How Carolina Hurricanes gear became NC State baseball’s home run celebration

As soon as NC State redshirt freshman catcher Drew Lanphere saw what the Wolfpack’s home run celebration was for this season, he knew he had to put a ball over the fence to join in on the action. 

Lanphere, a Wendell, N.C., native first saw the Pack’s dugout excitement during the fall when Wichita State transfer first baseman Garrett Pennington hit the first home run. When he returned to the dugout, a hockey helmet and stick were waiting for him to try to send an object into a paper cup. 

“Ever since the fall when Pennington put it on, I was like ‘I need to do that,’” Lanphere said. 

Wait. How did hockey equipment end up in the Wolfpack’s dugout during the fall — and eventually in it when NC State kicked off the baseball season this spring?

That was the doing of 28th-year Wolfpack coach Elliott Avent. The baseball lifer was watching a Detroit Tigers game last season and he saw each time they hit a home run, the Tigers returned to the dugout and a Detroit Red Wings helmet was placed on the person that did it. Soon after the stick followed and the celebration ensued. 

Avent liked that celebration and he thought the Wolfpack could incorporate it into their dugout antics this season. These home run celebrations with props are not anything new in college baseball — as long as they stay confined to the dugout.

The Wolfpack utilized a home run paddle for the past couple of years, which was a wooden boat paddle that had a Tuffy sticker affixed to it. Other teams around the country have come up with creative ways to have fun with homers, including Virginia Tech’s home run hammer or a home run helmet that multiple programs have used. 

NC State is different this season. It may be the only college baseball program that is using hockey equipment to celebrate. And it is likely the only team to use a helmet and stick provided by the local NHL team. 

When Avent knew he wanted to replicate the Tigers’ celebration, he knew the man to call: Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour. The two are friends and Brind’Amour is a noted supporter of NC State, including his cameo in the Wolfpack’s preseason baseball hype video. 

So when Avent told him he needed two pieces of gear for the dugout, that request was quickly granted by the Canes head man and the equipment appeared at Doak Field. 

Once NC State received the gear, the Pack made a couple alterations. It added a “Pack 9” sticker to the front of the helmet, which features a Canes logo on each side, and put the same Wolfpack logo on the blade of the stick. 

NC State has put the helmet and stick to work in the four games it has been used in Raleigh — it did not make the cross-country trip to Hawaii due to the multiple plane rides. 

Sophomore infielder Matt Heavner started the home run party in the 2024 campaign with a dinger against VCU on opening day before junior catcher Jacob Cozart joined in later in the game. It was then used four more times the next day, including in back-to-back at-bats by senior outfielder Noah Soles in the middle game of the first weekend. 

After the opening weekend series win over the Rams, Avent thought the home run celebration was a hit with his players. 

“I think the guys like it,” Avent said with a laugh. “They just like something to have fun with.”

Though the stick and helmet did not go on the trip to Hawaii, NC State was quick to break it back out during its 17-2 win over Queens on Wednesday afternoon. 

Graduate third baseman Alec Makarewicz clubbed his fourth homer of the season in the fourth inning and he was able to don the gear for the second time this season. 

And then history was made.

Lanphere, who admired the equipment during the fall, was able to finally put it on against Queens. He started behind the dish for the first time this season and smashed two homers — the first pair of his career — in as many innings to wear the helmet and hold the stick afterwards. 

His first long ball hit the top of the left field wall and bounced over in the fourth, while the second cleared the right field fence in the fifth. 

Not a bad day at the office for Lanphere.

Being able to put the gear on checked a box for Lanphere, even though he said he missed his shot into the paper cup after the second homer. Though that was the case, the hockey fan was excited to finally use the celebration in the dugout. 

“I’m a big hockey fan,” Laphere said. “I watched the Canes growing up, so that was really fun.”