Running into a hot team like the Florida Gators, NC State simply couldn’t come up in big moments. Led by the arm of redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Logan Whitaker for the majority of the game, the Pack came up just short after it found itself in a hole that it couldn’t dig itself out of due to a crushing second inning.
Entering a win-or-go-home situation, sophomore left-handed pitcher Dominic Fritton took the mound for NC State. After being held scoreless in the first inning, Florida retaliated in the second and loaded the bases. Following a game-tying sacrifice fly, two-way phenom Jac Caglianone powered a three-run homer to give the Gators a 4-1 lead and spell the end of the road for Fritton.
As the game progressed into the third, head coach Elliott Avent turned to his bullpen and called upon Whitaker. Despite being unable to pitch in the 2021 College World Series team due to injury, he took the opportunity against Florida and never looked back. Wasting little time getting settled, he posted the first of three innings in which he faced the minimum number of batters.
Continuing to grasp momentum, Whitaker offered the Pack opportunities to climb back into the contest. With the only blemish on his part coming on a Gator homer in the fifth, he did just that. Pitching the ensuing seven innings, Florida found little success against Whitaker’s arsenal. His performance was perhaps story-like in the final chapter of his Wolfpack career. Allowing just one run on two hits over the remainder of the game, he also captured a season-high ten strikeouts.
Contrary to its matchup against Kentucky, the Pack quickly drew first blood. Facing Caglianone on the mound, NC State knew the task ahead. Initially seeming unphased, the Pack loaded the bases early and scored as junior shortstop Brandon Butterworth connected on a base hit to grab an immediate 1-0 advantage.
Despite managing a quick RBI, the Pack left the remaining three batters stranded as the Gators limited the damage to just one run. This proved to be a recurring theme for NC State later in the game, as it would leave a crushing eight runners stranded.
Searching for an answer to the four-run second frame from the Gators, the Pack found some energy in the third. With one man on, graduate third baseman Alec Makarewicz powered a two-run bomb to cut the deficit to 4-3. In an NCAA Tournament for the ages, Makarewicz was responsible for five homers and 13 RBIs on 15 hits during his time in the batter’s box as he took a leading role in bringing the Pack back to Omaha.
Florida secured another run in the fifth, and NC State responded to pull back to within one as graduate first baseman Garrett Pennington connected on a double to bring the score to 5-4. The Pack found multiple scoring opportunities in the ensuing innings, but was unable to capitalize on them.
With a base runner picked off at second base in the sixth inning, the Pack couldn’t find answers for pitchers Jake Clemente and Brandon Neely, who teamed up for four scoreless innings and six strikeouts.
NC State looked to retaliate in the seventh as it put two runners on but came up empty. An opportunity arose yet again in the eighth as the Pack put a runner on and got him to third base in prime scoring position. However, much to the tune of the game, it stranded the runner as Florida controlled both the momentum and the lead right to the end.
After being swept at the hands of Louisville in early April, NC State dug deep and truly turned its season around, winning 21 of its remaining 33 games. Improvements in pitching and batting played a huge role in steering these changes.
Led by a mix of seasoned veterans and blossoming young talent, NC State went on to host its first regional since 2018. Then, emerging triumphant in a hostile environment in the Super Regional round, it secured the program’s fourth trip to Omaha and capped off a historic year for NC State athletics.
