For nearly half a century N.C. State baseball has been on the outside looking in during the College World Series. This season the 2013 squad wrote its own history, clinching its ticket to Omaha for the first time since 1968.
That 1968 team has been on the players’ minds a lot in recent days.
Before the team’s Super Regional-clinching game against Rice, each player had “1968” and a message taped to their locker, and the code to enter the locker room was “1968.”
Led by former head coach Sammy Esposito, the last Wolfpack team to play in Omaha went 25-9 and finished first in the conference. Current head coach Elliott Avent’s 2013 Super Regional championship squad finished the season with a 49-14 record, defeating Rice twice to advance to Omaha.
According to former pitcher and ‘68 team member Alex Cheek, there are many similarities between the two teams—most notably strong pitching, speed and team defense.
Cheek said the ‘68 team mainly relied on only three pitchers, but he singled out freshman lefthander Mike Caldwell as playing a particularly significant role in the team’s pitching success.
“He [Caldwell] really asserted himself early,” Cheek said. “And, of course, this team has Carlos [Rodon], so you had two pretty dominant left-handed pitchers.”
Caldwell got the start against Florida State in the eventual Regional-clinching 4-1 victory that sent the Pack to Omaha.
“Mike and Carlos have two completely different styles, but they both share one thing—competitiveness,” Cheek said. “They’re incredible competitors”
Speed in the field and around the bases is an obvious strength of the current team. Led by sophomore shortstop Trea Turner, sophomore outfielder Jake Fincher and senior outfielder Brett Williams, the quickness of the 2013 squad is a challenge for any team in the country.
Francis Combs, a junior catcher on the ‘68 team, said his team wasn’t a power hitting team and relied on “small ball” to pick up wins.
“We didn’t hit anything but about 12 home runs, and this team isn’t a home-run-hitting team,” Combs said. “We relied on our speed, defense and manufacturing runs. This team seems to be the same way.”
Led by third basemen Chris Cammack and outfielder Steve Martin, who both earned First Team All-ACC and All-American honors, the Pack used its “small ball” and tactical offense to combat its competition in the first rounds of the 1968 College World Series before falling in the semifinals to the No. 1 seed and eventual champion, Southern California, 4-3.
Like the ‘68 team, the 2013 team features two All-Americans, Rodon and Tuner.
Rodon finished the season with an 8-2 record and 151 strikeouts. Turner finished with a .376 batting average, 40 RBIs, six home runs and 24 stolen bases.
Cheek and Combs both said many members of the 1968 team remain in close contact, attend many of the team’s home games and will travel to Omaha.
Cheek said he and few teammates “watched every pitch” of both the 18-inning loss to UNC-Chapel Hill in the ACC Tournament semifinals and the 17-inning Super-Regional-championship-clinching game against Rice.
“Seeing this year’s team has been a real thrill,” Cheek said. “We’re happy for them and have tried to stay as close as possible over the year as far as getting to know the guys, saying hello and giving them encouragement.”
Combs said he thinks the 2013 squad has what it takes to go a step further than he, Cheek and the 1968 team did in Omaha.
“Just getting to Omaha is a huge feat in itself,” Cheek said. “If you play them a game at a time, you can’t look ahead. You’ve always got a shot if you have a game left.”
