NC State 1B Garrett Pennington brought more than just his elite bat to Raleigh

Garrett Pennington stood in the lobby of NC State’s baseball facility and was quick to describe his best strength. Was it his elite power at the plate? How about his stellar defense at first base? 

Nope. Neither of those came to his mind first when he heard the question. 

“I’m pretty good at cooking,” Pennington said with a laugh. 

The Wichita State transfer’s go-to is a smoked brisket, but as he talked, it was easy to see why his current teammates described his off the field habits when he was brought up. Though he has not been on campus for that long, about six months, the impact that Pennington has already made on the team is eye-opening.

Wolfpack catcher Jacob Cozart, one of the top collegiate players in this summer’s draft, lit up when he talked about Pennington.

“Garrett’s been awesome,” Cozart said. “His leadership when he came in solidified himself as one of the team leaders. Not by just how he acts, but the way that he is a teammate, his character as a person. He’s selfless, he just wants to do anything he can to help this team get better. He’s, honestly, been beyond what I thought he’d be.”

While his teammates pointed to his character — coach Elliott Avent has too — it is not a coincidence. Pennington prides himself on being the ultimate teammate, and the Lenexa, Kan., native looked to his midwest roots when it came to being personable. 

That is his self-described strength to the team, outside of his cooking talent.

“I would say being from Kansas … being able to mesh with these guys,” Pennington said. “It’s just one of those strengths, it’s just not even me on the baseball field. Just getting along with everybody. The best team has the best chemistry. I feel like that’s our best strength.”

But how has Pennington, a fifth-year player, blended in so well with the Wolfpack in his first season in Raleigh? His path to this point would help that make sense. 

The infielder spent his first three seasons at Division II Central Missouri, where he was a slugger for the Mules. Pennington hit .354 with six home runs to help guide his team to the D-II national championship game in his first full season in 2021. He followed that up with a .397 campaign that was accompanied by 23 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs and 50 RBI during the 2022 season. 

From there, Pennington made the jump to Division I baseball. And the rise in competition level did not seem to affect the slugger. He hit .307 with 12 doubles, 15 home runs and 55 RBI last season at Wichita State.

He assimilated well with the Shockers after playing D-II ball for three years. Now, he has done it again with the Wolfpack — the most high-profile team he has been with in his college career. 

Pennington has been a positive story from the transfer portal, which has been a hot topic around college athletics the last few years. And without it, he was not sure he would be playing in the ACC. 

“I’ve been through the portal twice now,” Pennington said. “It creates a lot of steps for baseball players, which I think is a really good opportunity. I would have never had a chance to play Division I baseball if it wasn’t real. It’s just a really good opportunity, and a dream come true, honestly.”

Pennington landed with NC State through the portal for a simple reason. He thought NC State provided the best chance to reach the College World Series in Omaha this summer. 

“It was a no-brainer that I was coming here,” Pennington said. “I’m ready to do this.”

While Pennington was a key portal pickup for the Wolfpack since he projects to be the team’s everyday first baseman, it seems like NC State got more than what it was expecting with his leadership abilities. 

Not only did the Pack grab a team player, but it appears that it also landed a veteran that knows his way around good food. It was on full display this fall when Pennington invited the team over to watch football. His smoked brisket was there, and well, it earned high reviews. 

“That was the best brisket I’ve ever had,” Cozart said. “I’ve been to a bunch of barbeque places in North Carolina, but you couldn’t beat that.”

If Pennington’s play on the field matches his ability to cook, the Wolfpack infield will be just fine this spring.