The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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50 ■ THE WOLFPACKER Male Rookie Of The Year Freshman pitcher Sam Highfill quickly became a household name for Wolfpack fans during NC State's magical run in the 2021 College World Series. In the biggest game of his career to date, the 6-3, 211-pound right-hander outdueled Vanderbilt ace Jack Leiter, the antici- pated No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, to help lead the Pack to a 1-0 win over the Commodores in the first meeting between the two schools this summer in Omaha. In 7⅓ shutout innings, Highfill allowed just two hits and struck out seven bat- ters while giving up only two walks. Four days later, he was called upon to play first base when the Wolfpack had just 13 players available for the second meet- ing against Vanderbilt, which turned out to be the last game of the season. In his first three plate appearances of the season, the freshman hit three singles against the Commodores' second ace Kumar Rocker, who was one of three finalists for the Golden Spikes Awards, along with Leiter. Highfill finished the 2021 season with a team-best 3.66 ERA among Pack pitchers that went at least 15 innings during the campaign. He also finished second on the team with 84 strikeouts compared to just 26 walks and held opponents to a .224 batting av- erage. His nine wins tied for the team lead, and only one freshman in the land had more. A YEAR TO REMEMBER NC State Made The Most Of An Unusual Year For Sports BY MATT CARTER AND JUSTIN H. WILLIAMS he 2020-21 college athletics season was one of a kind. After 2020 spring sports were abruptly ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, pulling off a fall season was far from a certainty last summer. But through the leader- ship of the administration and coaches, combined with the sacrifices and dedication of the student-athletes, NC State had one of its best years in athletics history. The Wolfpack finished No. 23 in the final Division I Learfield IMG College Directors' Cup standings released July 2 — the second-best showing in school history. The Pack ranked sixth among schools from the ACC. NC State received top-10 point totals in six sports. The Wolfpack finished as national runners up in women's cross country, and women's swimming and diving. The Pack also made it to the national semifinals in both women's tennis, which marked a program first, and baseball. But according to the Directors' Cup standings, NC State did not receive a top-four point total in baseball despite being one of the last four teams standing in Omaha. Because the Wolfpack was disqualified from the College World Series due to COVID-19 protocols, the program did not receive a placement in the final Directors' Cup baseball standings and earned just five points. In comparison, Texas — the other school that was eliminated from Omaha in the semifinals — received 83 points for a third-place finish. Had the Pack received even just that point total for its semifinals appearance, the school would have finished 18th overall in the Director's Cup standings, which still would have been the second-best finish in program history behind its final ranking of No. 15 in 2017-18. Wrestling and men's swimming and diving placed sixth and eighth at their respective NCAA Championships, while the women's bas- ketball team reached the Sweet 16, earning it a tie for ninth in the Director's Cup standings. On top of its accomplishments in the NCAA Championships, NC State won three ACC team titles: women's basketball, women's cross country and wrestling. Freshman right-hander Sam Highfill led the team with a 3.66 ERA (minimum 15 innings pitched) and ranked second with 84 strikeouts while helping NC State reach the College World Series. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS T