Buoyed by two come-from-behind wins in the Raleigh Super Regional last weekend, N.C. State is going to a place it has not been in 45 years and competing for a title the Wolfpack have never won.
But in the first game, things will be quite familiar.
N.C. State will return to the College World Series for the first time since 1968 when the Pack faces its bitter rival, the UNC-Chapel Hill Tar Heels.
The two schools have played three games this season, with the Pack and Heels splitting its regular season matchup in Doak Field at Dail Park in late-April. Two weeks ago at the ACC Tournament in Durham, State lost a heartbreaker, 2-1, in 18 innings to spoil an astounding 10 inning, one-hit performance from sophomore Carlos Rodon.
The lefthander from Holly Springs has gone winless despite posting terrific numbers in the postseason against North Carolina over the past two years, but will undoubtedly feel that a win on Sunday would ease the sting of previous no-decisions against the Tar Heels.
N.C. State manager Elliott Avent has benefitted greatly of late from his seniors. First baseman Tarran Senay was named Most Outstanding Player of the Raleigh Regional and centerfielder Brett Williams drove in the super regional-winning run in the top of the 17th inning to defeat Rice on Sunday.
The Tar Heels won the ACC Tournament after surviving the marathon against the Pack. Carolina is led by ACC Player of the Year, third baseman junior Colin Moran, selected by the Miami Marlins with the sixth pick in the MLB draft, and ACC Pitcher of the year, lefthander Kent Emmanuel—who picked up his first collegiate save on Tuesday in the super regional-clinching win over the South Carolina Gamecocks in Chapel Hill on Tuesday.
One of the key matchups on the other end of the bracket will be another rivalry matchup featuring the Indiana Hoosiers against, future-ACC member, the Louisville Cardinals.
Indiana broke a barren spell for Big Ten baseball, with no school from the conference reaching the College World Series since the Michigan Wolverines accomplished the feat in 1984. Led by sophomore catcher Kyle Schwarber, a Freshman All-American last season, Indiana is 48-14 going into its first ever trip to Omaha and earned berth with a two-game sweep over Florida State in Tallahassee.
Louisville also swept its way into the College World Series on the road, taking two straight from the Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville. The Cardinals entered the postseason winners of 16 straight—including a victory over Indiana. The Hoosiers defeated the Cardinals in the first game of the season in February. After losing two straight in the Big East Tournament, Louisville has won all five of its games in regional and super regional play.
N.C. State, fourth place in the ACC in 2013, is a team peaking at the right time. The Pack have won 31 of its last 35 games and have shown a remarkable resiliency in postseason play, with both of its wins over Rice in the Raleigh Super Regional coming after State trailed going into the ninth inning.
The other schools that advanced to Omaha are UCLA, Mississippi State, Kansas State and LSU.
Avent was effusive in his praise for those who set the table for this year’s team to blossom. From the success of the 1968 team, previous head coaches Sam Esposito and Ray Tanner, past sports information directors and anyone else that contributed to N.C. State baseball over the years.
In Omaha, the Wolfpack will look to replicate the collective will that has been present over the 110 years of varsity baseball and bring back to Raleigh the school’s first national championship since Debbie Yow was named director of athletics in 2010.
