Elliott Avent pushes right buttons as NC State rebounds to down Central Connecticut in NCAA Tournament

NC State lost four straight, including each of its last two postseason games, entering Saturday’s Auburn Regional elimination tilt. Something needed to change with the Wolfpack’s season on the line against Central Connecticut State. 

As it turned out, NC State skipper Elliott Avent, a 29-year veteran at the helm of his childhood favorite program, did just that. He shuffled the Wolfpack’s batting order, moving seven players in the process, while freshman third baseman Ryder Woodson was inserted into the lineup for just his third start of the season. 

And, well, it worked. 

NC State raced past Central Connecticut 12-0 at Plainsman Park on Saturday afternoon to keep its season alive for another day — the team’s fourth shutout postseason win in program history, all under Avent. The Wolfpack awaits the loser of No. 4 Auburn and Stetson in another elimination game Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ESPN+).

“It’s one I’ll always remember,” Avent told reporters afterwards. “I’ve been to a lot of regionals, a lot of super regionals, a lot of big games. I’ve seen a lot big moments from a lot of players. … There’s been a lot of guys I’ve seen step up. It seems easy when you look at the final score, but it wasn’t an easy game.”

So what all did Avent change besides allowing Woodson, a usual go-to pinch-runner, to play the entire game? 

Avent moved freshman center fielder Ty Head back to the leadoff spot, while he flipped junior right fielder Josh Hogue to the second spot with sophomore first baseman in the three hole. Additionally, sophomore catcher Alex Sosa slid into the clean up spot to retool the top half of the Wolfpack’s order. 

All of those moves, coupled with Woodson’s entry into the order, helped provide an offensive output that NC State hadn’t seen in its past six games. 

It started early, too. 

Sosa, who hadn’t hit a homer in the last month, seemed to swing freely in his first at-bat. That confidence from the Pack’s everyday catcher seemed to help as he mashed a no-doubt two-run blast that traveled 430 feet over the batter’s eye to match NC State’s run total from its 11-2 loss to Stetson on Friday evening. 

From there, it was all Wolfpack. NC State added four runs in the fourth to break the game open, including Woodson’s first-career home run. The Naples, Fla., native hit a moonshot that left the park at 104 MPH to clear the left field fence with ease at 406 feet. 

Woodson, a promising part of NC State’s future plans in the infield, had a casual bat flip as he rounded the bases with a grin to help the Wolfpack’s onslaught continue. The 6-foot-2, 182-pound corner infielder went 2-for-5 with a double, the blast and three RBI in his postseason debut.

“I told Coach [Chris] Hart before the game that I was going to go with Ryder, but I should have gone to him earlier in the year,” Avent said. “I could say it’s my fault that I didn’t, but it’s Matt Heaver’s fault. Heavner played extremely well, which kept two really good players on the bench in Ryan Jaros and Ryder Woodson. … I just felt like today was the day to go to him. It might be an odd spot to do that, but I asked him on the bus if he was nervous and he said, ‘No because I’ve had enough playing time. I’m ready.'”

Woodson proved that he was more than prepared to play on the biggest stage of his career, likely solidifying himself on the hot corner for the rest of the Wolfpack’s postseason stint.

And while NC State continued to add five more runs in the final five innings, the Wolfpack never felt threatened the rest of the way as sophomore left-handed pitcher Ryan Marohn cruised through the Blue Devils’ batting order. 

The Chantilly, Va., native pounded the zone, which the Wolfpack struggled with in the blowout loss on Friday (nine total vs. Stetson), as he fanned 10 without a walk in eight shutout innings of work. Marohn didn’t allow more than one hit through his first seven frames as he was in a groove for much of the afternoon.

And that was impressive against Central Connecticut’s lineup, which was one of the most-consistent hitting teams in the nation. It entered the NCAA Tournament with the field’s best batting average (.437) and the fewest strikeouts (254), but neither of those seemed to matter to the Wolfpack’s young starter.

“He’s the enforcer on our ball club,” Avent said of Marohn. “A lot of guys work hard, but he does it all the right way. A lot of mental toughness, and it showed out there today.”

Marohn’s dominance on the bump not only helped keep NC State steady, but it was also key in allowing the Wolfpack to minimize its bullpen usage to be ready for its next win-or-go-home game on Sunday afternoon. 

NC State needed some juice to stave off elimination for another day. It got just that from Avent’s lineup shake up. Now, the Wolfpack will have to look to bring that same energy once again in 24 hours, where it will need to win twice to keep its season alive once more.