Coach Elliot Avent’s team isn’t the only baseball team in North Carolina with title hopes. ACC rival North Carolina is coming off a College World Series appearance last season, and finds itself ranked No. 1 in the nation in the latest Baseball America poll.

In fact, coach Avent’s team isn’t even the only baseball team at N.C. State with title hopes.

The Wolfpack club baseball team is a powerhouse program nationally that hasn’t been ranked lower than No. 15 in the nation in five years, according to coach Matt Tunnell.

State’s club team is a member of the National Club Baseball Association, a group that organizes the 145 affiliated college club baseball teams.

Right now, the Pack (3-4) is ranked No. 12 in the NCBA poll released Feb. 15.

Pitcher Derek Jones, a senior in biological business, said the team has evolved over the three years he’s been involved with the program, going from 15 guys playing 20 games to its current incarnation.

“Over the past few years, we’ve kind of formed into almost a JV team to the varsity team here,” Jones said. “We have a preseason in the fall of about 10 to 15 games. In the spring, we have 42 games on the schedule, so it’s very comparable to some D-I and D-II varsity schedules.”

The Wolfpack is a member of the Carolina Conference, which is composed of 11 club teams from the area, including North Carolina, Duke, East Carolina, Wake Forest, UNC-Charlotte, Craven Community College, Elon, Middle Tennessee State, Davidson and Vanderbilt. The conference is split into the East and West divisions.

“Our big rivals, of course, are Chapel Hill, Clemson [which plays in the Dixie Conference] and Duke,” Jones said.

Tunnell, the sixth-year volunteer coach (he works for the N.C. Department of Agriculture), said he enjoys the experience even though it takes up much of his time.

“We don’t get paid a thing,” he said. “We’re just out here because we enjoy the game of baseball. I’ve been a lifelong N.C. State fan and a lifelong baseball fan. This allows me to mix the two together.”

Tunnell said the program has been successful due to a steady influx of talented players over the years.

“We’ve had nine All-Americans in the last five years,” Tunnell said. “We had 11 all-region players in 2005, and we had 11 all-region players in 2006.”

In 2004, State was the national runner-up, falling to Colorado State 8-1 in the final game of the World Series.

Last year was the first time in four years the Pack didn’t advance to the NCBA World Series, according to Jones.

State lost to UNC in the Southeast Regional tournament in an extra-inning game that, Jones said, has the Pack gunning for the Heels a little more than usual this season.

“The only thing we really care about, just like other N.C. State students, is where Carolina is ranked in relation to us,” he said. “This is the first year Carolina has been ranked above us in the preseason.”

UNC is currently ranked No. 5 in the NCBA poll. Jones said State has been the dominant team in the southeast for the past several years. Although the competition is increasing, Jones said the team works to stay ready.

“A lot of teams don’t play a preseason schedule, so we made sure to do it to stay ahead,” he said.

Pitcher Brandon Oxendine, a sophomore in fisheries and wildlife science, transferred to State from UNC-Pembroke, where he played on the Division II school’s varsity squad. He said there’s a disparity in the level of talent among the players, but not the competitiveness.

“These guys are out here to have a good time; it’s not as dedicated as the varsity teams,” Oxendine said. “There’s not as much effort as you’d find at a Division I or Division II team. The talent isn’t as great, but it’s still a great time. To these guys, and me too, it’s very competitive.”

Jones said the competition level in the club league is higher than high school and AAU ball.

“Especially with the conference teams like Carolina and ECU,” he said. “Because their varsity programs are so stacked, they just don’t have room for all the talent, so their club teams are very talented.”

Oxendine said the commitment to the team is easier than varsity-level teams. He said he’s been used to practicing seven days a week with UNC-Pembroke. The Pack’s club team practices twice a week, giving players more time to focus on academics.

But the question among the team remains: Can the Pack make it to Fort Myers, Fla., and the NCBA World Series this season?

“Oh definitely,” Oxendine said. “Judging by the experience and competitiveness of these guys and the competition I saw in other teams in the fall, I think we’re going to go far in the postseason.”

The team plays its home games at Optimist Park near Sanderson High School in North Raleigh. It opens its home schedule Saturday, Feb. 24, with a doubleheader against Virginia Tech.