North Carolina State University Athletics
A Big Thank You To Wolfpack Fans
6/3/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Catcher Nick Stanley came to NC State last fall after hitting an amazing .491 with 12 doubles, seven home runs and 36 RBIs during his sophomore season at South Florida Junior College. Wolfpack coach Elliott Avent calls Stanley a "consummate ball player who loves to play and understands the game." He's also an English major who will write a daily blog for GoPack.com during this weekend's NCAA Raleigh Regional. Stanley has been a solid contributor during his first season with the Wolfpack, making 30 starts behind the plate and hitting .310 with two home runs an 22 RBIs. "Nick is a real gamer, someone who always plays better in a game than he does at practice," Avent says. "He steps up. I think it comes from his confidence in his abilities and and how much he loves the game. He is always talking in the dugout and saying funny things. He gives us that looseness that is necessary." Here is Stanley's fourth entry
What a night for the Pack. I don't think I've ever been a part of a game as exciting or fun as that. We knew that we wanted to get it done in one game, and we did.
The fans came out despite a rain delay and were behind us full force. I thought the stadium was going to implode when Jeremy Synan hit that home run to tie the game. Not only was it by far the farthest ball I've ever seen hit, but it happened right in the middle of the "WOLF!"/"PACK!" chant. It was an awesome moment that I'll never forget.
Our pitchers, especially our bullpen, seemed to have a little something extra tonight. Everyone that came in the game, from Kyle Rutter and Sam Brown, to Drew Taylor and Alex Sogard, had a little extra jump on their fast balls and a little extra bite on their breaking balls. They knew that to hold down an offense as good as South Carolina's they were going to have to bring their best stuff. Man, did they ever. It as really impressive to watch our staff overmatch the some of South Carolina's great hitters.
What has made the difference to me more than the pitching, the defense, or the hitting has been the attitude and the intensity with which we played. Everyone is locked in and focused yet calm and relaxed at the same time.
Everyone is pulling for each other and it's a really great thing to be a part of. I can't describe how awesome it is to be on a team that cares about each other this much and wants to win this badly. No matter what happens the rest of the way, the one thing I'll take away from this season is how close this team is. I hope this closeness and the way we're playing right now will carry us to our ultimate goal of going to Omaha, Neb., and the College World Series.
I'm sure that wherever we are for Super Regionals Wolfpack fans will be there to support us. I can't thank the fans enough for their dedication and support for this team. We all feel very fortunate to have fans that are this passionate about their school and their team. From all of the players and coaches and everyone else on the staff: THANK YOU WOLFPACK FANS!!! We'll see you at supers!
