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A hot topic of discussion this college baseball postseason has revolved around NIL and the transfer portal, and the impact they’ve had on the current state of the sport.
NC State head coach Elliott Avent was heard giving his thoughts on the topic, providing insight into how his baseball program navigates the portal throughout the offseason.
Avent, whose Wolfpack club successfully advanced to the Super Regionals over the weekend, was asked about landing star infielder Alek Makarewicz last summer. The third baseman had previously suited up for instate rival East Carolina.
Over four seasons with the Pirates, Makarewicz hit .272 while appearing in more than 200 contests. In each of his last two campaigns, the righty smacked double digit home runs while knocking in 45+ RBIs.
After graduating, he opted to play his final season elsewhere. Elliott Avent met with Makarewicz, though he says he was hesitant at first. The coach didn’t want to step on the toes of a friend!
“I said Cliff – Godwin – if I like the guy, I’m gonna have to take him if he’s leaving. I hope you’ll understand & he said, ‘I do, and you’re gonna like him, he’s a great kid.’”
NC State’s Elliott Avent on Alek Makarewicz in the Transfer Portal#CollegeBaseball #Pack9 #PIRATES pic.twitter.com/cgUXYWpcho
— Noah Bieniek (@NoahB77_) June 4, 2024
“The transfer portal is something we’re all going to live with now, and it’s a tough thing, especially among programs that you’re close to… [ECU baseball coach] Cliff Godwin and I are very good friends.
“I called Cliff the day before I was gonna meet with Alek and told him, ‘I don’t want to take him. I don’t want to take a player from East Carolina… I’m not into that.’
“But he was going to leave. He was a grad guy… I said, ‘Cliff, if I like the guy, I’m gonna have to take him if he’s leaving. I hope you’ll understand,’ and he said, ‘I do, and you’re gonna like him, he’s a great kid.'”
ECU baseball coach’s saltiness resurfaces surrounding star that bolted for NC State.
Elliott Avent’s story suggests that there were no hard feelings after the transfer decision. After all, Makarewicz had given the Pirates four solid seasons, graduated, and had hoped to finish out the final stage of his career in the ACC.
Cliff Godwin’s initial response to that exit, though, seemed much saltier.
No one person will ever be bigger than our program!
GO PIRATES! 🏴☠️🏴☠️🏴☠️🤟🤟🤟— Cliff Godwin (@cgodwin23) July 17, 2023
That message was posted on the same day Alek Makarewicz announced his NC State baseball decision.
It didn’t seem there was anything Godwin could do to keep his star player, but he opted to take a jab rather than applaud his ECU career.
Unfortunately, that is life at the mid-major level following the introduction of the portal and NIL. Developing players, in many cases, will only result in a transfer to larger programs as smaller schools begin to mirror a P5 farm system.
Coastal Carolina head coach Gary Gilmore recently spoke on the topic, too, taking a moment in his final postgame press conference as a coach to blast the NCAA.
“There’s not a level playing field… It’s ridiculous. As much as I’m going to miss the kids, and I’ll miss the heck out of them, [I won’t miss] dealing with that mess.”
– Gary Gilmore, CCU Baseball
The Pirates certainly could’ve used Makarewicz, who’s hitting a career-high .379, this past weekend. Despite hosting a Regional as one of college baseball’s top 16 seeds, ECU was upended in surprise fashion by lowly seeded Evansville.
East Carolina’s season is now over, while Makarewicz and the Wolfpack gear up for a weekend series against Georgia.