The Wolfpacker has been enumerating its choices for the top 10 stories of the past decade that was in NC State athletics.
Related links:
No. 10 - The hiring of Kevin Keatts
No. 9 - Winning the rivalry in football
No. 8 - The renovation of Reynolds
No. 7 – The rise of women’s hoops
No. 6 – The 2014 class leads football
No. 5 - The rise of the non-revenues
No. 4 – Rise and fall of Mark Gottfried
The countdown continues with No. 3:
No. 3: The College World Series
NC State’s conference title drought in men’s and women’s basketball, football and baseball has been well documented, but that does not mean those sports have been devoid of successes.
Nothing exemplifies that better than head coach Elliott Avent's 2013 baseball squad.
Expectations were high for a roster that returned many of its star players from a team that lost in the Super Regional to Florida the year before — namely left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon and shortstop Trea Turner.
The squad did not disappoint. NC State wasted little time getting over a 2-1 loss in 18 innings to UNC in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament by sweeping its NCAA regional. The Pack was afforded an opportunity to host a Super Regional for the first time in program history and took two games from visiting Rice, the latter a 5-4 thriller in 17 innings that clinched the Wolfpack’s first trip to the College World Series since 1968.
NC State started the CWS with a bang, crushing UNC 8-1. Then the Pack faced a crucial game against UCLA, with the winner gaining the inside track to the finals. Several hard-hit balls by NC State, notably one from Turner, were held in the long park in Omaha, Neb., and UCLA prevailed 2-1. NCSU pitched Rodon on short rest in a do-or-die game vs. UNC, but the Heels would triumph 7-0, ending NC State’s season at 50-16 overall.
UNC would lose its next contest to UCLA, who would go on to win the CWS. Given the way the brackets played out in Omaha, it is quite possible that UCLA-NC State matchup decided who won it all that season.
Turner ended the decade by winning the World Series, and showing off his Wolfpack pride along the way by wearing NC State football and rugby helmets during the celebrations. Rodon would become a starting pitcher for the Chicago White Sox.
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