North Carolina State University Athletics
A Lead-off Surprise
5/24/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 24, 2011
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DURHAM, N.C. – When Brett Williams arrived from Pitt Community College last fall, he thought he had a pretty good shot of being NC State’s starting center fielder. He had been told as much when he was recruited and the athletic outfielder from New Bern, N.C., was confident the job could be his if he performed well in fall drills.
What he didn’t anticipate, however, was being the Wolfpack’s leadoff hitter. He had been a middle-of-the-lineup guy while leading his team at Pitt CC to the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series last spring, collecting 11 doubles, 11 homers and 45 RBIs in his 46 games. His numbers were even better as a freshman, when he had 14 doubles, 14 homers and 43 RBIs.
But NC State coach Elliott Avent thought that Williams had the rare opportunity to have some power and speed at the top of the lineup. Williams, a former MVP quarterback for New Bern’s 4-AA state champion football team, also had 22 stolen bases in 23 attempts during his junior college career, so he knew he was fast on the basepaths.
He drew enough walks and was hit by enough pitches that his junior college on-base percentage was .478 to go along with a .789 slugging percentage.
“I put him at leadoff because of fear, the Rickey Henderson-fear other teams have of him,” said Avent, referring to the Hall of Fame leadoff hitter who was both a home run threat and a baserunning fiend. “He can hit one out or get on first and create havoc at the top of the lineup.”
Hitting first took a little getting used to for Williams. He’s still learning not to chase every slider that comes his way. And completely buying into the Little League mantra of “a walk’s as good as a hit” isn’t as easy as it sounds. But he’s drawn 12 walks and been hit by a team-high 14 pitches. His .361 on-base percentage isn’t high, but it is improving.
“I’m still really trying to figure out how to be a leadoff hitter,” Williams said. Williams has been an important part of the Wolfpack’s offensive resurgence in recent weeks. Heading into the ACC Tournament, which begins Wednesday at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, NC State (33-23 overall, 15-15 ACC) has scored an average of 7.6 runs in its last nine games and enters its opening-round game against Florida State on a five-game winning streak.
First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m., with junior Cory Mazzoni (4-6, 3.61 ERA) slated to pitch for the Wolfpack. A live broadcast of the game will be available on WKNC FM-88.1 and for premium subscribers to GoPack.com’s All-Access package. The game will also be televised live off Fox Sports South, Fox Sports Florida and Comcast Mid-Atlantic.
Williams has a team-leading five home runs (tied with Andrew Ciencin and Pratt Maynard), a total of 31 RBIs and is a perfect 7-for-7 in stolen bases. In his last nine games, he’s hitting over .300, with seven runs scored and eight runs driven in.
“I feel great going into the tournament,” Williams said. “We’ve done so much throughout the year to come together and to get so much better in so many different aspects. Defensively, we’ve been pretty good all year. Pitching is really coming around. They have a lot of confidence and are keeping runs off the board for the other team. Hitting is starting to come around too.
“We’re really just starting to put it all together. We’ve shown we can play with any team in the country. I feel like we’re really carrying a lot of momentum into the tournament.”
His effectiveness at the top of the lineup has helped make his teammates more relaxed and confident at the plate, Avent said. He also brings a football mentality to the Wolfpack that Avent loves, even if the coach does need to dial back Williams’ emotions and intensity every now and then.
“That’s much easier than having to funnel energy into a player,” Avent said. “What I like about Brett is that he plays like a train coming down the track. He has a great intensity, a desire to play the game and this great affinity for winning. “That’s not something everyone has.”
Williams does play an aggressive center field. He’s not afraid to go after balls that are just out of his reach. Like the middle of the infield in front of him, shortstop Chris Diaz and second baseman Matt Bergquist, his strong work with the glove has given the Wolfpack’s pitching staff confidence throughout the season. The result is a team that is loose on the field, confident on the mound and improving at the plate. For Avent, that’s a pretty good combination going into postseason play for a team that started slow out of the gate.
“These guys are loose, with a focus and that comes from confidence,” said the coach. “They know what they’ve done. They know they were 1-5 in this league and 10-10 overall. They know they were 5-10 in the league with Carolina coming in and a trip to Virginia coming up.
“They know what they did. They know they flirted with disaster, got better and have started to win when it counts. They have a lot of confidence.”
• By Tim Peeler, tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
