How Weather Affected NC State's Preparation Before Opening Day

RALEIGH — College baseball is back across the country, with most programs getting back into the swing of things throughout the weekend. NC State gets its 30th season under coach Elliott Avent started at the Puerto Rico Baseball Challenge, starting on Friday with a matchup against Washington. No one is more ready than Avent for the coming year, but there are some caveats to that excitement.

A surge of winter weather over the last month in North Carolina made the thought of playing baseball seem very distant, but the Wolfpack still found ways to prepare for the rapidly approaching season. Still, with many new pieces in the mix and high expectations to meet, there are obviously some concerns with the preparation level after limited opportunities to scrimmage.

What Avent said

Jun 18, 2013; Omaha, NE, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach Elliott Avent (9) against the UCLA Bruins during the College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images | Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

Raleigh wasn't spared from the winter weather that swept through the majority of the United States, although things weren't as bad in the City of Oaks as they were elsewhere. Still, with snow on the ground, there wasn't much baseball to be played for Avent's Wolfpack with just a few weeks left before the start of the 2026 season.

"It's been really tough... I think it's the second scrimmage we've had this year (on Feb. 6). I felt like it was the first because I can't even remember the first one," Avent said. "... At this time (last year), we had probably had seven or eight scrimmages of some sort... The way you learn to play any sport is by playing the game."

Snow never bothered us anyways. pic.twitter.com/8CCUGZTQXw
— NC State Baseball (@NCStateBaseball) January 27, 2026

Part of the limited scrimmage opportunities came out of an abundance of caution, something Avent firmly believes in during the offseason. He said the team played the Friday scrimmage through the cold weather, but wouldn't do much practice the following day to avoid the the adverse conditions coming back, which could cause injuries. Still, the lack of real reps seemed to concern Avent.

"Practice is one thing. Playing the game is totally different and that's what we've missed," Avent said. "That's the thing that scares us all right now. We haven't played the game. We haven't scrimmaged enough... We want them healthy."

The weather won't be a problem in the first three games of the season for the Wolfpack. Temperatures are predicted to be in the low 80s across Puerto Rico for the weekend, with NC State set for its three games against top-level competition at that event. Avent will quickly learn how prepared his team is for the coming campaign.

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