It’s that time of the year again in Raleigh, where NC State long-time head coach Elliot Avent and his team take the field to start another season with high expectations. The No. 16 Wolfpack lost its Friday night starter Jason Parker to the MLB draft, as well as some other bullpen guys, but still returns some experienced pitching, as well as some intriguing newcomers.
Potential Starters
Junior Reid Johnston is back for what could be his last season in an NC State uniform. The hard-throwing righty was NC State’s most consistent pitcher down the stretch a year ago, and will look to be the No. 1 guy for the Wolfpack come ACC play. The Rocky Mount native made some noise for the Cotuit Kettleers in the prestigious Cape Cod League over the summer, with a 1.82 ERA in 24.2 innings pitched.
Junior left-handed pitcher Canaan Silver is back for NC State after making 15 appearances a season ago, including eight starts. He put together a 3.83 ERA in 42.1 innings pitched and will look to build off that going into his second season with the Wolfpack, after transferring from Spartanburg Methodist College.
Rounding out the junior nucleus, Nick Swiney is another potential weekend starter for the Wolfpack. The 6-foot-3 left-handed pitcher spent his first two years in Raleigh mostly as a bullpen guy, but often would pitch multiple innings when he was called upon. What is unique about Swiney is that he fans batters at high rate, striking out 95 hitters in 56.2 innings pitched. His stuff is a lot better than what his sophomore season 4.61 ERA shows, but he does have a tendency to leave the ball in the middle of the plate, giving up eight home runs last season.
Freshman left-handed pitcher Chris Villaman out of Ledford High School in Thomasville is expected to compete to be Sunday starter in his first year. The Under Armour All-American sits 87-92 mph with his fastball and was given a 9.5 prospect rating out of 10 by Perfect Game. In his senior year, Villaman posted a 0.68 ERA in nine appearances.
An intriguing pitcher for NC State fans to keep an eye out for this season is redshirt junior Logan Bender, a transfer out of community college powerhouse Catawba Valley Community College. In 13 appearances, Bender compiled a 0.78 ERA in 57.2 innings pitched, with 114 strikeouts. Bender started off his collegiate career at Campbell, where he was named 2018 Big South Freshman of the Year before transferring to community college. Avent threw Jason Parker, who was a transfer from Louisburg right into a weekend role immediately last year, so do not be surprised if Bender gets his chance early on.
Lastly, redshirt sophomore Cameron Cotter, who made three starts a year ago, could find some time in a starting role, especially in midweek tilts. The 6-foot-3 right-handed pitcher compiled a 3.00 ERA in 39 innings of work last year.
Middle of the game relievers
Junior Evan Justice, who led the team in relief appearances in 2019 with 29, is back and will look to be the go-to guy this year in tight games this year. In 36.2 innings pitched, the left-handed pitcher held his opponents to a .221 batting average against him. Justice will look to once again be one of the centerpieces of the Wolfpack bullpen this year.
Junior left-handed pitcher David Harrison made 21 appearances last year, working 33.2 innings with a 2.67 ERA. The athletic reliever struck out 33 batters a year ago, and really turned it on towards the end of the season after a slow start to 2019. Harrison will look to have a complete season this year from start to finish for the Wolfpack.
Sophomore Baker Nelson was the standout freshman pitcher for the Wolfpack, making 25 appearances out of the bullpen. Nelson’s fastball sits 91-92 and has a nasty slider that he can throw for a strike at any point. He will look to build off his early success for coach Avent’s team.
Freshmen pitchers Sam Highfill, CJ Neese, Tim Cao, Austin Pace, as well as redshirt freshman Logan Whitaker, redshirt sophomore Josh Pike and sophomore Andrew Tillery will all compete to earn innings out of the pen for the Wolfpack.
Eighth and ninth inning guys
After being the top reliever for NC State his sophomore year, and getting the nickname “Mr. Reliable”, senior left-handed pitcher Kent Klyman did not live up to the high expectations set in his junior year. Inconsistency haunted the 6-foot-7 Klyman, and he found himself not pitching much for a portion of the season. However, if Klyman, who was named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year watch list for the second straight year, can find the success he found in year two, where he pitched in 31 games compiling a 2.34 ERA, he can be a key set-up man or closer this year for the Wolfpack.
Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Dalton Feeney, who led the team with seven saves a year ago, will look to be the consistent closer that Avent can rely on this season. In 29 innings last year, Feeney compiled a 1.86 ERA and only allowed three earned runs. If the North Dakota native can find similar success this season, he and Klyman can be a huge asset for NC State in the late innings.
The NC State pitching staff will toe the rubber starting this weekend Feb. 14-16, when NC State host James Madison for a three-game series to begin its season. Starting times are 3 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
