Elliott Avent awarded five-year extension

Raleigh, NC -- The NC State Board of Trustees has approved a new contract for Wolfpack head baseball coach Elliott Avent. Last spring, Avent led the Pack to its first College World Series appearance since 1968.

"Coach Avent's recruiting and coaching have resulted in elevating our baseball program to an elite national status among collegiate programs," said Director of Athletics Deborah A. Yow. "This contract extension is a result of those successes, and we hope he will continue at NC State until retirement."

Avent's contract was extended five years and will now run through 2018. The contract contains an additional five years of potential extensions based on the baseball program meeting specific benchmarks.

"Two of the greatest loves of my life have always been baseball and NC State, and I am excited about the future of both," said Avent. "I would like to thank Chancellor Woodson, Dr. Yow and the Board of Trustees for showing confidence in me to continue to lead this program."

Avent is the winningest coach in program history and, in his 17 years as head coach at State, has taken his squad to 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, including a stretch of six in a row from 2003-08.

The Pack finished the 2013 campaign ranked No. 5 nationally, the highest final ranking for the baseball team in over four decades. Three members of his CWS squad were named to the ACC All-Academic team and 11 earned mention on the ACC Academic Honor Roll.