With the 2011 baseball season fast approaching, the Wolfpack will have several players taking on leadership roles in the outfield and on the pitching staff. But the real change for the Pack will be found in its infield corps.
Following the departures of senior leaders Kyle Wilson, along with cousins Dallas and Drew Poulk, the infield will be highlighted by the triple-threat of juniors Harold Riggins, Andrew Ciencin and Pratt Maynard, as well as redshirt senior Chris Schaeffer.
Though Wilson and the Poulk brothers led N.C. State in almost every batting statistic imaginable in 2010, Riggins was not far behind in only his sophomore season. Drew Poulk ranked first on the team with 14 home runs compared to Riggins’ 12 – and Riggins had nearly 100 less at-bats.
Riggins finished last season with a team-leading .639 slugging percentage, and with much more chances to step to the plate this season, State fans should expect to see a lot more power out of the junior.
Many baseball players use the off-season to catapult their careers into much more than just being a college athlete. With several of the Pack players traveling to different regions of the country to compete in summer ball leagues, no one has shined as bright as Riggins and Maynard.
While Riggins was blistering the ball, hitting eight home runs in only 45 games for the Madison Mallards, Maynard prescribed to a much different role – showing that patience can pay off. The Franklinton native played in 38 games for the Harwich Mariners during the summer and drew a team-high 32 walks, which led to a .411 on-base percentage, 3rd best in the Cape Cod League.
Patience at the plate is not a new characteristic for Maynard. With 64 walks last season, Maynard not only led the team, but also finished second nationally. This set a State single-season record. However, the trick will be to find Maynard a position as another returning starter already fills the catcher spot, the position Maynard played over the summer.
Schaeffer has been State’s primary catcher for the past two seasons and will have to take on a leadership role this season as the only senior infielder. Though he has not put the power numbers together like Riggins or drawn walks like Maynard, Schaeffer has shown he can get the job done defensively and can put together streaks of hitting like no one else for the Pack.
Last season, Schaeffer finished with a .977 fielding percentage, an impressive feat for any position player, but much more difficult for a catcher. Schaeffer also put together a six-game hitting streak, batting .480 with six doubles, a home run and six RBIs during the streak.
While the accomplishment of hitting 100 RBIs is a difficult milestone to reach for professional players, the same can be said of hitting 70-plus RBIs in collegiate baseball. Ciencin led the Pack last season with 77 RBIs, with 16 of those coming off of his four grand slams, which set a school record. And that was only his sophomore season.
Ciencin has been a bright spot for State for the last two season when he steps up to the plate. With 14 multiple-hit games, Ciencin led the Pack for the 2009 season during his freshman campaign.
While the Pack should have several other key infielders, like sophomores Matt Bergquist and Chris Diaz, making contributions at shortstop, the previously mentioned quadruple-threat should boost the offense and help State contend in the ACC.