Wilmington’s Wil Baumann named national punter of the week for college football

RALEIGH, NC (WWAY) — Wilmington’s Wil Baumann has been named the national punter of the week for his performance on the field over the weekend in Raleigh for NC State. We caught up with Baumann after the game in order to get his thoughts on his impressive performance. Plus, the former Hoggard Viking provided insight on this weekend’s encounter in Raleigh between undefeated NC State and defending national champion Florida State.

Click the play video icon to see our Wil Baumann in action against Presbyterian or to see our interview with Baumann.

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RALEIGH, NC (NC STATE) — The Augusta Sports Council and the Ray Guy Award are proud to announce Will Baumann of NC State as the Ray Guy Award Player of the Week.

Baumann had a total of four punts and 221 yards in the home win against Presbyterian College. He averaged 55.25 yards per punt with three marked inside the 20-yard line and 1 touchback. His net average per punt was 50.2 yards. Three of Baumann’s four punts went for 50+ yards with a long punt of 67 yards.

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WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Follow our sports on Twitter at @WWAYSports

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RALEIGH, NC (NC STATE) — Being a four-year starter in college football is not something many have the distinction of claiming, but senior punter Wil Baumann is among the elite crowd. Since stepping on campus as a freshman in 2011, he has had the privilege of being the starting punter for NC State.

The Wilmington, N.C., native was one of only six true freshmen to start at the punter position among schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) ranks. Baumann still recalls the first punt of his collegiate career which was a 50-yarder downed inside the 20 yard line in the 2011 season opener against Liberty.

“I was just trying to make sure it went down the field,” Baumann said in reference to the first punt of his career. “I remember it perfectly in my head. I caught it with my arms shaking and I felt it hit my foot and I was wondering if I shanked it or if it went down the field. I saw it go up in the air and it didn’t turn over and went about 40 yards in the air, so I said that was pretty good for my first one.”

Baumann was a soccer player throughout most of his life and didn’t start punting until middle school. He was a standout defender with a big leg in soccer and one day his dad told him to try punting. It turned out to be a good decision as he quickly worked his way to being one of the top punters.

At John T. Hoggard High School, he perfected his craft and was the third-best punter in his graduating class, according to Scout.com. He averaged 44.8 yards per punt and garnered AP All-State honors.

He was the starting punter as a freshman on the varsity football team at Hoggard and handled both the punting and kicking responsibilities as a sophomore. It wasn’t until his junior and senior years that he decided to focus on punting, following an injury that affected him more in kicking than in punting.

“I was starting to develop more as a punter during my last two seasons of high school and I knew I would have more opportunities as a punter, so I decided to concentrate on it,” Baumann added.

Once the recruiting process began, NC State quickly emerged as the favorite to land the 6’6″ prospect due to the close proximity to home. According to Google Maps, the trip from Wilmington to Raleigh is only about two and a half hours which was perfect for Baumann.

“My family is really important to me, so to have them within a couple hours’ drive to see me play was important,” said Baumann. “I go home a lot during the summer, and to have the option to go back home pretty much when I want to is nice.”

Other aspects of the program that stood out to Baumann were NC State’s academic reputation, the football facilities, the passionate Wolfpack fan base and the opportunity to start right away. He had conversations with the coaching staff about the potential to start immediately, but knew that he would have to earn the position once camp started.

Baumann says he has always taken pride in the amount of hours that he’s put into mastering his craft and working as hard as he can. He remembers being a little raw as a freshman, but his work ethic helped reassure the coaching staff that he should be the starter and as the season went on his confidence increased.

Joining Baumann as members of the NC State special teams unit were two other true freshmen, kicker Niklas Sade and long snapper Scott Thompson. The trio formed an inseparable bond and still spend countless hours together.

“I’m very fortunate to have come in with these guys and had the close bond that we have,” Baumann explained. “Living under the same roof most of the time we’ve been here has given us a bond that most people haven’t had a chance to experience. We’re teammates and we’re all in the same circle when we’re on the field. Everything we do is together and I think that’s something pretty special.”

In addition to just spending several hours together on the fields at practice, Baumann serves as the holder on field goals which brought the group even closer. Holding was something he attempted a few times in high school unsuccessfully, but he decided to give it another shot in college. He says it wasn’t difficult, but was something that really took some getting used to and muscle memory.

In Baumann’s three years of college, he has booted 206 punts which ranks third in the Wolfpack record books for career punts. Austin Herbert owns the program record with 226 career punts, but Baumann could match that total and potentially pass it in 2014. He is also listed among the top 10 in NC State history for most punts in a season, career punting yards and punting average for a single season.

Earlier this year, he was one of 25 punters to be named to the Ray Guy Award Watch List which recognizes the top punter in college football.

“It’s nice to be selected to the list, but it doesn’t mean too much now because it’s just a preseason watch list,” Baumann said. “The goal is to win that award and prove to everyone that I deserved to be on that list among the nation’s best punters.”

Last season, Baumann helped the Wolfpack post the third-best net punting average in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with 38.2 yards per punt. The statistic computes the distance of the punt subtracted by the yards in the return.

In 2013, he had a punt downed inside the 20 yard line in every contest of the season, including a season-high three on two occasions. He booted a 66-yard punt against Maryland in the season finale to set a new career long.
Over the summer, Baumann has spent a great deal of time in the weight room to put himself in the best physical condition to achieve his goals. As a special teams unit, he wants the group to have the highest net punting average after finishing just two spots shy of the feat in 2013. Individually, he wants to be more consistent by limiting his touchbacks and have more punts downed inside the 20 yard line.

The Wolfpack senior says that his previous three years as the starting punter will be really beneficial for him in his final season with NC State.

“I didn’t think about it much then, but thinking about it now it’s pretty awesome to have started as a freshman,” Baumann added. “I think I have the opportunity my senior year to be the most mentally sound I’ve ever been because I know most situations now and I can walk through them in my head. So, I’m very prepared for my last season.”

The Wolfpack senior remains a little undecided on what he wants to do after earning his degree in sport management, but knows he wants to do something in sports ministry. In the spring, Baumann will be working with Athletes in Action and hopes his future career will be clearer after the experience.

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Click the play video icon to see our Wil Baumann in action against Presbyterian or to see our interview with Baumann.

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WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Follow our sports on Twitter at @WWAYSports

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WILMINGTON, NC (UNCW) — Fresh off entering the national rankings, UNCW will host Duke on Tuesday at 7 p.m., at the UNCW Soccer Stadium.

The Seahawks carry a 5-1-1 mark and a three-game winning streak into Tuesday’s key non-conference match with the Blue Devils. Duke, meanwhile, stands at 3-2-1 and knocked off previously top-ranked UNC Chapel Hill last week.

UNCW is ranked 26th by College Soccer News in its rankings released on Monday. The Seahawks were ranked in 2013 after the first week of the season when they won the Wolstein Soccer Classic at Ohio State.

UNCW is receiving votes in Top Drawer Soccer’s top-25 and the NSCAA will release its regional and national rankings on Tuesday.

Senior midfielder Jamie Dell, who was named Colonial Athletic Association Player-of-the-Week for a second time this season, scored twice, including the game-winner, in UNCW’s 2-1 overtime victory at Old Dominion on Saturday. Dell has been a thorn in Duke’s side, scoring the game-winner in each of the last two editions of the series. Dell was recognized by College Soccer News on its team-of-the-week for his efforts against ODU.

Tuesday night, UNCW will honor Hispanic Heritage Month by recognizing those of Hispanic descent prior to the game.

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DAUFUSKIE ISLAND, SC (UNCW) — Freshman Thomas Eldridge continued his steady play as he carded a second straight one-over-par 73 in the second round and is tied for 10th at the Rees Jones Intercollegiate on Monday at the Haig Point Golf Club.

The Seahawks improved their standing by one spot and is seventh after two rounds.

UNCW sophomore Thomas Lilly, who is competing as an independent, is tied for 18th at five-over-par.

East Carolina grabbed the lead on the teamboard after carding a two-over 290 in the second round. The Pirates turned a one-stroke deficit to Kennesaw State in to a two-stroke leader after two rounds.
ECU’s Al Dickens holds the 36-hole lead by three strokes over Winthrop’s Zach Seabolt.

UNCW results: T10. Thomas Eldridge 73-73=146; T18. Ross Robison 76-73=149; T36. David Kostyal 77-76=153; T46. Preston Harrington 80-78=158; T51. Pat Cover 81-78=159

UNCW Individuals: T18. Thomas Lilly 74-75=149; T31. Grant Houser 75-76=151; T55. Trey Guy 78-82=160; 61. Jens Geweke 87-81=168

Team Results: 1. East Carolina 286-290=576; 2. Kennesaw State 285-293=578; 3. Winthrop 295-291=586; 4. Charleston Southern 293-296=589; 5. Campbell 296-296=592; 6. Elon 299-302=601; 7. UNCW 306-300=606; 8. Presbyterian 305-302=607; 9. USC Upstate 307-304=611; 10. Towson 315-301=616; 11. Bowling Green 310-313=623

Individual Leaderboard: 1. Al Dickens (ECU) 64-72=136; 2. Zach Seabolt (WIN) 67-72=139; 3. Wesley Conover (ECU) 73-68=141; 4. Jimmy Beck (KSU) 72-71=143; T5. Chris Guglielmo (KSU) 76-68=144; T5. Teremoana Beaucousin (KSU) 67-77=144; T7. Ryan Cornfield (USC) 72-73=145; T7. Carlos Segura Oliva (KSU) 73-72=145; T7. Jarrett Swan (CSU) 73-72=145

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MONDAY HIGH SCHOOL SCOREBOARD

GIRLS TENNIS
HOGGARD 5 – TOPSAIL 4
VIKINGS IMPROVE TO 8-4 OVERALL, 7-1 IN LEAGUE PLAY

VOLLEYBALL
FAIRMONT 3 – WEST BLADEN 0

BOYS SOCCER
EAST COLUMBUS 3 – RED SPRINGS 2
UNION 3 – PENDER 2 IN OT
NEW BERN 3 – ASHLEY 2
DIXON 2 – CROATAN 2 IN OT
SW ONSLOW 4 – NORTH BRUNSWICK 0
WALLACE-ROSE HILL 6 – EAST BLADEN 0
MIDWAY 4 – TRASK 0
CLINTON 9 – WEST BLADEN 0
CONNOR BASS SCORED 3 GOALS FOR CLINTON

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