July 22, 2005

BY TIM PEELER

RALEIGH - Even though there is still a month to go before he has to make a final decision, NC State first-team All-ACC first baseman Aaron Bates says in all likelihood he will return to Raleigh to play for the Wolfpack for his junior season and re-enter the Major League Baseball draft next year.

"I am 99 percent certain I will be back," said Bates, who was an eighth-round pick of the Florida Marlins in June's amateur baseball draft. "I am actually quite excited about coming back, because I think we will have a pretty good team."

Bates, in his first year with the Wolfpack after transferring from San Jose State, was the Pack's top offensive producer in the spring. The sophomore first baseman had a batting average of .425, a slugging percentage of .678, 12 home runs and 64 RBIs in 58 games.

"They offered me a fair deal for the eighth round, but I was looking for something a little more than eighth-round money," Bates said. "From talking between Coach [Elliott] Avent, my family advisor and myself, that's what I felt I was worth.

"The Marlins weren't mad or anything like that, we just couldn't reach an agreement. They said they were done with talks in June, and that is where we are right now. I don't anticipate them coming back and talking again. They might, but I don't think they will."

Bates, chosen as a third-team All-America by both Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America, was one of three Wolfpack underclassmen drafted in June draft. Closer Joey Devine was taken in the first round by the Atlanta Braves and catcher Jake Muyco was taken by the Chicago Cubs a few picks after Bates in the eighth round. Both Devine and Muyco signed quickly with their respective clubs.

Bates has spent his summer playing for the Brewster (MA) Whitecaps of the wooden-bat Cape Cod Baseball League, where he has been on a tear of late. He had two more hits Thursday night, raising his batting average to .288, which is the second highest on his team. He has two home runs and nine RBIs in a league that is notoriously hard for batters. (Nine of the 10 teams in the league have overall batting averages under .250.)

"If you can hit .250 in the Cape, you have had a pretty good summer," said Avent, who calls Bates the best hitter he has ever coached.

Bates, who played catcher in high school and at San Jose, has played most of his games at first base for the Wolfpack, but he has also done some catching in anticipation of spending some time behind the plate next spring, to help fill the void of Muyco's early departure.

"I think I can catch 10 or 12 games (for NC State)," Bates said. "I definitely want to get behind the plate and show that I can catch. I think that makes me more attractive for next year's draft. It will show my versatility and show that I am a good athlete.

Bates expects to return to Raleigh when the league completes play on August 7, after a brief detour to California to see his family.

Bates isn't the only Wolfpack player who has performed well on the Cape. Rising junior pitcher Gib Hobson has been dominant in his recent outings with the Bourne (MA) Braves. On July 19, he threw eight scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out 10. He is now 4-1 for the summer, with an ERA of 2.09, 44 strikeouts and only four walks in 38 2/3 innings.

Rising senior Matt Camp has a .277 batting average as of Thursday night, with one home run and eight RBIs in his 28 games with the Orleans (MA) Cardinals.

You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.