North Carolina State University Athletics
TIM PEELER: The Swagger to Rally
4/21/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 21, 2006
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH - Two things to remember about the NC State baseball team's ability to come back late in games for dramatic wins.
First, everyone on the Wolfpack bench knows that the ACC's top offense can erase any deficit in a hurry, even if they are down to their final out or two.
"We are a team that strives on the fact that we can come back if we are down," said senior leadoff hitter Matt Camp. "In the dugout, we always feel like we can win the game, no matter what the situation. I have been on other teams before where if you are down, guys will say, we have tomorrow or the next day.
"This team, we feel like we have so much potential throughout the lineup that no amount of runs can hold us down if there are any outs left. That sticks in the back of your mind knowing that."
In fact, the Wolfpack offensive lineup relishes the opportunity to prove it can come back in late innings.
"That's when the fun starts," said All-America first baseman Aaron Bates. "Our team really thrives on those situations because of the mature guys we have. Against East Carolina the other night, we were down a couple of runs and we looked at each other and said `This is fun, isn't it?'
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NC State at UNC
Boshamer Stadium Chapel Hill,NC Tickets: $5 Friday,7 p.m. Andrew Brackman (1-2, 6.33) vs. Andrew Miller (8-0, 1.33)
Saturday, 1 p.m. Eric Surkamp (2-2, 4.87) vs. Robert Woodard (4-1, 3.57)
Sunday, 1:30 p.m. Eryk McConnell (6-3, 3.41) vs. Daniel Bard (4-2, 4.47)
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The second thing is, it sticks in the mind of the other team as well. Perhaps that's why in a 4-3 NC State win Tuesday night, East Carolina gave up an eighth-inning lead with a passed ball, a wild pitch and an error, allowing the Wolfpack to post its 13th come-from-behind victory of the season.
"It's a dual-sided thing," said Wolfpack coach Elliott Avent. "As much as we knew in our dugout that we could come back against East Carolina, they knew it too. Maybe we didn't do it all by ourselves."
So as the No. 7 Wolfpack heads to Chapel Hill for a three-game series this weekend against top-ranked North Carolina, it carries the swagger and confidence that go beyond an impressive list of offensive statistics. It also knows that North Carolina is a team that has committed 14 errors in its last five games, including five in a 7-6 loss to UNC-Greensboro on Tuesday.
"I think that is something that will come into the minds of their coaches throughout the series," Bates said. "I think the way their team is managed will definitely be affected."
Yes, the Wolfpack has the ACC's leading offense. Its .351 batting average is second in the nation. It is fifth with 9.5 runs per game, fifth with 2.6 doubles per game and ninth with a team slugging percentage of .513.
All the bats in the lineup will be needed against the Tar Heel trio of preseason All-America pitchers Andrew Miller, Robert Woodard and Daniel Bard, who have combined for a 16-3 record, an earned run average of 3.05 and 156 strikeouts this season.
That might be a daunting challenge for the Wolfpack, if Avent's team weren't so confident going into the weekend series. But there are things that favor the Wolfpack, as it rolls along atop the ACC's Atlantic Division.
For starters, the Wolfpack has won three straight series over UNC, including last year's dramatic stand at Doak Field, an "Instant Classic" in Camp's eyes. The Wolfpack has won seven of the last 10 games against its rival from 25 miles away. State has also won four of its last six games against teams ranked No. 1 in the nation, including two out of three against Georgia Tech earlier this year.
Finally, despite all the big offensive numbers, this isn't a team that relies on three-run homers to score its runs. They get on base, hit doubles and knock one out of the part on occasion. For that reason, the Wolfpack lineup doesn't think it can be shut down completely, no matter how good North Carolina's pitching is.
"Good pitching traditionally does beat good offense, but I think that is the case when you have a lot of home-run hitters and a home-run hitting team," said Bates, one of five Wolfpack starters with a .375 or higher batting average. "We don't live and die on home runs. We can play small ball when we have to, we can string hits together. We are more versatile than people think we are.
"We are not just a slugger kind of team. We are mature hitters at the plate. We have the ability to make adjustments at the plate."
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
