NC State CF Eli Serrano III finds success in leadoff spot as Pack enters Super Regionals

ATHENS, Ga. — At just past the midway point of the season, NC State coach Elliott Avent was in search of a leadoff hitter. The Wolfpack used four different players in that spot, finding some success, but NC State was looking for consistency in that spot. 

Graduate outfielder Noah Soles hit leadoff for the first 15 games before junior outfielder Josh Hogue was inserted there for a stretch of five games. After a short second stint for Soles due to an ankle injury, junior shortstop Brandon Butterworth and freshman utility player Luke Nixon both traded turns there. 

But it wasn’t until Avent turned to sophomore center fielder Eli Serrano III where he found the consistent production that he was looking for. Serrano hit leadoff against Wake Forest last season — he went 0-for-5 with a walk and a strikeout in the game — so there was some experience, but it was not a large sample size. 

Though the 6-foot-5 outfielder had been in that role before, he didn’t appear to be the go-to hitter in that spot at first. Serrano began the year hitting .265 with four doubles, five homers, 18 walks, 21 strikeouts, 24 RBI and 25 runs scored through the first 34 games between the second and sixth spots in the order. 

Serrano’s ability to adapt to his new spot in the order has been pivotal in the Wolfpack’s run through the backend of the season, especially as NC State is in the Athens Super Regional this weekend at No. 7 Georgia. 

The change of scenery in the batting order seemed to pay dividends for Serrano and the Wolfpack. In the 22 games he’s been NC State’s first batter of the game, Serrano is hitting .319 with two home runs, three doubles, 12 strikeouts, 13 walks and 27 runs scored. He also had a 13-game hitting streak from May 3 at Florida State until June 1 against South Carolina.

“It just gets your mind off things,” Serrano said of hitting at the top of the lineup. “You’re just going up there looking for, honestly, the first pitch. You know what it’s going to be — they’re going to try to beat you with a fastball on the first pitch of the game. That makes it easier and you go from there.”

While it has been a successful move for Serrano, Avent noted that is not always the case. The 28th-year coach has seen a lot in his time at the top step for the Wolfpack, but Serrano has not been affected by his new slot in the lineup. 

It actually seemed to help. 

“Obviously, it didn’t bother Eli,” Avent said. “He’s been very good there. More than anything else, wherever he’d be hitting, he’s played well in the second half of the season.”

As Serrano has been able to make positive strides in the leadoff spot, he usually is not on first for long. The Wolfpack’s power hitters — graduate first baseman Garrett Pennington and graduate third baseman Alec Makarewicz — are right behind him, ready to drive NC State’s tallest position player in. 

For Makarewicz, who leads the team with 76 RBI this spring, watching Serrano find consistent swings just two spots ahead of him has been a joy to watch.

“It’s good to see for him,” Makarewicz said. “He hasn’t been frustrated with the start that he had, but now he’s feeling it and he’s trusting it. It’s good to see him having some success for us.”

As NC State prepares to square off with Georgia, the Bulldogs’ hitter-friendly park may be an advantage for Serrano and the rest of the Wolfpack’s left-handed batters. Foley Field, the site of the Super Regional round, has a short porch in right at just 314 feet. 

Many of the Wolfpack’s hitters had a field day with that fence during their practice Friday afternoon in the Georgia heat, and the ball appeared to carry to all fields. 

Serrano’s eyes lit up when he began to talk about the outfield fence on his pull side. 

“It flies, that’s for sure,” Serrano said. “You hit the ball in the air and it kind of goes. It’s fun, though. It’s kind of like a home run derby. It’ll be a good time.”

While Avent downplayed the short field to right, it is still an opportunity for the Wolfpack to try to match the Bulldogs’ ability to leave the yard in a hurry. Georgia is third in the country with 145 homers as a team, while NC State’s bats have clubbed 89 this season. 

It likely will not be the entire game plan for either team, but NC State’s left-handed hitting order will have an opportunity to feast on Georgia’s field. Serrano, a lefty that gets things going for the Wolfpack lineup, will be the first to have a crack at it on Saturday afternoon in game one of the three-game series. 

But in the meantime, Serrano appeared to be appreciative of his opportunity to leadoff — setting the tone for the rest of the Wolfpack batters. 

“[Avent has] trusted me in that leadoff spot,” Serrano said, “and I’ve kind of rolled with it.”

That Serrano has. Now, it will be his job to get the Wolfpack’s offense off to a hot start with the team’s second trip to the Men’s College World Series in the last four years on the line this weekend against the Bulldogs.