NC State freshman pitcher Sam Highfill grew up in the Raleigh suburb of Apex dreaming of playing Wolfpack baseball.

Supporting the Wolfpack was a family affair. Both of his parents graduated from the school, and his grandfather attended NC State, too.

“I remember going to NC State baseball games when I was six, eight, 10 years old, and wishing I was able to be out there with them,” Highfill recalled.

The 6-foot-3, 211-pounder delivered a performance Monday evening in a 1-0 win during the College World Series that will associate his name with many lasting memories for NCSU fans. Especially after the 2021 Wolfpack squad continued its charge from an early season 4-9 overall record that included a 1-8 mark in the ACC to now being on the verge of an appearance in the national championships series.

Squaring off against Vanderbilt ace Jack Leiter, who most project to be the top pitcher chosen in the upcoming MLB Draft, Highfill knew he was going to have to be good. When Leiter was perfect through four innings against NC State, that point became even more blatantly obvious.

"That kid's really good and you'll see his name called in the first [round], if not first five, 10 picks,” Highfill stated. ”He might be the first pitcher taken this year. I knew I was going to have to go out and be good.”

Highfill matched zeroes on the scoreboard with Leiter until the fifth. That is when NC State junior designated hitter Terrell Tatum stepped to the plate.

In his first at-bat, Tatum saw four pitches and only one fastball. When the first pitch of the fifth inning started Tatum’s at-bat with another slider, he made a decision.

“I completely sold out for the next pitch to be a fastball,” Tatum acknowledged. “And it just happened to be a fastball in, and I put a good swing on it.”

“One mistake,” Leiter noted. “I knew he was a good fastball hitter, particularly on fastballs in. [Catcher] CJ [Rodriguez] set up away. The ball was middle-in, and he hit it a long way and kind of made me pay for it.”

So good was Tatum’s swing that there was little doubt about the outcome. Tatum’s epic bat flip told the tale, but what few knew at that point was that was all Highfill and company would need.

“To me, that was one of the most impressive things I think that Sam has done up to this point,” Tatum noted. “Like, I'm just at a loss for words, honestly. I've become real close to Sam throughout the course of the postseason and this year.

“Every single day he comes and works as hard as he can and puts in the work and really deserves the results. He keeps going out there and getting them every single time. It's really unbelievable. I just can't really explain it.”

Highfill held Vanderbilt to just two hits and two walks in 7.1 innings before giving way to junior closer Evan Justice. Only one Commodore batter reached second base all game.

Yet, Highfill felt he did not even have his top stuff.

“I thought it was good, but I wouldn't say it was the best I've had all year,” Highfill noted. “Change-up was good sometimes, but I left it up a lot tonight. I was able to get away with some of those, and breaking ball was hit or miss today.”

“It was pretty obvious Jack Leiter was really, really good tonight,” NC State head coach Elliott Avent added. “Obviously, he's one of the top pitchers in the country. I'm sure he's going to be one of the top few picks in the MLB Draft coming up.

“We could tell that he was really on tonight … and we weren't going to get anything. So for Sam to keep this offense at Vanderbilt at bay to allow us a chance, it was just unbelievable what he did tonight.”

Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin may be hard-pressed to believe that Highfill did not have his best going from the mound Monday.

“He pitched a hell of a game — fastball, two different breaking balls, change-up, drop down,” Corbin noted. “When we did get to base, he made it difficult. He had a good move over to first base.

“Give him a lot of credit. He did a great job. That was a real well-pitched college baseball game, as good as you want to see. So, if you're a pitching person, you like it. If you're an offensive person, you want to hit yourself over the head with a shovel.”

“I hate using the word ‘tip your cap’ to anyone, but that kid did a nice job,” Corbin added. “He really did. He pitched so well.”

And NC State needed all of it.

The Pack loaded the bases up on Leiter with one out in the seventh, but he struck out the final two batters to end the threat, and then stranded Wolfpack sophomore third baseman Vojtech Mensik at second to end the eighth.

He finished with 15 strikeouts in the loss, and Vanderbilt did not make a call to the bullpen while Leiter piled up the pitches.

“I've been around for a long time, and that's one of the performances I've seen, right up there at the top of the performances I've seen,” Avent said of Leiter.

“Important game, swing game, he did everything he could to put his team in great position,” Corbin added. “Just such an outstanding young man. One pitch, one pitch. You know?

“It sucks. But it's what it is.”

NC State has been running the gauntlet this postseason against some of the nation's top best pitchers. In the Super Regional at No. 1 Arkansas, they beat college baseball’s top pitcher in 2021 in Kevin Kopps in the decisive third game, then knocked off Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year Brendan Beck and Stanford in the CWS opener before winning the pitchers duel against MLB’s top pitching draft prospect in Vanderbilt’s Jack Leiter.

Needless to say, confidence is high.

“We've slayed a lot of giants and are trying to carry it forward,” Highfill said.

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