NC State starter Sam Highfill impresses in Raleigh Regional debut by pushing through

As NC State coach Elliott Avent walked across the street from Doak Field to the J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center, where the postgame press conference was set up following his team’s Raleigh Regional opening win over Bryant, he asked starting right-hander Sam Highfill how he felt at the end of his outing. 

Highfill, the Pack’s graduate ace, battled a lower back injury during the 2022 season and it has reemerged at times ever since. Avent wanted to check in on his workhorse, who helped guide the red and white to the 9-2 win, not knowing what to expect. 

The answer might have been surprising to those that saw his line: six innings with two earned runs on four hits, two walks and four strikeouts.

“Coach,” Highfill said, “I didn’t feel great the entire game.”

Though he labored through the start, Highfill did what he has done through his entire five-year career in Raleigh — he pushed through. 

“He just battled,” Avent said. “That’s what Sam does, and you’d never know it. He never shows it. He’d be a bad guy to play poker with.”

It has been a winding road for Highfill, who has a long list of experience at the collegiate level, including starting several regionals, super regionals and was a key cog in the 2021 College World Series run. But this time was different. 

Instead of making a start in a stadium foreign to the Wolfpack, Highfill toed the rubber on the same dirt he had for his entire career with NC State. The Raleigh Regional marked the first home postseason game since 2018, thus making it Highfill’s first time pitching in pursuit of a national title in front of his home crowd. 

The Apex, N.C., native admitted he didn’t know what to expect in a pregame press conference, but he quickly got to experience what those before him have in front of a sold-out stadium in the City of Oaks.

“The environment tonight was incredible, the best I’ve seen in five years,” Highfill said with a grin. “Rightfully so, this team deserves it. Our fans have had our back all year, but tonight it was incredible.”

Although it was Highfill’s first time on this stage in his familiar ballpark, he tried to treat it the same as any other outing. That, a year ago, was tough to do as he returned from injury. But as he works through it, Highfill has grown from the experience. 

That paid off against Bryant. 

“It’s tough. I struggled with that last year, especially when I was really struggling midseason,” Highfill said. “It’s hard to stick to your process. But I worked through it, talked to people. You have to try to have as much confidence as you can. I think my experience the last few years helped me this week make it no bigger of a game than any other game.”

His confidence never seemed to waver after the Bulldogs seemed to find early success off his fastball, which tends to have vertical movement — mostly inducing fly balls off the bat. 

Highfill gave up a leadoff walk, but he got out of the first with a pair of strikeouts. He conceded a one-out homer in the second, but quickly rebounded with two quick outs yet again. After that, he faced the minimum for the next three innings as he settled in. 

The Pack starter cruised into the seventh inning before giving up back-to-back doubles. Though that marked the end of his time on the bump in the game — and it could have been his last outing at The Doak if the Pack has to travel to No. 7 Georgia next weekend for a possible super regional — Highfill tried to relish it as much as he could. 

“I was trying to enjoy it,” Highfill said. “I had just given up back-to-back doubles and I was a little pissed off at myself. I was trying to soak it all in. Hopefully it’s not the last time here, but some of that’s in our hands and some of it isn’t. But you just look up [walking off the mound] and it’s pretty cool.”

While Highfill may not have been pleased with his last two batters he faced, he did enough to give the Wolfpack a prime opportunity to start the weekend on the right foot. And the team did just that. 

For Avent, who has been at the helm of the Wolfpack for 28 seasons, Highfill has been as effective of a pitcher as he has seen come through the program. 

“I’m really happy for Sam,” Avent said. “He’s given so much to our program. … But what Sam Highfill — as many great pitchers have given here — just has given a career of competing at a high level. … It was neat to see Sam. There’s nobody else I’d rather see out there on a night like tonight.”

Now, as Highfill looked back on all he had pushed through to get to this moment, it seemed to make his regional outing feel that much sweeter. After all, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever get to experience a Raleigh Regional. 

Now he has. And the Pack is in the driver’s seat, ready to square off with South Carolina in the winner’s bracket Saturday evening.

“It’s been a little bit of a rollercoaster the past few years, but this one feels good,” Highfill said. “It’s always good to be 1-0 in a regional.”