NC State was not given a fair shot in the College World Series this year due to COVID-19 protocols. It had to have been a horrible feeling to be eliminated from the tournament without actually losing, but the way Wolfpack players and coaches found out must have made it even worse.
NC State ended up with just 13 players available for Friday’s game against Vanderbilt due to COVID-19 protocols. As a result, several freshmen with minimal experience had to start. The Wolfpack lost 3-1, and a rematch that was scheduled for Saturday was declared a no-contest.
According to Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball.com, NC State was informed at 1 a.m. on Saturday morning that their game against Vanderbilt later that day would not be played.
NC State had eight positive COVID-19 tests at the time and impending contact tracing. NCAA officials felt that it would be impossible for the Wolfpack to safely finish the tournament given the circumstances.
After NC State was sent home, fans came out in large numbers to show support for the team. Head coach Elliott Avent was openly angry with the communication from the NCAA, and you can understand why.
There’s no worse way to end a season, especially for a team that hadn’t been to the College World Series since 2013.
