NC State's Cooper Consiglio compiles another elite appearance against No. 8 Wake Forest

It took some time for NC State freshman left-handed pitcher Cooper Consiglio to get completely comfortable with the college game. He appeared to feel out the college game early in the season. It was not all smooth sailing, including eight runs allowed in 2.1 innings of relief against UNC-Greensboro in mid-March. 

The Palm Harbor, Fla., native did not know what to expect early in his Wolfpack career, but he learned as he went. Soon after, Consiglio corrected what went wrong in his outings earlier this year, and it paid dividends. 

The more experience Consilgio compiled, the more effective he became on the rubber for the red and white. Now, in his last three relief appearances, Consiglio has been nearly unhittable with just one earned run on four hits and 15 strikeouts over 12.1 innings of work — all against top-10 ACC opponents.

Consiglio’s latest outing? Just 3.2 innings of one-hit relief with one walk and seven strikeouts to lead NC State to a 14-3 series opening win over No. 8 Wake Forest on Thursday night at Doak Field. 

While Consiglio appeared to mow down every Demon Deacon hitter he faced, he entered the game inheriting two runners in scoring position with one out, the Pack clinging to a one-run lead. But he was not rattled, nor was he unnerved to face Wake Forest third baseman Seaver King, a likely early-round pick in this summer’s MLB Draft. 

“I don’t find anyone intimidating,” Consiglio said. “I just like to think of it as another game.”

Consiglio sent King down swinging on four pitches, acting as if it was another day at the office. He did the same to Wake Forest second baseman Adam Tellier, allowing the Pack to escape the jam. After that, the first-year pitcher was able to rack up five more strikeouts to hold an electric Wake Forest lineup scoreless. 

His goal was not to strike out half of the batters he faced — though that’s what he did — but Consiglio was just trying to fire strikes to avoid any unnecessary base runners in the process. 

“Just throw it over the plate, make them earn it,” Consiglio said. “Just like to get it in there, let them hit it and let the defense work.”

Consiglio filled up the zone against the Demon Deacons, primarily hitting his spots with his fastball to keep the opposing hitters off balance. It was a similar approach that worked at No. 7 Florida State and No. 10 Virginia the last two weekends, and that was the goal Consiglio had in mind. 

“I’ve just taken one [appearance and] learned from it,” Consiglio said. “Learned what worked, learned what didn’t and just replicated it. Not do it better, but just do the same thing.”

If he did improve off each outing, instead of trying to replicate it, Consiglio would have to no-hit these top-10 squads. Thus, the same effort in each of his last three times on the mound has been exactly what NC State has needed to earn victories in that trio of contests. 

While Consiglio played most of his success off, freshman catcher and designated hitter Alex Sosa understood the importance of his fellow classmate’s abilities on the mound down the stretch.

“Cooper has that mentality, just like everybody on our team, he wants to win,” Sosa said. “He’s doing his thing now and we’re just feeding off that. It’s huge for us.”

NC State coach Elliott Avent, entering his 28th year at the helm of the Wolfpack, has seen Consiglio’s growth throughout the season. 

“As the season’s gone on, he understands who he is, how good he is,” Avent said, “and he’s pretty good out there.”

The Wolfpack bullpen has grown each week as the season has passed. NC State is relying on a group of primarily young relievers, and so far, they have risen to the occasion. Now, Consiglio set the tone as the red and white looks to take its fifth ranked series win of the spring.

But for the freshman relief pitcher, he has soaked in every moment of the year. His latest herculean effort left a smile on his face moments after fireworks danced in the Raleigh night sky following the Pack’s victory.

“It’s awesome,” Consiglio said. “I love getting out there having a lot of adrenaline. Just seeing everyone do what they do, helping us win games — that’s really all I could ask for.”