It’s important to note that it’s almost an entirely new lineup for NC State this year. Gone are the veterans like Alec Makarewicz, Garrett Pennington, Brandon Butterworth, and Jacob Cozart. Their offensive power ability was almost as important as their leadership and experience. The mental edge those veterans provided are missing early in the season.
“We’re missing guys like the Penningtons last year and the Cozarts and the people that led our ball club,” Avent explained. “Those guys that said the right things and did the right things in the dugout, in the clubhouse, and off the field. But right now, some of our guys that need to be leading this ball club are struggling and scuffling. They’re too busy thinking about themselves to worry about leading the club. And that’s a problem. Hopefully, they’ll figure it out.”
The NC State offense is much younger than last season. Sophomores Luke Nixon and Alex Sosa have been elevated into key roles and joined by fellow second years in transfers Chris McHugh, Ryan Jaros, and Matt Ossenfort. Freshman Ty Head is starting in center field.
Listen, we’re only seven games into the new season, but the Pack need to dig deep and show some mental fortitude to pull out of this slide. They have time but the more time that passes, the deeper the hold gets, and the more the self-doubt grows.
“This is a game where if you doubt yourself, it’ll chew you up and spit you out,” said Avent. “You’ve got to have confidence.And you’ve got to play with confidence.”
Elliott Avent teams always find ways to hit and generate offense, and this team will as well. It’s only a matter of time. But how much time do they have?
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