North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Baseball Practice Begins
1/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Jan. 18, 2006
RALEIGH, N.C. - With the start of the season less than a month away, the 2006 NC State baseball team began practice last week, hoping that the sunny skies and warm weather will be a harbinger of good things to come for the Wolfpack in '06.
NC State hit the practice field amid high expectations for the upcoming season. The Pack went 41-19 a year ago, set a school record for Atlantic Coast Conference wins with a 17-13 league record, and made its third trip to the NCAA Tournament in as many years. Seven starters return from last year's everyday lineup, and the pitching staff appears to be deeper and more experienced than at any time in recent memory.
On the other hand, while losses to graduation and the Major League Baseball draft were minimal in number, they were significant nonetheless. Closer Joey Devine, catcher Jake Muyco, third baseman Matt Devine, and jack-of-all-trades righthander Phil Davidson will not be easily replaced.
Thus, Wolfpack head coach Elliott Avent enters preseason practice facing a good news/bad news scenario.
"I think there are a few things you look at every year when you come back," Avent said. "You look at what you lost, at who you've got coming back, and how your league is going to be. The good news is we have great players coming back, great players who were tested. Whether they were freshmen, sophomores or juniors, they were tested, and a year of being tested in this league is invaluable.
"Then you look at what you lost. We didn't lose many people, but it seems that there are a lot of problems left behind with the people we lost. How well we deal with those problems will go a long way towards determining how good NC State is going to be in 2006."
The best news for NC State baseball in 2006 is that the Florida Marlins did not get Aaron Bates' signature on a professional contract last summer. The Marlins took Bates in the eighth round of last June's First-Year Player Draft, but were unable to persuade Bates from playing another year for the Pack. As a result, Bates, the linchpin of last year's offense and arguably the best overall hitter in the conference a year ago, will be back to torment opposing pitchers for another season.
Bates led the Wolfpack in almost every offensive category in 2005. He just missed the ACC batting crown by two points, and his .425 batting average was the second highest ever by an NC State hitter with at least 75 at-bats. As the games got tougher, so did Bates. He batted an even .500 (45-for-90) over the final 24 games of the season, a stretch that included 10 games against ranked teams, seven of them against top 10 teams. Bates finished the year with 16 doubles, 12 home runs and 64 RBIs. He earned third-team All-America at the end of the season, and he begins the 2006 campaign as a preseason All-American.
Bates will be surrounded by a potent and versatile offense. Senior center fielder Matt Camp (.267, 1 home run, 38 RBIs, 16 steals in 18 attempts) is an established leadoff hitter who is looking to rebound from an off year offensively and become the .330 hitter he was as a freshman and sophomore. Sophomore second baseman Ramon Corona earned second-team All-ACC honors a year ago after hitting .325 with four homers and 32 RBIs. Junior shortstop Jonathan Diaz turned the notion of a sophomore slump on its ear by batting .317 with 10 doubles, a home run and 30 RBIs. Senior right fielder Brian Aragon batted .287 with 17 doubles, four homers and 38 RBIs.
Senior Aaron Cone (.341-2-20) and sophomore Ryan Pond (.340-1-29) pushed their way into the starting lineup midway through the 2005 season with outstanding performances. Cone was one of college baseball's best pinch-hitters (9-for-17 coming off the bench) and led the team in game-winning hits with six, despite starting just 18 games. Pond batted .389 over the final 18 games of the season, including a sizzling .444 the last 10 games.
"You have to feel good about that offense," Avent said, noting also that the Wolfpack should be a strong defensive team with Diaz, Corona and Camp up the middle, three of the ACC's best defensive players.
On the mound, the Wolfpack returns 11 pitchers who started 42 games and worked 352 innings last year. Junior righthander Gib Hobson (6-4, 5.12) tossed a no-hitter vs. Maryland, and led the staff in starts, innings and victories. Senior lefthander Jason Duncan (5-0, 2.74) was sensational in relief. Junior righthander Sam Walls (4-0, 2.61) made eight appearances in relief and six starts.
Junior righthander Adam McLaurin (1-0, 4.50, 1 save), sophomore righthander Matt Payne (2-1, 4.26, 1 save) and senior righthander Branden Knapp (2-4, 5.57) all worked more than 20 innings, giving the staff experienced depth heading into 2006.
"Gib Hobson threw a no-hitter and was an all-star in the Cape Cod League," Avent said. "Adam McLaurin had a great freshman year for us, struggled for us last year, and then this fall seemed to be back where he was as a freshman, which is good news for us. Jason Duncan had a big year for us last year. We're probably going to change his role this year and make him a starter, which we hope will bode well for us. Sam Walls, Matt Payne, Branden Knapp, these guys all have been tested in the ACC.
Then there is sophomore righthander Andrew Brackman (4-0, 2.09), the 6-10 basketball forward who joined the team in late March when hoops season ended and quickly established himself as one of college baseball's most fearsome and dominant pitchers. Brackman made 10 appearances last season and the Wolfpack won all 10. Brackman once again will join the baseball team as soon as basketball season is over.
"Andrew Brackman did much more than I ever anticipated, coming off a freshman season of basketball," Avent said. "Playing as a freshman in ACC basketball has to be enough by itself. I expected him to come out maybe a week or so after basketball and still be exhausted. Instead he showed up the day they got back from Syracuse and it seemed like he never missed a beat. He pitched much sooner than anticipated and he pitched much better than we anticipated.
"People always expect the next year to be better, but can you be much better than what he was? But even if he can give you that, what a boost that is in April when everyone always needs a boost. We don't know when he's going to be with us because you never know what the basketball season has in store. We'll see what happens, but I do know that he'll be welcomed when he gets here."
The NC State coaching staff brought in a strong group of 11 newcomers this season, but the strong nucleus of returning players will afford the coaches the luxury of bringing along the newcomers at their own pace. Several rookies no doubt will make meaningful contributions, but none should be forced into action prematurely.
There is a handful of immediate and pressing openings, however. Catcher Jake Muyco batted .333 with 14 doubles and 36 RBIs, but his performance at the plate pales compared to what he did behind the plate. One of the best defensive catchers in the country, Muyco will be difficult to replace. In the fall, junior Caleb Mangum separated himself somewhat from a group that also included Bates and junior transfer Jon Still.
Of the three, Mangum showed the best array of defensive skills in the fall, and also hit the ball with authority. Bates came to Raleigh from San Jose State as a catcher, but moved to first base because of the presence of Muyco. Bates is a good receiver behind the plate and has worked hard to improve his throwing skills. Like Bates, Still is an offensive force who has worked hard with assistant coach Tony Guzzo to improve his performance behind the plate. The competition at catcher will be ongoing throughout preseason practice.
"Caleb Mangum probably has the tools necessary to replace Jake and do very well, although I don't know if Jake can really be replaced," Avent said. "There were so many factors that Jake had, so many intangibles. Caleb is a great receiver. I might even give him an edge over Jake in that department. Nobody could throw like Jake, but you don't have to throw like Jake to keep runners from stealing in college.
"From there, it's about his durability and coming to play every day and all the X factors that aren't about throwing and receiving and blocking. Caleb has those, and he's a very confident hitter. His freshman year when Jake got hurt, Caleb did some very important things for us down the stretch offensively. So even though for two years he's backed up Jake Muyco, he's been tested, but it's not like he's nailed the job down. We've still got Jon Still and we've still got Aaron Bates, and those guys are not going to give up that job without a fight."
The competition to replace Matt Devine at third base ended in the fall. Sophomore Matt Mangini probably could have started and easily held his own as a true freshman a year ago, but bided his time as Devine, a senior, had a strong year, hitting .311 and making all the plays defensively.
Over the summer, Mangini went to the Northwoods League and, in the immortal words of Dizzy Dean, tore up the ol' pea patch. Mangini was named the top prospect in the Northwoods League by scouts and league managers after hitting .344 with 13 doubles, six home runs and 45 RBIs. Baseball America named him a first-team Summer All-American. He then went out and played well in the fall, nailing down the starting job.
"Matt Mangini sat very patiently last year at third base behind Matt Devine, who had a wonderful year for us," Avent said. "Matt is a great talent, a great player, and he proved that this past summer in the Northwoods League. We feel very comfortable with Matt at third base even though he hasn't been out there, because he practiced so hard and was ready to play last year."
The pitching staff also lost three vital contributors, one to graduation, one to injury and one to the draft. Phil Davidson (6-4, 4.80) did a little of everything for the Wolfpack, starting nine games, coming out of the bullpen 11 times, and always giving NC State a chance to win. He finished his career tied for fourth in career appearances and tied for 10th in career strikeouts.
Junior Jeff Stallings was just beginning to blossom into a front-line college starter last spring when he was injured and missed the final seven weeks of the season. Stallings, who finished the year with a 5-3 record and a 3.48 ERA, underwent surgery on his right elbow on June 2 and will miss the 2006 season.
The last time Avent did not have the luxury of calling on Joey Devine (5-3, 2.03 with 12 saves in 2005) to pitch the ninth inning was in 2002. Devine, who left campus in June and was in the major leagues seven weeks later, finished his college career as NC State's all-time leader in saves and appearances. He is the only NC State reliever ever to save 10 or more games in a season three times, and one of just three relievers in the history of the ACC to do so. The Atlanta Braves, notorious for drafting mostly high school players, took Devine in the first round of the June draft, and Devine rewarded them by not only making it to the big leagues faster than any other 2005 draftee, but also by earning a spot on Atlanta's postseason roster.
"Jeff Stallings was one of the top pitchers in the conference," Avent said. "We lost him towards the end of last year and that really hurt us. Joey Devine was one of the top pitchers ever in this conference, which he proved by what he did after he left here, making the big leagues in two months. Phil Davidson who was so versatile and played so many roles for us. He started, he came in in the sixth inning, came in the third, spot-started. He even closed some games. Phil was amazing for us. When a guy can do that many things for you, you're not just missing one pitcher; it's like you're missing three."
Finding replacements for Stallings and Davidson will be difficult enough, but Hobson is set for the rotation, Brackman is due to report in late March, and the coaches will experiment with Duncan as a starter early in the year. Knapp started 10 games last year, and a freshman or two will probably get a chance to push for starting opportunities. Facing life without Devine is another matter altogether, but the bullpen will be deep, even if it won't be completely devine.
"We may not have a Joey Devine this year, but we have so many guys that we think have the ability to step up and maybe close games," Avent said. "The guys that are at the top of our list right now are Joel Brookens, Sam Walls, Ammer Cabrera, Matt Payne, Adam McLaurin. There are several guys who have the ability to close for NC State this year. We may do it the old fashioned way, or some guy may step up and say, Hey, it's my job just like it was Joey's job. We'll let that work itself out. And having that many guys competing for that role, gives us great depth in our bullpen."
Complicating matters for the Pack is the fact that the ACC in 2006 may be stronger and deeper than ever. Four ACC teams are ranked in the national top 10 in one poll, with another hovering at No. 11. Still, expectations are high for the Wolfpack, which has appeared in the last three NCAA Tournaments and advanced to the Super Regionals in 2003. Baseball America has NC State ranked 24th in its preseason poll. Bates and Brackman have garnered preseason All-America honors. The lineup is proven and deep, the defense is among the ACC's best.
"From every indication, from what we remember from last year and what scouts and coaches from other teams tell us, this league is going to be better than it's been in a long, long time, and that's saying something because this league is great every year," Avent said. "It's going to be tough. We're going to have to be ready to play. We have to shore up the problem areas I mentioned, and how well we do that will determine where in the conference we
