Heath Andrews posts career-best outing to lead No. 25 NC State to series win over No. 2 Clemson

After NC State returned from its cross-country trip at Cal last weekend, sophomore right-handed pitcher Heath Andrews spent hours combing through video of himself on the mound. Some of it was from the past when things were going well, and other clips were from his second straight rocky outing. 

Unlike the trip to the mound the weekend before, which featured seven earned runs in three runs to eventually lose to Louisville 25-8, NC State won in Andrews’ start at Cal. But it needed a comeback effort after he gave up six runs on seven hits. 

The first-year starter was determined to fix it with No. 2 Clemson awaiting in his next start. Andrews’ time spent watching himself was partly in effort to see what exactly was going awry to miss his spots. But it was also a way for him to prove that he can pitch well at this level. 

It seemed like his film sessions paid off in his biggest start of the season. 

Andrews set the tone with his best six innings of the year, allowing just two earned runs (both off homers) on six hits with one walk and a season-best nine strikeouts to pace the Wolfpack past the Tigers 8-3 on Friday night at Doak Field. 

The win not only allowed Andrews to pick up his first victory on the mound since April 5 against Virginia, but it also marked Clemson’s first weekend series loss of the year. NC State is now creeping up the ACC standings, leapfrogging its opponent to reach second place with 10 league games remaining. 

And Andrews’ stellar outing was key in setting the Wolfpack up to go for the series sweep on Saturday afternoon (1 p.m., ACCNX). 

The Fincastle, Va., native thrives on confidence, which was evident against Clemson. He was calm and collected throughout the entire outing, despite allowing two solo home runs in the second and sixth innings. Andrews generated swing-and miss with his slider, while his fastball blew past opposing batters in the mid-90s. 

That’ll do. 

“Confidence has always been a key thing for me,” Andrews said. “Just getting more and more confident is what I need to do.”

Andrews remained focused throughout his entire outing. He sat with his head down in between innings, trying to keep his same groove from the frame before. 

And when he did get in trouble with runners on second and third in both third and fourth inning, Andrews seemed to pitch as if there was nobody on the base paths. That led to a pair of strikeouts to escape the third with one more to end the fourth.

Sophomore catcher Alex Sosa, his roommate, didn’t see Andrews flinch during the critical game. Instead, it seemed as if it was just another day in the ballpark as he cruised through Clemson’s high-powered batting order. 

“He’s really focused on doing everything he can to pitch the best he can,” said Sosa, who hit a three-run blast to seal NC State’s win in the seventh. “Something clicked for him because he figured it out and he was hot.”

Andrews seemed to piece it all together through his video work. It’s what he leans on in times where his confidence might be lacking, but it’s also an opportunity for him to look for things to fix. While he posted a stellar start against one of the ACC’s top teams, Andrews was set to return back to his living quarters to watch more film with Sosa. 

It’s a routine after each start. And this time, the battery will be able to smile at the screen as they watch Andrews start to reach his potential as a starter in one of college baseball’s top leagues.