North Carolina State University Athletics
Baseball To Play In NCAA Columbia Regional
5/30/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 30, 2011
RALEIGH, N.C. – NC State head coach Elliott Avent had a pretty good idea that his Wolfpack baseball team would be headed to the NCAA Columbia (S.C.) Regional for postseason play.
In fact, he and former Wolfpack player and head coach Ray Tanner talked about the possibility for more than 30 minutes on Sunday night and again on Monday morning.
“I kind of thought it would be that way,” Avent said. “Ray and I talked and we figured it was coming. We’re old friends and old foes, so it will be good. Columbia is a great city and we’ll have fun going back down there.
“I’ve heard their new stadium [Carolina Stadium, opened for the 2009 season] is something else, so I guess we’ll get the chance to go see it.”
The announcement made it official Monday afternoon, when the NCAA previewed its postseason pairings in a nationally televised selection show. The Wolfpack (34-25) will join the host and top-seeded Gamecocks (45-14), second-seeded Stetson (41-18) and fourth-seeded Georgia Southern (36-24). The Wolfpack will play Stetson on Friday at 1 p.m.
Tickets may be purchased either on-line at the South Carolina athletics website or by calling 1-800-472-3267. Book tickets for the entire regional are $77 apiece, while supplies last. Session tickets went on sale Monday for $15 for outfield seating, also while supplies last.
This year’s Columbia Regional marks the third time in the last five years that the Wolfpack and Gamecocks have been in the same site in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The difference this year is that the Gamecocks are the defending College World Series champions and are in their second year of playing at their state-of-the-art park.
In 2007, the Wolfpack traveled to Columbia along with Charlotte and Wofford. Tanner’s team won the regional, though it never faced the Wolfpack.
In 2008, South Carolina, Charlotte and James Madison came to NC State’s Doak Field at Dail Park, where the Wolfpack won two games against the Gamecocks to advance to the NCAA Athens (Ga.) Super Regional.
Avent was a little surprised that his team was a No. 3 seed in the event, especially with its high RPI ranking and its late-season hot streak. But he also doesn’t think it is that big of a deal.
“I don’t know that a two-seed and a three-seed are any different,” Avent said. “We are kind of identical twins.”
Besides, this weekend can’t be any tougher than the field the Wolfpack faced last week in Durham at the 2011 ACC Baseball Championship, where it faced Florida State, Georgia Tech and Clemson, all three of which are top-seeded hosts in the 64-team tournament.
The Wolfpack won the opener against the Seminoles, then lost a 15-inning affair to the Yellow Jackets on Thursday night and just missed a shot at the championship game when the Tigers rallied for a 6-3 win Saturday afternoon.
“I don’t think it gets much tougher than having to play Florida State, Georgia Tech and Clemson,” Avent said. “This regional won’t be that hard, but you have to win that first game. The big question is whether you pitch your top guy.
“You know South Carolina won’t throw their ace against the four seed. Are you going to face their ace with your No. 2 pitcher or are you going to save your ace?”
Avent and his staff will determine its pitching rotation later this week.
Tim Peeler, tim_peeler@ncsu.edu
