NC State Baseball
NC State Loses 3-1 to Vanderbilt in Weirdest Game Ever
I’m exhausted.
Feels like this day has gone about 45 hours too long, and yet we have at least one more game of State baseball tomorrow. With THIRTEEN players…that’s right…THIRTEEN PLAYERS, State baseball actually outperformed the #4 team in the country in just about all facets of the game, besides the final score. To those State fans talking about “WeLL ThAt’S aLL ThAT MatTErs!!!”…I don’t want to hear it right now.
With all the odds stacked against them, the Wolfpack hung close the entirety of the game. They left bases loaded in the 7th and two runners on in both the 8th and 9th. They were in it fully and almost pulled it off. Personally, I don’t remember a State game in a long time that by blood was pumping with “this could be magical” feeling. Absolutely fun game to watch, just wish it ended differently.
How It All Started
Rumors were swirling all morning about COVID issues. Up until about 45 minutes before the game, we at PI, most WPN and apparently Avent himself, thought he’d be down a few players. It ended up being so much worse.
McDonough, Torres, Willadsen, Villaman, Justice, Jarrett, Tatum, Johnston and every single reliever outside of three were knocked off the roster.
Will they be available tomorrow? No idea…
Jarrett appears to be the only individual that officially has COVID and has been sent home. All others appear to be part of contact tracing/COVID protocol.
An Unreal Effort
Pick a story line for this game that isn’t unbelievably crazy.
-Highfill pitches his a*s off to win the second game of the CWS. Then has to play first base today. At the plate he was 3-4, AFTER NOT HITTING A SINGLE TIME THIS YEAR. Last year, he had five at bats. The man comes into a game as cold as can be and has multiple hits off a guy many consider the best starter in college baseball. That’s unbelievably crazy.
-Holding Vanderbilt to only two runs was the duo of Garrett Payne and Dalton Feeney. Payne started for the first time this year, after only making six appearances for less than 9 total innings. Dalton has pitched 13.1 this year, but held a 11.48 ERA with equal number of walks and strikeouts (14). Yet the two managed to go a combined nine innings with six hits and three runs (only one earned). That’s unbelievably crazy.
-Brown’s catch…that’s it…that alone was unbelievably crazy.
Superman or @DevonteBrown03?!
📺ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/zDBb0pvBSh
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) June 25, 2021
-Just even the storyline that State didn’t know until they got to the ballpark that there were issues. We don’t have the means for rapid testing or some kind of better protocols to announce at 1pm for a 2pm game that something is off? The national anthem lineup was as humorous as it was sad. I hope and pray that we have more than 13 guys tomorrow. Regardless, unbelievably crazy.
What Now?
We simply wait. First pitch MAYBE at 2pm tomorrow. Highfill will be the State starter, with just Cooper King available in the pen.
We’re all sick of moral victories, but maybe this is the one literal time we can fully accept it to some extent. This game will be one you will remember forever.
NC State just defeated #11 UNC 9-8 via a walk-off Home Run from Junior Shortstop Brandon Butterworth in the Bottom of the 9th inning.
The Wolfpack have 6 walk-off wins in 2024, which leads the nation.
In a game in which there was a combined 8 Home Runs between both teams, it was the last one that mattered most.
UNC kicked things off in the Top of the 1st inning with a Home Run from Casey Cook. The Wolfpack would respond in the Bottom of the 1st with a 2-RBI Single from Junior Catcher Jacob Cozart.
Two-out damage from ‘Zart 💥 pic.twitter.com/cSn7vKoZBh
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 18, 2024
Cook would hit another Home Run in the Top of the 3rd, and Vance Honeycutt would also hit a 2-Run Home Run, giving the Tar Heels a 4-2 lead.
Once again, the Wolfpack responded in the bottom frame. Senior Third Baseman Alec Makarewicz hit his 15th Home Run of the season.
Ideal start to the home half of the third 💣#Pack9 | @Alec_mak99 pic.twitter.com/BrLSstM3D2
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 19, 2024
Junior Outfielder Chase Nixon had an RBI Single, and his Freshman brother Luke (2B) brought in the third run of the inning on a fielders choice, giving the Wolfpack a 5-4 lead.
Tie game! C-Nix delivers 😤 pic.twitter.com/aafYlvOhUh
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 19, 2024
The 4th inning was the only inning of the contest in which no runs were scored.
UNC’s Park Harber tied the game in the Top of the 5th with a solo shot.
Cozart was the Wolfpack’s MVP, giving his team a 3-run cushion in the bottom of the 6th inning with a 3-run Home Run. He had 5 RBI’s this evening.
TO THE MOON 📈🚀 pic.twitter.com/8g8pPUFJAN
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 19, 2024
The cushion wasn’t enough, with the Tar Heels scoring 3 runs over the next two innings. Alberto Osuna hit a solo shot, Alex Madera had an RBI Single, and Harber hit a sac fly.
With the game tied in the bottom of the 9th, with one out, Brandon Butterworth crushed the ball over the left field fence, snapping a 5-game losing streak against UNC.
CALLED. GAME.#Pack9 | @SlippinOnButter pic.twitter.com/6B15Jxkndr
— #Pack9 ⚾️ (@NCStateBaseball) April 19, 2024
Wolfpack Starter Sam Highfill lasted 3.1 innings, giving up 4 runs, while striking out 4. His ERA on the year is 5.16.
It was Sophomore Shane Van Dam that brought stability to the mound, pitching 3.2 innings, giving up 2 earned runs, while striking out 5. On the year, Van Dam’s ERA is 2.90.
Sophomore Derrick Smith came in to close things out, and gave up 1 run on 1 hit in 2 innings, striking out 2. Smith picked up the Win, and is 3-0 on the year.
Game 2 of the series is tomorrow night at 6pm at Doak Field. The Wolfpack will look to secure their first series victory over their rival since 2021, and their first one at home since 2016.
NC State and #11 UNC will kickoff a 3-game series in Raleigh tonight, but before the two rivals hit the diamond, here’s a Bracketology report for the Wolfpack before the first pitch.
D1Baseball currently projects that NC State will be the #2 seed in Greenville Region, hosted by #9 seed East Carolina. Back on April 2nd, the Wolfpack lost 4-12 to the Pirates at the Doak.
Baseball America projects NC State will be a #2 seed in the Knoxville Region, hosted by #6 seed Tennessee.
The Wolfpack are currently 20-14 overall, ranking 33rd in the RPI.