2019 is going to be a season of change for NC State baseball. The entire outfield is gone, as well as a pair of starting pitchers. One constant from last season that will be back? Mr. Reliable out of the bullpen, junior reliever Kent Klyman.
Klyman was counted on in all situations for the Wolfpack last year, and with the graduation of closer Joe O’Donnell, should be the top option out of the bullpen this season.
“He’s one of the biggest competitors we’ve got,” said head coach Elliott Avent. “He loves to be on the big stage. He loves to pitch the big innings. We gave him the ball a lot last year, so he’s one of the guys coming back that’s very, very special… There’s a lot of guys we’re going to miss, but Kent Klyman’s a guy that’s back that we gave the ball to an awful lot.”
Last season, Klyman threw 61.2 innings for the Wolfpack in 31 relief appearances (sixth in the ACC), compiled an 8-2 record (good for the team lead in wins), 2.34 ERA, 67 strikeouts to just 25 walks and held opponents to a .204 batting average.
Klyman’s best weapon last year was his fastball command, but he’s spent the offseason working on his changeup and slider to bring a more complete arsenal into this season, which should be a scary proposition for opposing hitters.
“Being able to rely on that to keep all the righty batters off balance,” Klyman said. “I’ve been working on a changeup so I can go away from their barrel. That’s one of my things. I know my slider was in and out. I need to work on that consistently more, but I think overall three pitches is what I’m hoping to go into the season with.”
That pitch arsenal should continue to allow Klyman, who prefers pitching the biggest innings but can do a little bit of everything, to continue to be a versatile reliever for NC State.
Need a closer? Klyman can handle that. Need a setup man in the seventh or eighth inning? Klyman’s ready. Need a fireman to come in and pitch two or three innings after the starter has a rough outing and gets chased in the early innings? Klyman’s warming up in the pen.
“It just brings the confidence, knowing that coach trusts me in any situation,” Klyman said. “I think I’m one of those guys that enjoys coming in with the game on the line. I think I perform my best when the moments are a little tighter than when it’s a blowout or not. But I enjoy coming in whenever the team needs me.”
For Avent, having a left-handed relief ace who can throw in so many different situations definitely makes his task of managing a game a little easier.
“He’s got a good fastball,” Avent said. “Anytime you compete, you have a chance to do some things. He’s a big man. He’s a big lefty. Big lefties have a chance, if they can throw strikes, to have a little bit of an edge, because you don’t see that many big lefties with the command he’s got. He has a good breaking ball. Like I said, his biggest thing is he likes to be on the big stage. He likes matchups.”
Klyman went 9-0 with a 1.00 ERA and 86 strikeouts in 59 innings during his senior season at Jamestown High School in Virginia. When it came time for the Williamsburg native to choose a place to play college baseball, NC State had an emotional leg up.
Klyman said he grew up cheering for the Wolfpack, and his grandfather played basketball for the Pack in the 1950s. Meeting Avent and seeing what kind of program he was running, combined with his love for NC State, sealed the deal for Klyman.
“As soon as I was born, I was kind of destined to love NC State,” Klyman said. “I was all for it. I think that coach Avent just opened my eyes to everything about the program and how everything’s run. That just definitely sold it for me.”
If there’s anyone who could connect with Klyman on that love for NC State, it was Avent. Entering his 23rd season as the Wolfpack’s head coach, Avent often describes his loves for the game of baseball and NC State as “the perfect marriage.”
In Klyman, Avent not only has a rock-solid reliever but a fellow lifelong NC State fan. The two will often talk in the dugout about what’s going on with other NC State sports, such as football and basketball.
“That’s why you come to NC State, because it’s more than baseball,” Avent said. “It’s the school; it’s the community; it’s Raleigh. What former players have done here and what this program means to you, and it’s about the other sports as well… Kent gets that. He’s one of those guys that gets that. He’s not just self-absorbed with what our baseball program is doing.”
As NC State embarks on another season with the ultimate goal of getting past the regional round for the first time since a trip to the College World Series in 2013, the pitching, and in particular the bullpen, figures to be a strength.
Klyman will be the undisputed leader for the Pack’s relief corps in 2019, giving NC State a relief ace who has loved his school long before he ever put on a Wolfpack uniform.
