N.C. State (47-14) will seek to advance to its first College World Series since 1968 when the Wolfpack hosts the Rice Owls in the NCAA Super Regional, beginning on Friday at 4 p.m. at Doak Field in Raleigh.
The Pack advanced through last weekend with three straight wins led by senior first baseman Tarran Senay, the Raleigh Regional’s Most Outstanding Player, and sophomore left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon, who pitched a complete-game shutout on Saturday against William & Mary to extend his scoreless innings pitched streak to 23.
The Wolfpack had it tough last weekend, playing bothgames against William & Mary.
N.C. State head coach Elliott Avent does not believe dodging top-seeded Oregon—who the Owls upset at home—giving the Pack an opportunity to host the Super Regional for the first time in school history—will be a respite for his team.
“If you’re one of the 16 teams left in the country right now, there is not a bad one in the bunch,” Avent said. “You don’t want for anything. You just have to play well yourself.”
“Rice will be a good challenge for us,” Avent said.
The Owls, winners of the Conference USA Tournament and co-champions during the regular season, enter this weekend with a 44-18 record on the season. Rice has appeared in 19 straight NCAA Tournaments, which is currently the sixth longest streak in Division 1 baseball history.
In the Eugene Regional Final, the Owls thumped No. 8 Oregon, 11-4.
“Rice has been the epitome of [Conference USA],” Avent said. “They feel like they are playing pretty good right now to go to Oregon and do what they did.
“We’re playing in front of our fans. Our guys have played good the last six weeks of the season and our guys will be ready this week.”
“It’s going to be timely hitting and making a pitch when you have to make a pitch.”
The Pack will be playing in front of its fans for the second straight weekend in the NCAA Tournament. This weekend, however, there will be more at stake.
N.C. State’s lone appearance in the College World Series was 45 years ago. In 1968, the Pack advanced to Omaha with wins against Alabama, East Carolina and Florida State in Gastonia, N.C.
State sandwiched a loss to St. John’s with wins over Southern Illinois and Texas before being eliminated by Southern California.
Avent, who has spent 18 seasons at N.C. State, 17 years as a head coach and one year as an assistant in 1988, has the 1968 team on his mind this week.
“Our history is 1968 and that team has embraced us so much,” Avent said. “Every living member of that team may be back here, and they want this team to advance.”
“We’re just so proud of our tradition here, and it starts with the 1968 team.”
Rodon, who has only yielded three hits in 19 innings pitched this postseason, has gone to the mound on three straight Saturdays, but Avent is leaning toward giving his workhorse the starting nod on the Friday afternoon opener.
“We’ve tried to keep routine that’s big for us” Avent said. “It’s probably going to be Carlos Rodon on Friday.”
The first two games of the best-of-three series, Friday and Saturday, will be televised at 4 p.m. on ESPN2. Game three, if necessary, will be shown on ESPNU Sunday at 4 p.m.
