Avent Offers Thoughts On First NC State Loss of 2026

RALEIGH — For NC State head coach Elliott Avent, the doubleheader against Princeton on Saturday included positives and negatives, as the Wolfpack throttled the Tigers 16-1 in the first leg and went quiet at the plate and lost 1-0 in the second. The early-season adversity faced in that loss should help the Pack 9 develop as a group.

Avent wasn't pleased with the hitting in the second game, but the pitching his team did in both games was very promising for the future. A very strong outing for right-handed pitcher Jacob Dudan helped the Wolfpack secure the win in the first game, while Cooper Consiglio had one of his best performances despite earning the loss.

Avent's thoughts on the doubleheader

Another milestone for 9.

Congrats to @Elliott_Avent on reaching the 1,300 career wins mark! pic.twitter.com/CFq7C9IOZ5
— NC State Baseball (@NCStateBaseball) February 21, 2026

Avent got the1,300th win of his incredible career with the opening win over the doubleheader, reaching another major milestone in the early part of the 2026 season. Even with the accomplishment, Avent remained focused on his team in the moment, reviewing what went down in the two games when he met with the media after the loss.

"Obviously, a loss is not something that you want to be talking about," Avent said. "Those two guys from Princeton were outstanding. I thought they pounded the zone... And kept us off balance. We're going to see that again. We've got to learn how to attack that a little better and figure out ways to score."

Jacob Dudan throws a pitch. | Courtesy of NC State Athletics

The veteran coach knows early-season results like Saturday's can only help a team develop in the long run. His team hadn't been challenged by pitching as strong as Princeton's in the second game of the doubleheader, so there will be much to break down ahead of the team's five-game week that begins on Tuesday.

"If we can learn from this and figure out ways for the guys," Avent said. "We're going to face some good pitchers with our conference schedule and non-conference schedule. ... You've got to find ways to execute and get men on base. More positives today than negatives. The negative is that we lost the game. The positives are we played hard, right there at the end."

Jun 15, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; NC State Wolfpack head coach Elliott Avent talks with an official during the seventh inning against the Kentucky Wildcats at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

While the loss on paper is disappointing, it might be what the Wolfpack needed. That feeling of invincibility is gone, with an Ivy League team coming into Raleigh and snatching a win from the Wolfpack on its homefield. As Avent said, it's about learning.

"You have the ability to learn a lot more from losses than players today ever learn from wins," Avent said. "If we learn from this and we figure out ways to come out on the other side when days like that second game are happening, then it'll be a value down the road. That's what you hope happens when you get a loss like that."

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