It’s no secret NC State baseball needed a serious re-up following its early exit in the Auburn regional to end the 2025 season. Head coach Elliott Avent returns for a milestone of what will be his 30th season coaching NC State baseball. 83, Mikey made PerfectGame USA’s Top-100 sophomores list along with other decorated NC State sophomores Anderson Nance (No. 84 best college prospect for the 2026 MLB Draft by D1Baseball alongside other highly regarded NC State players Jacob Dudan and Ryan Mahron, ranked Nos. Another player Avent referred to as “extremely impressive,” Johnson appeared in the 2025 JUCO World Series and was named the Most Outstanding Defensive Player at the World Series.