The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1389905
JULY/AUGUST 2021 ■ 41 Wolfpack winning just one ACC game in nine home contests to start conference play and posting a 4-9 record at that point in the year. The bullpen was decimated having to replace key performers like junior righties Baker Nelson and Cameron Cotter, and se- nior lefty Kent Klyman. Midweek starter and junior lefty David Harrison was also lost. Furthermore, key lineup contributors were nursing injuries. Freshman shortstop and Su- per Regional hero Jose Torres dealt with an oblique strain during the first month of the season. ACC batting champ Jonny Butler, a junior left fielder, and junior first baseman Austin Murr both missed games, too. For Avent, the goal was stabiliz- ing the roster. "It was basically getting our lineup into the lineup every day and sticking to it," Avent said. "When you start out 1-8, you've got to have a lot of character and a lot of will to win and a lot of com- mitment in that locker room." After getting swept at home by Louisville, everything changed. The turnaround began with a no- table out-of-conference win at UNC Wilmington, and gained momentum with a sweep of archrival UNC, then ranked No. 11 nationally, in Chapel Hill. After taking game one by a 9-2 score, the Pack and Heels waited until Monday to play a doubleheader. NC State swept it by a combined score of 14-4 and used just three pitchers to prevail. It began a trend: a lot of win- ning with basically a five-player pitching staff and the same nine in the batting order. Between the 4-9 start and the final out of the season, NC State accumulated a 33-10 record. "The first third of the season wasn't great; there were a lot of downs," Murr noted. "It was a lot of frustration and stuff. We just kept working and knew that wasn't us. "We had bigger goals, because we knew how good we were, how talented we were. The second and third parts of the season were certainly a lot better." Becoming Super NC State won six of its last eight ACC series of the regular season, climbing from being questionable to even participate in the league tournament to having the second- best record in the conference at 19-14. In the ACC Tournament, it clinched a spot in the semifi- nals by beating Pittsburgh 3-2 in its opener of the event. Avent saved his best arms in a mean- ingless game against UNC, and it worked when NC State crushed Georgia Tech 8-1 in the semifinals. Fans dreaming of the first ACC title since 1992 would be broken-hearted by a 1-0 loss to Duke in the title game, the only time this year that NC State's lineup was held scoreless. Despite the disappointment, the Wolf- pack was playing high-level baseball, and that became clear when NC State stormed through the NCAA Regional in Ruston, La., that was hosted by No. 16 overall seed Louisiana Tech. NC State crushed five homers to beat Ala- bama 8-1 in the opener, and then the bats de- livered in 8-3 and 14-7 wins over Louisiana Tech to clinch a spot in the Super Regional. The reward? A trip to the clear-cut top team in the country, Arkansas. The Razorbacks had achieved a remarkable accomplishment by not dropping a single series all season on its way to winning the SEC's regular-season and conference tournament titles. " Three things will never be forgotten. The class and the dignity of how this team handled that decision. The second thing that'll never be forgotten is tonight. Coming back on the bus to this scene will be etched in our minds forever. And the third thing … that'll never be forgot- ten is the 2021 Wolfpack team that won the national championship that was never played. " Head coach Elliott Avent at the Doak Field rally for the team after returning from Omaha Junior Evan Justice began the year as a starting pitcher, but transitioned to the bullpen. In his 20 relief appearances, he notched 13 saves, four wins and a 1.85 ERA. His save total ranked fourth nationally and was the third- best single-season mark in Wolfpack history. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS