North Carolina State University Athletics
PEELER: 'Big Rig' Is Slimmer, More Powerful
6/2/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State sophomore first baseman Harold Riggins didn't celebrate his individual prize last weekend at the ACC Baseball Championship.
In fact, he didn't even really want to go out to accept the trophy for the Most Valuable Player award at the end of the five-day tournament in Greensboro. He and the Wolfpack had just lost to Florida State in the championship game and they were all concerned about their teammate, catcher Chris Schaeffer, who left the field in an ambulance following a scary collision at home plate.
"It was kind of hard to celebrate with so many other things going on," said the hard-hitting native of Normal, Ill.
But in a tournament that was peppered with power hitters, Riggins stood out with his explosive bat. He went 9-for-16 with two doubles, two home runs, a triple and three RBIs in his four games. All of his extra-base hits were timely and one of his homers was a towering shot over the center field wall that traveled nearly 500 feet.
That was just a glimpse of the power Riggins has shown throughout his transformative sophomore season. A part-time starter as a freshman, Riggins has started 44 games there this season for the Wolfpack. He's one of six hitters in the productive lineup to register double-digit home runs. His 12 on the season trails team-leader Drew Poulk by one.
A good part of Riggins' success this season can be attributed to the changes he made to his physical condition. He lost nearly 50 pounds between the end of last season and the beginning of this season, simply by changing his diet and becoming more dedicated to a workout regimen.
"I figured that I wouldn't be able to play the best of my abilities if I stayed the weight I was at," said Riggins, who hit only two home runs in his 21 starts as a freshman. "After losing 50 pounds, I move a lot better. As far as hitting, I put more emphasis on taking good swings. Try to take good swings and not worry about mechanics and stuff. I work on mechanics in the cage during practice and before games.
"When I go to the plate during games, I feel free to take good cuts."
Riggins' diet plan was nothing drastic. He cut out foods high in carbohydrates. He stopped eating cupcakes at night and bags of potato chips. He'll occasionally indulge in those things every now and then, but he's been pretty dedicated to watching what he eats.
Instead of the slightly chubby figure who walked to the plate last season, the sleek-looking Riggins stands at an imposing 6-foot-3, 230 pounds in the batters box.
Riggins' transformation began last summer in the Northwoods League, a wooden-bat summer league in the Midwest. He played for the Madison (Wisc.) Mallards, setting a franchise record with nine home runs and tying the team record with 48 RBIs. He plans to return to Madison this summer in hopes of repeating that success.
Riggins, who was taken by the Chicago White Sox in the 35th round of the 2008 draft of amateur players, has improved dramatically in his two seasons, as he and his teammates prepare to play in the NCAA Myrtle Beach Regional. The Wolfpack faces College of Charleston Friday at 7 p.m. at BB&T Coastal Park.
"Harold was obviously a very talented baseball player when he got in here," said senior outfielder Kyle Wilson. "Playing in the ACC is not that easy. That's something he had to learn. This year, you can't say enough about the kid. He has committed himself to becoming a better baseball player.
"He has the most raw power of anyone on our team, without question. He hits with a wooden bat in batting practice and it goes as far as some of the other guys who are hitting with metal. The most impressive thing to me about him is that he hits the ball just as hard to the opposite field as he does to the pull side. I think he has big-league pop."
As impressive as the tape-measure shots Riggins hits in batting practice and in games have been, Wolfpack head coach Elliott Avent says the biggest transformation in Riggins' game has been his progress as a complete hitter, not just a power hitter swinging for the fences.
"There's probably no such thing as a complete hitter, unless you are talking about Tony Gwynn or Rod Carew," Avent said. "Harold is obviously a guy with tremendous power, but he has worked very hard on getting hits when we need them.
"He hit that single to right field against Clemson that was the first of our five straight hits that inning, against a guy who was throwing us sliders and off-speed stuff. To me, that hit was as impressive as his home runs."
Riggins showed good glove work during the ACC Championship, though that hasn't always been a his strong point on the field. Mainly, he likes to hit.
But Avent believes Riggins is athletic and nimble enough to play third base, is fast enough to play in the outfield and has a strong enough arm to be a pitcher.
"He could be a Gold Glove player," Avent said.
And that would be a nice addition to what has turned into a golden bat in the Wolfpack lineup.
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
