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NC STATE BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPROVES NEW CONTRACTS FOR AVENT AND SANTORO

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6 years ago

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RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State Board of Trustees approved Friday new contracts for head baseball coach Elliott Avent and head women’s soccer coach Tim Santoro.

Avent’s contract, which was set to expire in June of 2019, has been extended through 2021 with the potential for additional years based on achievement.

“Coach Avent has led NC State baseball for over two decades, and we’re glad he will continue as our leader for years to come,” said Director of Athletics, Debbie Yow.  “He works tirelessly, recruits at a high level, and we look forward to his continued leadership.”

Santoro agreed to a two-year extension to his current agreement, which puts him under contract for five years through 2022.

“Coach Santoro continues to do an exceptional job building our women’s soccer program. He recruits at a high level, has elevated NC State, and this contract reflects our commitment.”
Last season, Avent guided the Wolfpack to a 40-win season, highlighted by hosting an NCAA Regional in Raleigh for the sixth time in program history, all of which have come under his direction. The Wolfpack won its first seven ACC series and tied the program record with 19 conference wins.

NC State finished the year ranked No. 22 in the D1 Baseball Poll, which marks the 16th consecutive season that the Wolfpack has either started or finished the year ranked among the top 25 of a major poll. The Pack also made history with four players selected in the top-10 rounds of the 2018 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft.

In 2013, he led the Wolfpack to the College World Series (CWS) and has taken NC State to the NCAA Tournament in 17 of his 22 seasons at the helm, including 14 of the last 16 seasons.

Avent is the winningest head coach in program history and is just one of 17 active NCAA Division I baseball head coaches with 1,000 or more career wins. The 2019 season will be his 23rd leading the Wolfpack.

“NC State has always been where my heart is, and I’ve spent the better part of my professional life striving to build a program our campus, alumni, and community can share a sense of pride in,” said Avent. “There is a tremendous amount of pride that connects our players and staff, both past and present. Together we have amassed years of sustained success that has created such a passionate and loyal fan base.

“I look forward to leading the Wolfpack for years to come maintaining the consistency that has become a hallmark of NC State baseball.”

Last season, Santoro led NC State to the NCAA Second Round with a 15-5-2 record, marking the most wins for the program since 1995. The campaign was highlighted by a third-place finish in the ACC regular season standings and the program’s first ACC Championship semifinal appearance since 1995.

“I’ve enjoyed my time at NC State and in Raleigh and am so thankful to Debbie and the administration for having faith in me to continue building on what started a few years back,” said Santoro. “While we’ve made some great strides, there’s still so much more to accomplish and I’m just excited for the opportunity to keep leading a top ACC program that’s part of a great institution, in a great city and surrounded by great people.”

The women’s soccer team finished with a final RPI of 23, setting its best mark in program history since the NCAA began archiving the stat in 2000. The Wolfpack improved 11 spots from 2016 when the team earned a then program-best RPI of 34, and has made a 197-spot improvement from 220th in 2015.

NC State also clinched back-to-back ACC Championship berths for the first time since 2003-04 and earned consecutive NCAA Championship appearances for the first time since 1995-96.

The Pack additionally finished 21st in the final United Soccer Coaches poll, 23rd in Soccer America’s and 16th in Top Drawer Soccer’s, marking the first back-to-back top 25 finishes for the program since 1991-92.

Santoro is in his sixth season leading the women’s soccer program and was the NSCAA Southeast Region Coach of the Year and a finalist for National Coach of the Year in 2016.

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NC State Baseball

NC State has Dominated UNC in Athletics in 2023-24

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26 mins ago

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April 20, 2024

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After NC State clinched a series victory over UNC last night in Baseball, I thought it would be a good time to relish in how the Wolfpack has dominated the Tar Heels Athletic Program as a whole in 2023-24.

The Wolfpack Baseball team has won the first two games in the series against the Tar Heels, clinching a series victory over UNC for the first time since 2021. It marks the first time NC State has won a series against the Tar Heels in Raleigh since 2016.

NC State defeated UNC in Volleyball 3-1, winning in Chapel Hill for the first time in 25 years. The Tar Heels had won the last 5 matches against the Wolfpack.

The Wolfpack defeated the Tar Heels 39-20 in Football in Carter-Finley Stadium. It marked the 3rd consecutive win over UNC.

NC State lost both regular season games to UNC in Men’s Basketball, but when it mattered most, the Wolfpack defeated the Tar Heels in the ACC Championship Game 84-76, winning their first title since 1987.

The Wolfpack Women’s Basketball team lost to their rival in Chapel Hill, but defeated UNC 63-59 in Reynolds Coliseum. NC State has won 5 of the last 7 against UNC.

In Gymnastics, NC State defeated UNC 196.725-194.925 in Raleigh. This marked the 3rd straight victory for the Wolfpack over the Tar Heels.

NC State’s Men & Women’s Swimming & Diving teams both beat UNC. The Men won 258-93, and the Women won 196-157.

The Wolfpack Wrestling team defeated UNC 33-6 in Reynolds Coliseum. NC State has won 11 straight Duals against the Tar Heels.

The NC State Men’s Tennis team defeated UNC 4-0, winning against their rival in back-to-back years.

The Wolfpack Women’s Tennis team has defeated the Tar Heels 4-3 on two occasions thus far this season, and will face their rival again today.

The Cross Country teams didn’t have individual meets against UNC, but the Women obviously beat them, because they won the ACC Championship. The Men didn’t, finishing 8th in the Conference, with the Tar Heels finishing 1st.

The only other NC State athletic team that didn’t taste victory against UNC this year was the Women’s Soccer team, losing 0-4 in Raleigh.

Of course, each of these NC State athletic teams has much higher goals than just beating their rival, but there’s no denying how sweet it is to beat the Tar Heels.

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NC State Baseball

WATCH: Highlights from NC State’s Series Clinching Win Over #11 UNC

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8 hours ago

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April 20, 2024

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NC State came from behind for the 2nd straight to defeat their rival #11 UNC. This evening, the Wolfpack scored 3 runs in the Bottom of the 8th to secure the series victory, with a 5-4 win at Doak Field over the Tar Heels. Check out the Highlights.





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NC State Baseball

NC State Came From Behind to Beat UNC 5-4 Securing 1st Home Series Win Over the Tar Heels Since 2016!

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11 hours ago

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April 19, 2024

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NC State came from behind to defeat their rival #11 UNC 5-4, winning their first series at home against the Tar Heels since 2016. The last time NC State won a series against UNC was in Chapel Hill in 2021.

A good team learns to take advantage of their opponents mistakes, and that’s exactly what the Wolfpack did this evening. Of the 5 runs they scored, only 3 of them were earned.

In the Bottom of the 8th inning, with the Wolfpack trailing 4-2, Junior Shortstop Brandon Butterworth was the author of late-game heroics once again, hitting an RBI Single, knocking in Senior 3rd Baseman Alec Makarewicz, but the play wasn’t over. Butterworth advanced to 2nd on a wild pitch, and Junior Catcher Jacob Cozart scored on a Wild Pitch. After a groundout by Junior Outfielder Chase Nixon, Butterworth would score on a Passed Ball during the next at bat, scoring the winning run of the game.

Sophomore Dominic Fritton was fairly steady, giving up 4 earned runs in 6 innings pitched, striking out 7 (4 walks). Fortunately, no one was on base for all three of UNC’s Home Runs.

When Fritton left the game, the Pack was trailing 4-1, with their only run coming off of an RBI Double by Senior 1st Baseman Garrett Pennington in the Bottom of the 3rd.

The Wolfpack bullpen was exceptional this evening, putting 0’s on the board for 3 straight innings after Fritton exited the game. Freshman Jaxon Lucas pitched two scoreless innings with 2 K’s, and Freshman Jacob Dudan pitched a scoreless 9th, picking up his 4th Save of the year. Lucas was credited with the Win, and is 2-0 on the year.

While I’m dishing out kudos, I don’t want to forget Sophomore Center Fielder Eli Serrano III’s RBI Double in the Bottom of the 7th, cutting UNC’s lead to 2 Runs.

This NC State is peaking at the right time, against the right teams.

The Wolfpack will look to finish things off with a sweep tomorrow afternoon, with the first pitch scheduled for 3pm.

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NC State Baseball

WATCH All 9 of NC State’s RBI’s From Their 9-8 Walk-Off Win Over #11 UNC

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1 day ago

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April 18, 2024

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NC State just defeated their rival #11 UNC 9-8 in dramatic fashion, walking it off in the Bottom of the 9th inning via a Solo Home Run from Junior Shortstop Brandon Butterworth.

The Wolfpack victory snapped a 5-game losing streak to the Tar Heels.

Check out all 9 RBI’s from NC State’s 6th walk-off win of the season, which leads the nation.

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