North Carolina State University Athletics
Baseball Visits Belltower Wednesday Night
6/6/2012 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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June 6, 2012
Raleigh, N.C. - Of all the exciting things that have happened to NC State baseball in the last two weeks, Wednesday night's trip to the Memorial Belltower might have stirred Wolfpack head coach Elliott Avent almost as much as his team's two come-from-behind wins over Vanderbilt on Sunday and Monday that sent the Wolfpack packing for a trip to the NCAA Gainesville (Fla.) Super Regional.
Avent took his team - on the 68th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied Forces' European invasion on the beaches of Normandy, France - to light the tower red, an honor reserved to celebrate NC State's proudest occasions and achievements at the 115-foot edifice that was originally built to honor the NC State College students who died in World War I.
Generally reserved for special events, especially those that honor veterans, the Belltower was bathed in red light as a send-off to Avent's Wolfpack, which will face top-ranked Florida beginning Saturday in a best-of-three series.
A small crowd of fans joined Avent and his players and cheered when the brilliant red floodlights were turned on at 9 p.m.
Following the lighting, the team left on an 11 p.m. charter flight to Gainesville to begin preparations for Saturday's first game.
