Kent Klyman to return to NC State Baseball in 2021

After the 2020 NCAA Baseball season was abruptly halted thanks to COVID-19, the NCAA granted all players an extra season of eligibility, while also extending 2021 rosters to accommodate 2020 seniors by not counting them against the 35-man limit. From there, it was a waiting game to find out if the 2020 seniors would return or not.

Today, we know the answer to that question.

Wolfpack left-handed reliever Kent Klyman announced today that he will return for the 2021 season. For his career, Klyman owns a 14-4 record with 8 saves over 77 appearances. Across 113.2 career innings, the big lefty owns a 2.53 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and has held hitters to a .214 batting average while totaling 114 strikeouts.

Tuesday’s press release also featured the news that Brad Debo, Lawson McArthur, and James Ferguson will not return to the team next season. The three players earned their degrees in May and will pursue other opportunities, although it is not clear if those opportunities include playing out their final year of collegiate eligibility elsewhere.

Debo burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2017, slashing a fantastic .335/.387/.493 while primarily filling in as the DH for the team. He was never quite able to harness that same level of productivity afterwards, but still posted a career .366 OBP and 39 2B over 159 career games.

McArthur was a lightly used backup across his career, although he did make 23 combined starts across 2019 and the abbreviated 2020 season. Ferguson never made an appearance in a game for the Wolfpack.

With the 12-man incoming freshman class now added to the mix, the 2021 NC State Baseball Roster currently sits at 38. Based on the expanded roster rules for the 2021 season, the roster will need to be trimmed down to 36 by the start of the regular season.