Happy Retirement, Elliott Avent

Going over the career and legacy of longtime baseball coach Elliott Avent, and other various NC State news, including some summer position battles to watch out for.

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Logan Brumley

What is In The Den?

"In The Den" with host Logan Brumley covers everything from the NC State Wolfpack's NCAA, intramural and club sports. "In The Den" is a podcast from WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1/HD-2 at NC State University.

Logan Brumley: Hello and welcome to WKNC's official sports podcast in the den.
Logan Brumley: Today I'm going to do my official kind of career and legacy of the baseball coach Elliott HappyRetirementAvent.
Logan Brumley: And then of course the little introductory press when I press kind of talk for Chris Hart.
Logan Brumley: I'll be going into some of the summer position battles to look out for, you know, during a period of summer camps.
Logan Brumley: And then I'll finish with just a little bit of like some news that is related to DNC State athletic area as well.
Logan Brumley: So get your headphones on and let's get straight to it.
Logan Brumley: So after that crazy elimination game against Auburn where it was like one of those football score kind of games, Elliott HappyRetirementAvent has officially retired from NC State baseball.
Logan Brumley: He's had his name in the system for a while.
Logan Brumley: You know why he didn't play college ball with the program.
Logan Brumley: He did enroll at NC State with the Textiles University but eventually stopped like after a few years because he was inspired by the NC State baseball coach at the time, Samuel Esposito, who was another long time baseball coach.
Logan Brumley: I think he spent around like 20 years with program and while there wasn't really much success with him, it was kind of like consistency.
Logan Brumley: That was a great thing.
Logan Brumley: And then you know, Esposito style coaching was very hard on the players and that was something where HappyRetirementAvent was inspired to be less like him.
Logan Brumley: Funny enough.
Logan Brumley: So he started to make his journey.
Logan Brumley: He went all across the southeastern US for different coaching jobs.
Logan Brumley: Like for instance, I think he was a grad assistant at Virginia Commonwealth and I don't think he had like an official coach and job.
Logan Brumley: Yeah, let me have the timeline here.
Logan Brumley: He was an assistant coach with William and Mary as well but eventually found himself as an assistant with I guess sort of teammate Ray Tanner who was a NC State alum who had recently taken the head coaching job after what's his name left.
Logan Brumley: I don't think it was Esposito.
Logan Brumley: Yeah, okay, I gotta find a coaching timeline.
Logan Brumley: But so he took over the job and HappyRetirementAvent was his assistant coach for a short while.
Logan Brumley: I think it was about a decade.
Logan Brumley: While there wasn't really much success, it was good enough I think very early on for Avent as an assistant coach.
Logan Brumley: I think he only had one year before he became a head coach at New Mexico State and he spent about seven years there.
Logan Brumley: Well, he didn't have much postseason success.
Logan Brumley: He did have an above.500 record outside of the conference, which is pretty interesting.
Logan Brumley: And it was enough for when Ray Tanner jumped over to South Carolina HappyRetirementAvent while he was in a shoe in was able to get the job HappyRetirementAvent took the program, you know, to the next level.
Logan Brumley: They have several postseason appearances.
Logan Brumley: I think it was like a all but five years.
Logan Brumley: He was able to make it to a, you know, a regional tournament at least in only two years where he didn't even qualify for a.
Logan Brumley: What's it called, the ACC tournament.
Logan Brumley: He's made it to about four World Series.
Logan Brumley: I mean there was the COVID 19 one that could be argued as one as well.
Logan Brumley: I don't really think so, but they were 14 and 3 at the time, so who knows.
Logan Brumley: But either way, you know, there's that really great 2021 run.
Logan Brumley: I'll probably.
Logan Brumley: I have an older episode on that.
Logan Brumley: I might do another episode one of his other World Series runs either in 2013 or the most recent one in 2024.
Logan Brumley: And he also made it to six super regionals, which is the most like about like winning accolades that any NC State baseball coach has had as of now.
Logan Brumley: Of course he also reached the thousand career wins moniker with the program, which I think he's the only.
Logan Brumley: There's a small handful of coaches, I think about five current coaches have done that and very few at this level of competition.
Logan Brumley: I mean a lot of the ones that you see are kind of like lower D1, D2 guys, but I can't think of any off the top of my head who have this expansive of a winter record who are above 60% by like 0.4% but still.
Logan Brumley: And you know, a lot of the credit that was given to his success was just being a good, passionate guy.
Logan Brumley: I think Chris Hart, who has been working with him as an assistant and right hand man ever since HappyRetirementAvent started working, it was basically, you know, that passion and I love for the game and really kind of pushing the intangibles and trying to make sure that the heart was in the game more than the talent and the success that I think was something that a lot of players have looked up to and it was something that just made him, you know, a really great coach.
Logan Brumley: There's stories of him, you know, being there to show up for different charitable events.
Logan Brumley: So he's been a real great guy for the community as well.
Logan Brumley: I mean working with Trey Turner, the Victory over Cancer Day events he see he also had really big impact and building a MLB repertoire.
Logan Brumley: I think there was a lot of pull players most notably of course you know, as of recent time with you know, shoot Carlos Rodon, Trey Turner, see Patrick Bailey, Andrew Knisner, and just I think there's definitely a quantity of players who have been able to find herself in the league or at least have been drafted and have gotten to enjoy professional baseball.
Logan Brumley: And a lot of that credit does go to him and his love for the game, his passion, his, you know, his love for NC State as well.
Logan Brumley: And I think it's something where he's going to be remembered for a long time as a great baseball coach.
Logan Brumley: And I think Chris Hart, he definitely has a lot of work on his hand to try to be the next guy, but it looks like they just recently got a big transfer.
Logan Brumley: I'll probably talk about that later.
Logan Brumley: But it's something where with time, of course it's probably gonna be a bit rocky at the start.
Logan Brumley: But I do believe that Chris Hart's had the experience and has been with the system long enough that it could just be something where they're almost right back to where they were.
Logan Brumley: Let's see, Chris Hart, he is.
Logan Brumley: He was kind of another like shoe in.
Logan Brumley: He's the 17th head coach in NC State history.
Logan Brumley: I think he played at Florida State and kind of followed HappyRetirementAvent around, I think with especially NC State.
Logan Brumley: And we will, of course, we'll see how things go.
Logan Brumley: It's been something where Chris Hart has always been there with HappyRetirementAvent where it was like, just in terms of like roster construction and coach collecting.
Logan Brumley: Those two were very big part of NC State.
Logan Brumley: And now it's Hart's turn to take over and, you know, we wish him the best of luck and happy retirement Elliott HappyRetirementAvent.
Logan Brumley: All right, I'll get to the next segment of some summer position battles to watch out for.
Logan Brumley: All right, so I do have a bit of a lengthy list, but I'll keep it pretty summarized and simple.
Logan Brumley: While I would say it's too early to really tell about baseball and softball, I think the transfer portal is like really just opened up for these programs.
Logan Brumley: I will be talking more about that in a future episode, but I'll kind of focus on what we got now.
Logan Brumley: So starting off, I have men's soccer.
Logan Brumley: I'm assuming it's a 4, 3, 3 front.
Logan Brumley: I don't have any like official like thing for app.
Logan Brumley: Just kind of what's like looking at past games and that was a front they used.
Logan Brumley: There's definitely a hole in the goalie.
Logan Brumley: It looks like Samuel Terranova is going to take over.
Logan Brumley: I mean he started three games last year with or he played in three games at least last year with the program and has been pretty efficient as of, you know, that small sample size But Matthias Rumrens who is the transfer from Queens, he has a 78% save average and 1.18 ghost against.
Logan Brumley: So that could be a guy who gives Terranova a challenge.
Logan Brumley: That's kind of one I mentioned first just because it was kind of the weakest positional battle in that regards.
Logan Brumley: I think Terranova, it's his position to lose, but I think Rom Reigns will give him a fight for his money.
Logan Brumley: And then the last two are kind of like the final remaining spot in their respective positions.
Logan Brumley: Like if you look at like the NC State men's soccer roster and how it's looking for this year, there are some good start defensive starters who are returning.
Logan Brumley: Maloney is returning.
Logan Brumley: I think Antoine is going to step up and so is Rosario.
Logan Brumley: So it's that last spot that's a question.
Logan Brumley: You know we'll probably come down to Adam Abdu who was a Houston Dynamo prep.
Logan Brumley: He only played in three games last season but has been with the program for a few years now.
Logan Brumley: I mentioned Gianni Rosario who's kind of in a similar position where he's a Cedar Stars like prep school transfer and has been with the program for a while but hasn't gotten that start yet.
Logan Brumley: And then the senior transfer Josh Gordon out of Kentucky who has been efficient for NC State.
Logan Brumley: Although he didn't really reach like any all conference levels, he did manage to get at least two assists.
Logan Brumley: So I think he could definitely find his way into a starting role or at least a supplemental spot.
Logan Brumley: And then the last position I want to name is for the midfielder, that three spot.
Logan Brumley: I think that Peebles and Tolentino are pretty much shoe ins for that, but I have a kind of a three way battle for that last spot.
Logan Brumley: See Peebles does have at least two games started which is why you know, he's probably the strongest case to start.
Logan Brumley: Katan is definitely starting.
Logan Brumley: Irving Cruz, who was, you know, a transfer prep guy from Charlotte fc, he's just coming off an injury and I think he will be given an opportunity to start, especially as the senior.
Logan Brumley: I could see the community college Iowa Western transfer Hayato Takayama coming in.
Logan Brumley: He has about 75 points in 43 games so there's a lot to look at.
Logan Brumley: You know this is a team that make the finals and just kind of bled through the MLS draft and so we'll see how the rosters look like in the fall.
Logan Brumley: But I mean they were able to get a lot of good guys and then I think they definitely do have a future set up for them.
Logan Brumley: But it could be maybe not as good, but maybe, you know, at least finish stronger in this regular season that they did last year.
Logan Brumley: For the women's kind of a similar spot, I think I put goalie but I don't think there's really much of a battle there either.
Logan Brumley: So I'll focus more on Brooklyn Holt.
Logan Brumley: She graduated and let me see if she's gone pro.
Logan Brumley: I don't think she has.
Logan Brumley: I don't see anything on her.
Logan Brumley: Yeah, I don't see anything on her.
Logan Brumley: I'm sure she's somewhere but I think that defensive spot definitely has a lot of room for replacement.
Logan Brumley: I think it's most likely going to be Chloe Stanley who has three appearances with the program so far but also have listed Nina Duquette who played for the Dallas FC like ECNL where it's like a high school thing and you know, being a woman's thing and she's like a really high rated prospect coming out Fort Worth, she could have a spot.
Logan Brumley: I have Lily Stoltz who was a big grab in the transfer portal last year when she came out Lenore Ryan.
Logan Brumley: She hadn't got much experience either but could potentially get in.
Logan Brumley: I also do have listed every Richard who again doesn't have much experience but was in the development academy as well.
Logan Brumley: Was a pretty big grab.
Logan Brumley: See.
Logan Brumley: But yeah, I think there's a lot of defensive players that they brought in through the freshman class.
Logan Brumley: That's really their deepest position and I think it's definitely going to be a lot of competition to see who can take over that final spot.
Logan Brumley: What else do I have?
Logan Brumley: Volleyball.
Logan Brumley: Here's the question with the Luabara.
Logan Brumley: I think there's an interesting battle between the income and transfer.
Logan Brumley: Jamie Kilpatrick, who has a thousand career digs and just 75 matches.
Logan Brumley: She's someone who has had like a fairy big history of NC State.
Logan Brumley: Her father played with the program.
Logan Brumley: Her name is Kate Kilpatrick.
Logan Brumley: She spent the last three seasons at Old Dominion and has been just dominant for the program so far.
Logan Brumley: So she could definitely come in and be number one.
Logan Brumley: But also shout out to Shujia Machisiewicz.
Logan Brumley: I think she could definitely have a shot too.
Logan Brumley: She's been there kind of like leading block producer, has been really good with Critten Diggs and has been there go to Libero for the previous season and I think we definitely get some look at that position.
Logan Brumley: So I think outside of that everything's kind of filled out.
Logan Brumley: I think we know who's going to be stepping up we know who's going to be taking steps back.
Logan Brumley: Looks like the transfer portal shut down so we kind of got our roster for the time being.
Logan Brumley: How about football?
Logan Brumley: Football had a big transfer class and while I didn't really mention much on the defense, I do know that they had a very linebacker heavy like linebacker and defensive like secondary heavy transfer portal and I think a lot of those transfers will get the opportunities to start day one essentially because just the defense was not that good last year.
Logan Brumley: I mean let's see I'm on our lads and it's all the linebackers are looking like transfers and then the Andre Evans and King Mac were really big grabs too.
Logan Brumley: So you know we'll see.
Logan Brumley: Let's see.
Logan Brumley: Got a lot of redshirt seniors and juniors such as Popo Aguirre, Dakari Nelson and Harvey Dyson who are listed.
Logan Brumley: Also have More importantly I think one that's going to be really fun to see is just a receiver core since a lot of it was lost in the portal.
Logan Brumley: There's still Kenan Jackson and Teddy Hoffman but they got a lot of receivers in the portal, especially in the slot where it looks like it's going to be either Victor Snow coming from Buffalo or Davion Dozier from App State.
Logan Brumley: There's also three notable incoming tight end prospects I have listed or yeah just prospects in general.
Logan Brumley: On the tight end Hunter Profiance who is like the biggest early graduate State coming out of Montana State, there's Van Der Plug who is another big grab from Oregon even though he's kind of a redshirt freshman and then 2025 recruit Douglas Preston.
Logan Brumley: So that's three tight ends where we don't really know where we're getting with them just yet.
Logan Brumley: So it's gonna be interesting.
Logan Brumley: Even though tight end wasn't really used too strongly outside of like Justin Jolly, I think it'll be interesting to see what comes well no, Cody Hardy got reps too even though he's not on the roster anymore.
Logan Brumley: I think he graduated.
Logan Brumley: Yeah but we will see also have one more just no new kickers.
Logan Brumley: Kanoa Finna set and Nick Konishewski are still on the roster so that's gonna be not fun.
Logan Brumley: Punter as well there's some new guys.
Logan Brumley: Christian Harthan was a recruit from this year's class and Jackson Waller is a transfer from Arkansas State.
Logan Brumley: I could see Waller getting a starting nod right off the bat and then maybe we will see some reps for Hartham.
Logan Brumley: But I guess I mean that one kind of feels pretty open and dry I'll finish with the men and women's basketball groups we have with the women's Samurai.
Logan Brumley: Jones left for the transfer portal.
Logan Brumley: I think Tilda Trigger did.
Logan Brumley: Lorena Awo.
Logan Brumley: Trying to remember who else did this.
Logan Brumley: Those are the big deaf and quickly.
Logan Brumley: But a lot of them have left in the transfer portal after a relatively disappointing season.
Logan Brumley: It looks like at the very least Kaden Samuels is coming back and so is Zoe Brooks.
Logan Brumley: But it looks like it's going to be a very big question on trying to build around Brooks and Pierre.
Logan Brumley: They're both listed as draft prospects this upcoming WNBA draft in 2027 and they got two big transfers who could fill spots in.
Logan Brumley: So looks like it's going to be Brooks and Samuels.
Logan Brumley: I could see Destiny Lennon, who is the sixth man on the roster, probably getting some more reps with Jones gone.
Logan Brumley: I could see those minutes maybe going to the Colorado transfer Desiree Wootton.
Logan Brumley: And then just another big question is that we just don't really have many bigs after Trigger left.
Logan Brumley: Camille Pierre is the only big we got and I think she plays more of a forward than like a true forward center type.
Logan Brumley: Get a sophomore transfer from Auburn, Katie Leigh, who could be.
Logan Brumley: She looks more like a stainless thing where she's trying to get minutes in and reps and this is her best opportunity to do so.
Logan Brumley: I think she's listed at like how tall is she?
Logan Brumley: She was listed as.
Logan Brumley: Sorry, I'm going to her bio real quick.
Logan Brumley: Six two forward.
Logan Brumley: She could definitely play.
Logan Brumley: We shoot him forward, push Pierre to power forward and try to find a center somehow, somewhere or maybe just rely on a small ball.
Logan Brumley: They did get two forwards from the recruiting class, Especially with Kimora Pruitt and what's your name?
Logan Brumley: Ainsui Trevette.
Logan Brumley: They're both in the top 100 at least.
Logan Brumley: But you know, a lot of big questions, you know, with replacing guys in men's soccer, how the offense is going to look like, you know, just how the team's going to look like in football wise head into this year.
Logan Brumley: There's the question with the men's basketball and just like who's going to hold the reins with Copeland most likely going to the NBA.
Logan Brumley: You got a bunch of transfers coming in with Preston Edmead, Christian Hammond, Darius Adams and Paul McNeil who are all kind of like shooting guard or combo guard prospects who don't have a lot of assists.
Logan Brumley: Edmead has 4.4, which would be the highest, but that's.
Logan Brumley: So we'll see how that works with how the new head coach Justin Gainey wants to do things.
Logan Brumley: Also kind of listed that they don't really have any wings and no big to pair with Alan Lubin.
Logan Brumley: There is some Michael Wilkins or Kyle Evans from UC Irvine, but they haven't really had many reps at all.
Logan Brumley: It's definitely going to be a challenge for them early in the season if either two gets started or substantial minutes.
Logan Brumley: And then I also have Kome Abubor from New Hampshire in Emil Yawaho from Texas Tech.
Logan Brumley: I'm sure I botched that name, but those guys are kind of listed as like shooting forwards or shooting guards who could fill in that wingspan to kind of give us some more wing depth.
Logan Brumley: But I think the team definitely got destroyed in the transfer portal.
Logan Brumley: And so we're just kind of get as many guys as we can into the team and then just trying to figure some sort of reliable rotation before the regular season starts because she's nine outgoing transfers, including like five of those guys who've had substantial minutes create an A transfers coming in with, you know, only a small number of them having substantial minutes.
Logan Brumley: So we'll see how that goes.
Logan Brumley: Just a lot of questions this summer and it could be a very make or break year for the program.
Logan Brumley: Just like in terms of taking the next step up or taking a step back, you know, could Westmore get his way back in?
Logan Brumley: Could instead the football team get another bowl game in?
Logan Brumley: Could the men's basketball team actually return into a more solid spot in the ncaa?
Logan Brumley: There's just a lot of questions and I think it's going to be fun to kind of go through with you guys during the summer just to kind of finish off, you know, happy retirement to Russell Wilson.
Logan Brumley: No all great player who you know, he was one of those dual athlete kind of players.
Logan Brumley: Second all time in passing touchdowns, fourth all time at passing yards.
Logan Brumley: One of those pioneer mobile quarterbacks too, which is really great to hear.
Logan Brumley: He did leave for Wisconsin, unfortunately.
Logan Brumley: Hopefully that's not where his college legacy lies then.
Logan Brumley: But even though it probably is, since I think he won the conference there, or at least he had a really great season.
Logan Brumley: Another piece of news, I'm sure you've heard about it.
Logan Brumley: NC State not playing their Brazil game.
Logan Brumley: They're playing it in Charlottesville, you know, and I was like, I'm sure.
Logan Brumley: I thought it was quite first.
Logan Brumley: But I also do not see the legitimacy of hosting these kind of events internationally since, you know, college, it's not like the pros or it's like the best in the world.
Logan Brumley: I think it's definitely a little bit more.
Logan Brumley: There's a lot less loyalty I think that a Brazilian or even any kind of like foreign person could have for a college team that even then when you haven't gone to the college, it's not something you can kind of align yourself with unless if it's like a deep familial thing.
Logan Brumley: Like for instance, I have only been to Charlotte like a few times in my life, but I still, you know, root for the Panthers, you know.
Logan Brumley: But I've been to NC State a lot and I wasn't a big NC State fan before I got here because I just didn't really associate too much with them and I think that was an issue that was going to come and I think it was just better to just for now at least stick it with the pros.
Logan Brumley: And lastly, I saw they got a big Wright State transfer in baseball.
Logan Brumley: Trying to figure out his name.
Logan Brumley: Hunter Warren.
Logan Brumley: This is the first transfer in Chris Hart's career.
Logan Brumley: See, he has two secrets of Altamodi remaining.
Logan Brumley: Alex.
Logan Brumley: So Guard who was a former NC State pitcher who has worked, let's see with I believe it's Wright State like he was.
Logan Brumley: Yeah, he is a coach for them and you know, led.
Logan Brumley: He was first team all Horizon at second base, which I think was a position that I was worried about pretty late in the year, especially since see who's going.
Logan Brumley: Sherman Johnson's most likely going and there's just a hole at second base that I think could definitely be filled by him.
Logan Brumley: All right, that's all I have today.
Logan Brumley: Next week since, you know, the Carolina Hurricanes are playing right now.
Logan Brumley: I think game three was yesterday.
Logan Brumley: I don't have the score off the top of my head, but I will be doing a deep dive episode into the Raleigh Ice Caps and how the Hurricanes came to North Carolina.
Logan Brumley: It's kind of just like a fun little episode to celebrate the history of hockey in North Carolina.
Logan Brumley: Anyways, hope you have a good one and go pack.