. Jeremy Dutton walked to force in the fourth run of the inning, and Jason Smith made it 5-0 with a squeeze bunt up the first-base line.
Wright, up for the second time in the inning, walked to load the bases for the third time, spelling the end of the afternoon for Wake Forest starter Ben Clayton. Matt Briggs came on in relief and walked Mosley to force in a run and make it 6-0. Prochaska followed with a line-drive double to the left-center-field gap, clearing the bases and giving NC State an insurmountable 9-0 lead. The Pack went on to win, 12-4.
Starting Pitching Outstanding All Season: All a coach can ask of his starting pitchers is to keep the team in the game and give the offense a chance to win. Through 20 games this season, NC State's starting pitchers have done more than their share to keep the Wolfpack alive into the late innings.
Although the starters have a combined won-lost record of just 7-7, their cumulative ERA is a solid 3.89. NC State starters have allowed 123 hits and 40 walks in 106 1/3 innings while striking out 69. NC State starters are averaging 10.4 hits and 3.39 walks allowed per nine inning. Wolfpack starters have made 12 quality starts (3 earned runs or less in 6 or more innings) in 20 games.
Putting Out Fires: While NC State's starting pitchers have been consistent and solid from the outset of the season, the bullpen really began to assert itself the past two weeks. In nine games dating back to March 3, Wolfpack relievers are 3-0 with a save and a 2.11 ERA. In 28 appearances over that time, Pack relievers have worked 42 2/3 innings, allowed 10 earned runs on 31 hits, walked nine and fanned 45.
For the season, the NC State bullpen is 6-0 with four saves and a 4.00 ERA. Relievers have made 53 appearances and worked 78 2/3 innings. They have allowed 76 hits, walked 21 and struck out 64. They are averaging 8.69 hits and 2.40 walks allowed per nine innings pitched. Wolfpack relievers have inherited 43 runners and stranded all but 12 of them.
Wolfpack Relievers And Inherited Runners
Pitcher IP IR Scored
Daniel Caldwell 15.1 8 1
Conrad Clark 7.0 8 3
Corey Mattison 5.2 6 0
Josh Miller 7.2 3 1
Mike Prochaska 17.2 5 1
Josh Schmitt 2.1 2 0
Ryan Steadham 8.2 5 2
Kyle Stephenson 4.0 6 4
Brian Wright Hitting Streak Snapped 15 Games: After establishing an NC State freshman record with a 21-game hitting streak a year ago, it came as no surprise that sophomore Brian Wright began the 2000 season with a 15-game hitting streak. Wright batted .306 (19-for-62) during his 15-game streak.
Wright's 21-game hitting streak a year ago not only was the longest ever by a Wolfpack freshman, it was the third longest in school history, behind Greg Briley's 27-game streak in 1986 and Tom Sergio's 26-game streak in 1995.
Wright Belts First Grand Slam Of 2000: Sophomore outfielder Brian Wright had a game to remember March 15 vs. Pace. Wright went 3-for-4 with a grand-slam home run, the first grand slam of his career with the Wolfpack.
Freshman Class Coming Up Big: The NC State coaching staff knew the current Wolfpack freshman class was a good one when they signed them last season, but no one could have foreseen the impact that freshmen would have on this year's Wolfpack team. Among the highlights:
First baseman/outfielder Mike Prochaska has not only been the Wolfpack's Rookie of the Year to date, but is the leading candidate for team MVP honors as well. Through 20 games, Prochaska is second on the team with a .355 batting average and leads the club with 20 RBIs. Twice already this season, he has driven in four runs in a game, and for the season he has 11 two-out RBIs (no one else on the team has more than 6). Prochaska has struck out just five times in 67 plate appearances, and has a .420 on-base percentage and a .418 slugging percentage. On the mound, Prochaska is 2-0 with a team-best 0.51 ERA. He has allowed 13 hits, walked three and struck out 13 in 17 2/3 innings. He has inherited five runners and allowed just one to score.
Other freshmen are making a mark as well. Third baseman Jeremy Dutton is hitting just .267, but leads the team with six doubles and is second in RBIs with 15. Ryan Strain, who missed 10 games with a broken hand, is hitting a deceptively solid .259 and has been versatile enough to play second base and the outfield. Infielder Chris Goodman has provided excellent glovework at shortstop. Daniel Caldwell has made a mark for himself as a bullpen stopper, coming into games with runners on base and pitching out of jams. Although Caldwell's ERA is 6.06, he has stranded eight of the nine runners he has inherited through his first seven appearances. He has struck out 16 and walked just two in 16 1/3 innings.
Lee Steps Up On Offense: While the NC State offense has been slow to come around this season, don't blame senior outfielder Craig Lee, who has done more than his part to help the Wolfpack put runs on the board.
Coming into the Virginia series, Lee is hitting .358 and leads the team with eight multiple-hit games. He also is putting the bat on the ball, having struck out just twice in 79 plate appearances. Lee leads the team with 24 hits, and is second in runs scored (15), third in slugging percentage (.418) and on-base percentage (.423).
From Walk-On Redshirt To Walk-On Regular: When the 2000 season began, infielder Eric Mosley agreed with the Wolfpack coaching staff that it might well be in his best interests to redshirt this season and get ready to play in 2001.
That all changed when freshman second baseman Ryan Strain broke his left hand on February 26, depleting the team's infield depth to the point that head coach Elliott Avent offered Mosley the opportunity to play right away if he had a change in heart regarding his redshirt season.
Mosley, a transfer from Louisburg (N.C.) Junior College, decided to play, and has taken full advantage of the opportunity placed before him. In seven games, five of them starts at second base, he is hitting .450 with a double, four runs scored and seven RBIs. He has hit safely in all but one of the games in which he has played, and comes into the Virginia series with a five-game hitting streak. He has an RBI in each of the last three games.
Playing The Little Game: Wolfpack hitting coach Billy Best is as good at his craft as anyone in the nation, and a big part of Best's success is the approach he teaches his hitters. In addition to hitting line drives, NC State hitters are taught to go with the pitch, to shorten their swings with two strikes, to hit behind runners, and to bunt when necessary.
Wolfpack hitters have made the most of the bunt this season, converting 16 sacrifice bunts through 20 games, but more important, NC State hitters have bunted for base hits 15 times, including 11 by Jason Smith. That total is more than half of Smith's total of 21 hits for the season.
While some disparage the so-called little game, the Wolfpack has definitely used it to good effect in 2000.
NC State Hitters And The Bunt
Hitter SAC Hits
Jason Smith 6 11
Dan Mooney 1 2
Jeremy Dutton 0 1
Ryan Strain 1 1
Craig Lee 1 0
Brian Wright 2 0
Chris Goodman 2 0
Eric Mosley 2 0
John Whitley 1 0
An Intentional Double: Opposing pitchers should be careful when trying to intentionally walk Wolfpack freshman Mike Prochaska. Ask George Mason's Chris Murray. On March 5, in the seventh inning of the final game of NC State's three-game series with the Patriots, the Wolfpack had runners on second and third with two out and Prochaska at the plate. The Patriots decided to walk the Wolfpack freshman, who already was 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs on the afternoon.
Mason catcher Brian Anderson stood up and held his mitt out as a target, but Prochaska noticed that Murray's first pitch was a little too close to the plate. Prochaska decided that if the next pitch was in the same location he would swing at it. Sure enough, the pitch came in just a few inches off the plate, and Prochaska slapped the ball past the third baseman and down the left-field line for a two-run double. NC State went on to win, 14-9.
Richmond, which is in the Colonial Athletic Association with George Mason, came to Doak Field the following week, and when the Spiders faced a similar situation with Prochaska at the plate, the pitches in the intentional walk were well wide of home plate.
Two Relief Appearances, One Inning: College rules permit a coach to remove a pitcher from the mound, put him at another position and then bring him back to pitch once per game. The rule rarely comes into play, but it might become a factor during NC State lefthander Mike Prochaska's college career.
Prochaska already has made one dual pitching appearance this year, working twice in the same inning March 11 against Wake Forest. Arguably the Wolfpack's best hitter, Prochaska started the game in right field, but was called in to pitch with runners on first and second and none out in the top of the eighth inning. Prochaska retired the first two batters he faced, and Corey Mattison was brought in to face a pair of righthanded hitters. Prochaska went to first base.
Both of Mattison's hitters reached base, so Prochaska was brought back to pitch to the ever-dangerous Danny Borrell, who struck out to end the inning. NC State took the lead in the bottom half of the eighth, making Prochaska the pitcher of record. He pitched a scoreless ninth inning to preserve his own victory, his second against no defeats.
Strain Back In Action: Wolfpack freshman Ryan Strain, out since February 26 with a broken left hand, returned to action on March 15 vs. Pace after missing 10 games. Strain suffered the hairline-type fracture in the fourth metacarpal of his left hand when he dived for a ball in center field in the second inning of NC State's 7-3 win over Cleveland State. For the record, Strain, in only his third game ever in the outfield, did make the catch on the play.
A career middle infielder, Strain had agreed to give center field a try when the Wolfpack coaching staff suggested it as a way to get his bat into the lineup. His first game in center field came on a rainy Friday against Rutgers, and he handled numerous difficult chances without a miscue.
Smith Wins Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship: Senior infielder Jason Smith, an eight-time Dean's List student and three-time member of the ACC Honor Roll, received his latest academic honor on February 29 when he was named a recipient of the ACC's Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship.
Smith, currently in graduate school in civil engineering, holds a bachelor's degree in construction engineering and management. He graduated last spring with a 3.84 GPA. Smith also has won a graduate scholarship from the American Science Foundation and the AGC Education and Research Foundation.
The Weaver-James-Corrigan Scholarships are named after former ACC commissioners Jim Weaver, Bob James and Gene Corrigan. NC State has had 14 Weaver-James-Corrigan Scholarship winners in the last four years, tops among ACC schools.
Another Tough Schedule For NC State: According to the NCAA's RPI rankings, NC State played the seventh-toughest schedule in the country last season, and if Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America are right, the Wolfpack will play a schedule almost as demanding in 2000.
In its February 20 College Preview issue, Baseball America ranked the top 100 teams in the country, and the top of that list looks a lot like NC State's 2000 schedule. NC State had 22 games scheduled against BA's top 33 teams.
In the latest weekly poll by Collegiate Baseball, six NC State opponents are ranked in the top 25, including No. 1 Florida State, No. 2 North Carolina and No. 4 Clemson. The Wolfpack will play three games against each of those three teams, plus a three-game series with No. 15 Miami, and a three-game series with No. 24 Georgia Tech.
Big League Bloodlines: Three current NC State players have former major league players for fathers. Redshirt sophomore infielder Sammy Esposito is the son of former Wolfpack coach Sam Esposito, who was an infielder for the Chicago White Sox from 1952-1963 and with the Kansas City A's in 1963. Freshman infielder Ryan Strain is the son of Joe Strain, who was an infielder for the San Francisco Giants from 1979-80 and the Chicago Cubs in 1981. Freshman righthander Daniel Caldwell is the son of ex-Wolfpack lefty Mike Caldwell, who pitched for the San Diego Padres from 1971-76, the Cincinnati Reds in 1976, and the Milwaukee Brewers from 1976-84.
Wolfpack Aiming To Continue NCAA Tournament Streak: NC State heads into the 2000 season looking to continue one of the most impressive postseason streaks in the nation. The Wolfpack has appeared in the NCAA Tournament 12 times in the last 14 years, including the last four years in a row. Since 1986, the Pack has played in the NCAA regionals every year except 1989 and 1995. NC State has not gone back-to-back seasons without appearing in the NCAA Tournament since the 1984 and '85 seasons.
Wolfpack Inks Four In Fall Signing Period: With eight Wake County and Triangle area players already on the NC State baseball roster, Wolfpack head coach Elliott Avent went out this past fall and added to the local look of his team by signing four more Raleigh-area players in the fall signing period.
Avent and his coaching staff signed Millbrook High School outfielder Joe Gaetti, plus three players from Raleigh's Broughton High School -- catcher Conor Clougherty, first baseman and lefthanded pitcher David Hicks, and shortstop Lee Kimball.
All four of the Wolfpack's signees were first-team all-conference selections as juniors, and Gaetti is a three-time All-Cap-8 honoree. In 25 games as a junior in 1999, Gaetti batted .514 with nine home runs, 26 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. Baseball America ranks him as the No. 3 player in the state and projects him as a fifth- to eighth-round draft pick next June.
Hicks led NC State's Broughton trio in 1999, setting school records for home runs with 12 and RBIs with 36, while hitting .418. Kimball also broke the old school mark for homers, stroking 11 long balls, while drive in 21 runs and batting .345. Clougherty, the younger brother of former Wolfpack All-American Pat Clougherty, batted .340 with six home runs and 15 RBIs.
This past summer, Hicks and Kimball helped lead the Garner American Legion team, coached by former Wolfpack shortstop Moe Barbour, to the state championship and a berth in the national tournament. Hicks batted .481 with 22 home runs, while Kimball batted .377 with 21 homers.
