NC State ‘excited’ to head to Athens Super Regional

It’s been 16 years since NC State and Georgia squared off with a trip to the Men’s College World Series at Foley Field, but the Wolfpack boarded its team buses to head back to Athens for another Super Regional there Thursday afternoon. 

There is not much NC State coach Elliott Avent remembers from that weekend against the Bulldogs, other than the Wolfpack struggled and lost in three games.

“I remember losing game three and we couldn’t get Gordon Beckham out,” Avent said 16 years to the date of the Wolfpack’s game one loss to the Bulldogs. “It’s a great college town, great atmosphere. It’s a lot of fun, but I remember them walking away to go to Omaha.”

Now, as NC State heads to Athens, Ga., it has Omaha on its mind yet again. There is a banner on the side of Doak Field from the 2021 iteration of the College World Series, and the Pack would like to update that with another appearance this spring. 

But to get there, the Wolfpack will have to get through the Bulldogs. Though Georgia does not have Beckham this time around, it is led by slugger Charlie Condon, who leads the country in batting average, slugging percentage and home runs this year. 

“Anybody you play this time of the year, 16 teams left, they’re all really, really good,” Avent said. “They all have a reason they’re there, sometimes they have many reasons, and I’m sure Georgia has their reasons they’re there.”

Avent, however, wanted to keep the focus on his ball club before its trek south. 

NC State stormed through the Raleigh Regional, winning all three of its games to punch its ticket to the Super Regional round. That momentum was built in the regular season after the Wolfpack won five ranked ACC series this spring, and Avent hopes it continues in Athens. 

“Our guys have played the same these last eight or 10 weeks,” Avent said. “It’s been the same every day, I don’t see anything different. They’re not too excited. They’re excited and proud of themselves, but I don’t see a difference today except every win makes you a little more confident.”

The Wolfpack’s 28th-year coach was not alone in thinking his team has been playing at its best over the past two months. 

“We’re definitely playing our best baseball,” NC State third baseman Alec Makarewicz said. “We’re relaxed. The older guys have done a good job at keeping the younger guys on the same page, especially with the age gap that we have on this team.”

Makarewicz has Super Regional experience, making a pair of trips to the final 16 teams with East Carolina. The Pirates played at Vanderbilt in 2021 and hosted Texas in 2022, losing both. 

Thought ECU did not reach Omaha, those two series provided a learning experience for Makarewicz, who can help relay that message to the younger players on NC State’s roster. 

“Just got to stick to what we’ve been doing this year,” Makarewicz said of his past Super Regional trips. “We’ve been through a lot. Just stay tough and be ready to go.”

NC State is on the verge of another magical postseason run in the athletic department’s school year, looking to join the men’s and women’s basketball teams that made it to the Final Four this past March. 

Those two squads leaned on what worked once they found a winning recipe, and Avent will do the same with his pitching rotation against Georgia. Graduate right-hander Sam Highfill is expected to get the ball first, while sophomore lefty Dominic Fritton will likely start Sunday. Graduate right-handed pitcher Logan Whitaker would lineup for a possible win-and-advance contest Monday with a trip to Omaha on the line.

“We don’t change much this time of the year,” Avent said. “You could say this matchup or that matchup. We’re here because of what those guys did and we’re not going to change that.”

The Wolfpack will ride that has been successful over the past two months in Athens, and the team couldn’t be in a better position with its confidence heading into an elimination weekend. 

“We’re very grateful and excited,” Makarewicz said. “We’re not overly excited. We’re just enjoying the day today. … We’re ready to go.”