North Carolina State Wolfpack
Overall Rank: #17
Conference Rank: #5 ACC
North Carolina State has had plenty of success under Coach Elliott Avent. The team has gone to the NCAA Tournament 17 times since he took over the program in 1997. The Wolfpack had a good chance of reaching their fourth Super Regional in that span last season, but lost their opening game to Army at home. That made it very difficult for them to rebound and reach the Super Regionals, especially with a very tough Auburn team joining them in Raleigh. This will be a very different looking Wolfpack team, but they could be just as good by the time the tournament rolls around.
2018: 42-18, 19-11
2018 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Elliott Avent
Key Departed Players:
Josh McLain, OF, .344 BA, 4 HR, 40 RBI, 12 SB
Brock Deatherage, OF, .307 BA, 14 HR, 41 RBI, 18 SB
Brett Kinneman, OF, .274 BA, 17 HR, 61 RBI, 10 SB
Brian Brown, P, 2.74 ERA, 7-2 W/L, 98.2 IP, 98 SO
Joe O’Donnell, P, 1.48 ERA, 1-3 W/L, 30.1 IP, 40 SO, 11 SV
Key Returning Players:
Patrick Bailey, C, .321 BA, 13 HR, 40 RBI
Will Wilson, IF, .307 BA, 15 HR, 53 RBI
Evan Edwards, IF, .297 BA, 15 HR, 48 RBI
Kent Klyman, P, 2.34 ERA, 8-2 W/L, 61.2 IP, 67 SO
Reid Johnston, P, 3.06 ERA, 7-1 W/L, 64.2 IP, 49 SO
Projection:
Only three regulars are back in the lineup, but they are a great trio to build around. Patrick Bailey hit .321 last season with 13 homeruns and 40 RBIs. He was a unanimous Freshman All-American in 2018 and is ready to emerge as a consistent leader in 2019. Shortstop Will Wilson will garner plenty of national accolades as well after hitting .307 with 15 homeruns and 53 RBIs. And then there is Evan Edwards, who also belted 15 homeruns and drove in 48 runs. The offense should be in good shape, but the bigger questions are on the mound. Kent Klyman made 31 appearances in relief and posted a 2.34 ERA and should again be a solid pitcher. Reid Johnston was a part-time starter in 2018, going 7-1 with a 3.06 ERA. If the Wolfpack can find a few new arms to help replace Brian Brown and Joe O’Donnell, the big bats will do more than enough to get this group back to the tournament and towards the top of the ACC standings.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Baseball Tournament
