The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1523120
38 ■ THE WOLFPACKER I BY NOAH FLEISCHMAN t usually takes some good fortune for a team to end its season at the Men's College World Series. For NC State, though, it seemed this spring as if new roadblocks were appearing at every turn on the road to Omaha. The Wolfpack lost three play- ers to season-ending injuries — right- handed pitchers Matt Willadsen and Shane Van Dam to torn elbow liga- ments, and outfielder Josh Hogue to a broken leg. NC State also battled illness throughout the year, including fresh- man designated hitter Alex Sosa's bout with the flu and mononucleosis in the same month and graduate righty Sam Highfill's sickness that caused him to miss a start at Louisville. Although it was an uphill climb for much of the spring, NC State seemed to grow stronger through it all. The Wolfpack was held together by its glue — graduate infielders Alec Makarewicz and Garrett Pennington — and found ways to surge into the postseason. That effort culminated in the pro- gram's fourth College World Series ap- pearance — its second in a four-year span — after it went 3-0 in the Raleigh Regional and won two of three at Geor- gia in the Athens Super Regional. NC State, which overcame hurdle af- ter hurdle, dropped both games at the College World Series, one-run losses to Kentucky and Florida that ended the Pack's trip all too quickly. But the Pack remained both appreciative and reflec- Senior outfielder Noah Soles personified the Wolfpack's resiliency, battling back from ankle surgery to help fuel the team's postseason rise. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS THE TOUGH THE TOUGH GET GOING GET GOING NC State Overcomes Setbacks To Cap Its Season At The Men's College World Series