This weekend’s ACC Tournament in Greensboro, N.C. may not have gone according to plan for the Wolfpack, but its results surpassed expectations.
As the No. 7 seed in the tournament, State found itself matched up against three nationally ranked teams in pool play: No. 16 Clemson, No. 6 Georgia Tech and No. 18 Virginia Tech.
The Pack opened play against Clemson Wednesday. The two teams battled back and forth until State was able to take a lead it wouldn’t give up with a five-run sixth inning.
State went on to win 13-8 as redshirt senior Alex Sogard picked up his second win of the season.
But the real test for the Pack began with its matchup with Georgia Tech Friday night. The game, scheduled for 8 p.m., pitted junior Wolfpack ace Jake Buchanan against Georgia Tech’s Brandon Crumpton.
The game started on time with storm clouds looming and the Jackets were able to knock in two runs in the top of the first inning.
But during the change, officials suspended the game due to the imminent threat of severe weather. Following a rain delay of nearly two hours, the game was postponed until 10 a.m. Saturday.
Georgia Tech brought back Crumpton, but Buchanan did not return following his appearance the previous night.
“When you lose your ace, that means a lot,” Coach Elliot Avent said. “But [that’s] out of our control.”
Crumpton went six strong innings for Tech while State threw seven pitchers.
The game was called after seven innings because Georgia Tech had a 17-5 lead. NCAA rules state that any game shall be declared final if a team has a 10 run lead after seven innings.
But the team could not linger on the loss because it had its game against Virginia Tech scheduled for 8 p.m. that night. Clemson defeated Georgia Tech that afternoon to make Saturday’s fourth and final game featuring N.C. State and Virginia Tech responsible for determining Florida State’s opposition in the championship game.
The Pack earned the right to take on FSU with a 10-9 victory over Virginia Tech in extra innings. Despite the 1:23 a.m. conclusion of the Virginia Tech game and the 1 p.m. scheduled start time of the championship game, the team kept high spirits.
“Hopefully everybody’s got the mind set to come in here and get the job done, so I don’t think the timing of the night will have any effect on us,” sophomore catcher Pratt Maynard said. “But I think we’ll be ready to play [Sunday] and hopefully we’ll be able to come away with the victory.”
And the Wolfpack came out firing on all cylinders despite a lack of sleep. The Pack held a 3-2 edge heading into the seventh inning of the championship game. In the seventh, Florida State was able to get to junior pitcher Grant Sasser for two runs to get a lead it wouldn’t surrender.
“I left a few pitches up,” Sasser said. “One time you can get away with it and then another time it can get crushed. It didn’t really roll our way. It’s a mistake that we paid for.”
But a moment in the eighth inning served as a reminder to all in attendance that the championship game was just that—a game. On a sacrifice fly by the Seminoles’ Devon Travis, Florida State right fielder James Ramsey collided with Wolfpack redshirt junior catcher Chris Schaeffer along the third baseline, knocking Schaeffer unconscious.
“He had great strength in his hands, he had great strength in his feet and his eyes were moving around, he just didn’t know where he was,” Avent said of Schaeffer’s on-field condition. “He had no idea where he was. And he was knocked unconscious.”
The collision occurred 15 feet up the baseline from home plate as Schaeffer was moving to catch the ball thrown by senior right fielder Drew Poulk. Despite what he called a good job during the course of the game, Avent said he disagreed with the ruling on the play.
“I tell you we had a good umpiring crew here and the crew today was outstanding,” Avent said. “They made what they thought was the best decision and we respect that, but we totally disagree with it. I’m not going to change my mind that it was 15 feet up the line, inside the line and the guy could’ve run around him,” Avent said. “I’m not going to change my mind that my guy was knocked out and to say that he didn’t lower his shoulder, maybe he didn’t, but it was a hell of a collision. It could’ve been avoided, should’ve been avoided, he should’ve been out and thrown out in my opinion.”
Schaeffer was called for obstruction and Ramsey was ruled safe on the play. The umpiring crew did not believe that the collision warranted an ejection of Ramsey.
“We did not have [the Florida State runner] lowering his shoulder, throwing his forearms out or doing anything that we thought would be ejectable,” home plate umpire David Savage said.
Schaeffer was taken off the field by an ambulance and was released from the hospital Sunday night. Doctors diagnosed him with a Grade 3 concussion. The team finished out the contest without incident, falling 8-3.
“They finished the game with class and that’s what they should’ve done it.” Avent said. “And I continue to be proud of them. They played so doggone hard.”
Four Pack players were named to the All-Tournament team—sophomore first baseman Harold Riggins, senior second baseman Dallas Poulk, senior centerfielder Kyle Wilson and junior pitcher Jake Buchanan. Riggins was named tournament MVP.
“Coming into every game I really try not to analyze each day,” Riggins said. “Maybe I’ll think about it after the game is over, but my approach to every game is to focus on every at bat and focus on playing defense and helping my team win games.”
