Wolfpack Skid Reaches Seven, But Avent Sees Path Forward

RALEIGH — The nature of baseball is different than other sports. The ups and downs can be over longer periods and limited opportunities for each player can make slumps snowball. NC State finds itself in the midst of its worst stretch since 2009, with Tuesday's loss to Liberty being the seventh in a row for the Wolfpack.

Elliott Avent, now in his 30th season at the helm of the program, walked into a hallway after the loss after addressing the team about the loss. Even at age 69, the fire is as strong as ever for the veteran coach. While his discussion with the team was far different than the answers he shared with reporters, as evidenced by his hoarse voice, the skipper hasn't given up on the 2026 season yet.

Tough assignments

The ACC has proven to be one of the more competitive leagues in the country through the first two months of the 2026 season. NC State looked like it would be among the conference's elite, but back-to-back difficult road trips challenged that notion greatly. That, more than anything else, seems to be causing the most concern for Avent.

"I find everybody plays well, but you've got to win," Avent said. "That's the problem right now. Go to Florida State on the road, then you've got to go to Georgia Tech, so that's a tough assignment. We played great in four of the six games, but we only got one win and that's what happens against good teams in this league."

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— NC State Baseball (@NCStateBaseball) March 29, 2026

NC State hasn't scored more than five runs in a game since the series-opening victory over Florida State. Coincidentally, that was the team's last win. Avent often speaks about the importance of confidence and playing baseball to learn it. The growing pains for this version of the Wolfpack are real, but the veteran coach isn't convinced this is what the team truly is.

"We've just got to keep getting better," he said. "We've got to keep pushing and pushing and pushing and fighting to get better. That's the only thing we can focus on. We've got good players. They're good kids, but they've got to learn how to fight and we've got to keep getting better."

Avent expected a learning curve with this group. The roster came together as a mix of talented transfers across all different levels of college baseball and returners looking for another shot at glory in Raleigh. There have been flashes of greatness, but things haven't totally clicked consistently. That lack of connection is forcing Avent and his staff to tinker with things frequently. NC State has used 20 different lineups, but the returns aren't huge.

"I can't figure it out. That's why we keep changing," the coach said. "Maybe we've got to go with a set lineup... I'd do that if guys would do some things to make changes with their game and I hope we can get that done."

The skipper believes a major part of the skid is mental. Baseball can be a fickle game that eats at players even more when they're slumping. The ball can look like a beachball for a week and then turn into a ping-pong ball for a month. It's that point that NC State finds itself grappling with over the last two weeks.

"When you win, it's easier to win. When you lose, it's easier to lose," Avent said. "It eats at you... If you go to Vegas and you're on a winning streak, you feel like you hit seven every time you roll the dice. If you're losing, you roll those dice, just praying and you come up Snake Eyes. We have got to get through that. It's just a mental thing that you've got to get through in sports."