Baseball Ties Highest Final Ranking In Program History

NC State baseball checked in at No. 3 in the final USA Today and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) polls of the 2021 season. The ranking ties as the highest national finish in program history, and best in 53 years, as the squad last finished third in Collegiate Baseball's final rankings in 1968.

The Wolfpack also finished fourth in four other national polls (DI Baseball, Baseball America, Perfect Game and Collegiate Baseball), after finishing 37-19 on the year and reaching the College World Series for the third time in program history, and first since 2013.

Despite a 4-9 (1-8 ACC) start to the season, the Pack managed to turn things around and finish the regular season with a 28-15 record, winning 24 of its last 30 games, and close out conference play with a 19-14 record to finish third overall in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

After earning the No. 3 seed in the ACC Tournament, the Pack reached its first title game since 2015 thanks to 3-2 and 8-1 wins over Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech, respectively, before suffering a 1-0 loss to 2021 ACC Champion Duke.

After earning its 10th NCAA Regional bid in the last 11 seasons, NC State went on to go 3-0 in the NCAA Ruston Regional to earn the program's fifth all-time NCAA Super Regional berth against top-seeded Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark. In the three-game set with the Razorbacks, NC State dropped its opener, 21-2, then created history by earning 6-5 and 3-2 wins to become the first team in Super Regional history to advance to the College World Series after losing game one by 15 or more runs.

The Pack tabbed 10-6 and 1-0 wins over Stanford and Vanderbilt, respectively, and was one win away from advancing to the championship series in Omaha before it was eliminated from the tournament due to COVID-19 protocols.

Baseball Ties Highest Final Ranking In Program History

Related Videos