The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/337646
132 ■ THE WOLFPACKER weeks later, the National Collegiate Base- ball Writers Association (NCBWA) named Knizner a first-team Freshman All-Ameri- can. Knizner is the first NC State freshman to earn both All-ACC honors and Fresh- man All-America ac- colades since Carlos Rodon and Turner did so in 2012. All in all, it was a fantasy season that came true for the former all-state per- former from Glen Al- len, Va. This summer, he is playing with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod League, the nation's most prestigious col- lege summer league, where he was third in the league in RBI (eight) and 16th in batting average (.298) through 12 games. "Third-team all-conference and being named All-ACC with [Rodon, Turner and Brett Austin] was pretty impressive, being a freshman and being named to that team," Knizner said prior to a Cape League dou- bleheader between the Gatemen and the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. "And then, first- team Freshman All-America, being named the best freshman at my position in the country, I couldn't ask for anything more." The seeds for Knizner's big freshman sea- son were planted during fall practice. Early on in drills and scrimmages, he showed that he belonged, that the game would not speed up on him at the college level. He more than held his own at his first taste of college pitching, even though that first taste came against the likes of Rodon and Logan Jerni- gan, big-time arms that ranked among the best in college baseball. In particular, Knizner remembers facing Rodon often in scrimmages and fighting off the urge just to ask for Rodon's autograph. "I didn't get too many hits off Rodon, I'll tell you that much," Knizner said with a laugh. "I'd been watching him for two years, ever since I committed, and fi- nally getting to face him, it was like fac- ing a superstar in my mind. That was pretty cool, and facing guys like that in practice made it easier to hit in games. You don't see much better than Rodon and Jernigan. Their stuff is unbeliev- able, the two best in the country in my opin- ion. Facing them definitely made me better." Knizner's other big adjustment in the fall was changing positions. An all-state short- stop in high school, he got to Raleigh only to find a two-time All-American in Turner standing in his way. So much for playing shortstop. Instead, he slid about 40 feet to his right and became a third baseman. He looked so at home there, in fact, that no one would have guessed that he was new to the position. "I came in thinking maybe I'll compete with Trea at shortstop and quickly realized that I was going to have to slide over to third base," Knizner said. "And that wasn't as bad an adjustment as I thought. Still being on the left side of the infield helped. The ball comes off the bat the same way, so it was a pretty smooth transition. You have less reac- tion time at third and range isn't as much a factor. The ball gets on you quick. That's why it's the hot corner." The 2014 season was a disappointment for NC State, given the high expectations coming off of the 2013 College World Series appearance. In the end, a handful of one-run games — the finale at Florida State, the first two Miami games, the finale at Duke and the series opener versus Georgia Tech — all went against the Wolfpack, as did two-run losses to Duke and Boston College (twice). Turn half those losses around and the season would look far different. For Knizner, how- ever, his first year of college baseball was something he'll always remember fondly. "A bunch of games, the ball didn't bounce our way," Knizner said. "That's baseball. I think the guys we have returning were able to take that and use it as a building experi- ence and mature as a team. My overall expe- rience was great and I really enjoyed playing for Coach [Elliott] Avent and the coaching staff. I really enjoyed the fans at NC State. "It was everything I could have hoped for or dreamed about, being a freshman and playing in the ACC." ■ The Best Of The Rest 1. Jackie Stengel, Women's Soccer — She was selected to the ACC All-Freshman Team and named third- team All-ACC after scoring a team-high nine goals in her debut season. Stengel, one of just three freshmen to earn all-conference honors, was selected for the U20 United States National Team in the offseason. 2. Pete Renda, Wrestling — Renda was rated as the No. 2 rookie nationally at 174 pounds by Amateur Wrestling News after going 27-11 in his debut season and qualifying for the NCAA Championships. His wins total is the third most ever for a Wolfpack freshman wrestler. 3. Monty Nelson, Football — Nelson was the only true freshman to start a game on the defensive line last year, doing so five times en route to posting 32 tackles. He notched 8.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage, which ranked third on the team and was named a second-team Freshman All-American by Athlon. 4. Andreas Schiellerup, Men's Swimming — One of the top swimmers in his native Denmark, Schiel - lerup made a quick impact at NCSU. He was part of the 400 freestyle relay team that earned first-team All-America accolades at the NCAA Championships, plus the 200 and 400 medley relays that received honorable mention All-America honors. He also set a new school record in the 100 backstroke and was All-ACC in that event. 5. Anthony Barber, Men's Basketball — The point guard started 18 of the team's 36 games and finished third on the squad with a scoring average of 8.5 points per game. Barber also was second on the team with 126 assists. — Matt Carter Knizner earned third-team All-ACC accolades and was named a first-team Freshman All-Ameri- can by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP "It was everything I could have hoped for or dreamed about, being a freshman and playing in the ACC." ■ Knizner 130-132.Rookie of the Year.indd 132 6/27/14 8:25 AM