The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1523120
JULY/AUGUST 2024 ■ 39 tive after its season came to a close. "Obviously, getting to Omaha and dropping two games, that's not what you want," said redshirt senior pitcher Logan Whitaker, who missed all of April with an illness that caused him to lose nearly 30 pounds. "But to get to this point, it's very hard. I could not be prouder of this group of guys. I want people to remember the resiliency, the chemistry and the camaraderie and the way these guys competed every day." NC State never quit on itself. Rather, it embraced former men's basket- ball coach Jim Valvano's iconic quote: "Don't give up, don't ever give up." That became the theme of NC State's season midway through the year. The Pack won five series against ranked ACC opponents during the regular season, proving it was more than capable of beating any team in the country. The Pack had other setbacks, in- cluding senior outfielder Noah Soles' sprained ankle, which required surgery and caused him to miss a month on the field. But the team bounced back time after time. By the time Soles returned to the lineup, NC State was in a groove. He helped the Pack through the postsea- son, even when his hamstring both- ered him from time to time. Soles, like Whitaker, was going to find a way back on the field. "I've just poured everything into this program," said Soles, a four-year contributor who was also on the 2021 College World Series team. "I really emptied the tank. Coming back from surgery this year and the hamstring tear last year, I just wanted to be out there and help us win." NC State's resiliency showed up on the field. The Wolfpack trailed in both College World Series games but found ways to claw back and make each a tight score. NC State went 10 innings with Kentucky before falling 5-4 on a walk- off home run, and the Pack had a come- back bid staved off by Florida in the fi- nal game of the season, an identical 5-4 decision. "We never give up, we're always in the fight, no matter what the score of the game is," Soles said. "No matter what point in the game we are, we're never down and you can never count us out." The Pack fought tenaciously during its time in Omaha, led by Makarewicz's standout play. He clubbed a pair of home runs while driving in 4 Wolfpack baserunners to cap his collegiate career. An East Carolina transfer, Makare- wicz dazzled as one of the Pack's go- to bats in the order, and he was one of the players who helped keep the team together through its setbacks. Though it was a roller coaster of a season, Mak- arewicz wouldn't have had it any other way. "It's been the most fun year I've ever had," he said. Makarewicz, along with Penning- ton, helped power NC State back to the biggest stage in college baseball with a combined 52 doubles and 42 home runs between them. The College World Series provided a bittersweet ending for the Wolfpack. Yes, the team made it back to Charles Schwab Field, but it might have been even tougher to get on the bus bound for the airport — and eventually back to Raleigh. "It's a hard place to get to," NC State coach Elliott Avent said after his squad was eliminated. "It's a great place to get to. It's hard to leave." Now, it's up to Avent and his staff to get back. They'll need to plug several holes vacated by star veterans and a few that will be left open after the Major League Baseball Draft in mid-July. The transfer portal and recruiting never sleep, and the coaching staff may not sleep either until the 2025 roster is ready to go. ■ Date Opponent Result Feb. 16 VCU W, 6-1 Feb. 17 VCU L, 9-6 Feb. 18 VCU W, 5-3 Feb. 23 at Hawai'i W, 17-12 Feb. 24 at Hawai'i L, 7-5 Feb. 25 at Hawai'i W, 10-8 (8 inn.) Feb. 28 QUEENS W, 17-2 Mar. 1 TOWSON W, 6-5 Mar. 2 TOWSON W, 15-4 (7 inn.) Mar. 2 TOWSON W, 10-0 (7 inn.) Mar. 3 TOWSON W, 14-4 (7 inn.) Mar. 5 WINTHROP Canceled Mar. 8 BOSTON COLLEGE W, 5-4 (11 inn.) Mar. 8 BOSTON COLLEGE W, 9-1 Mar. 10 BOSTON COLLEGE W, 18-16 Mar. 12 UNC GREENSBORO L, 18-3 Mar. 15 at Georgia Tech L, 8-5 Mar. 16 at Georgia Tech L, 8-7 Mar. 17 at Georgia Tech L, 15-5 (7 inn.) Mar. 19 COASTAL CAROLINA W, 9-8 Mar. 22 DUKE W, 4-3 Mar. 23 DUKE W, 9-8 Mar. 24 DUKE L, 13-2 (7 inn.) Mar. 26 at UNC Greensboro Canceled Mar. 28 NOTRE DAME W, 10-0 (8 inn.) Mar. 29 NOTRE DAME W, 7-6 Mar. 30 NOTRE DAME W, 7-6 Apr. 2 EAST CAROLINA L, 12-4 Apr. 5 at Louisville L, 11-1 (7 inn.) Apr. 6 at Louisville L, 7-6 Apr. 7 at Louisville L, 7-6 Apr. 9 at UNC Wilmington L, 5-4 Apr. 12 at Clemson W, 11-8 Apr. 13 at Clemson W, 4-0 Date Opponent Result Apr. 14 at Clemson L, 7-0 Apr. 16 CAMPBELL L, 11-7 (12 inn.) Apr. 18 NORTH CAROLINA W, 9-8 Apr. 19 NORTH CAROLINA W, 5-4 Apr. 20 NORTH CAROLINA L, 14-3 Apr. 23 at East Carolina L, 10-6 Apr. 26 BALL STATE W, 10-2 Apr. 27 BALL STATE W, 9-3 Apr. 28 BALL STATE W, 11-3 Apr. 30 UNC Wilmington L, 5-4 May 3 at Florida State W, 8-7 May 4 at Florida State Canceled May 5 at Florida State L, 8-1 May 7 NORFOLK STATE W, 18-0 (7 inn.) May 10 at Virginia W, 7-5 May 11 at Virginia L, 9-5 May 12 at Virginia W, 13-5 May 16 WAKE FOREST W, 14-3 (8 inn.) May 17 WAKE FOREST W, 2-1 May 18 WAKE FOREST W, 9-6 May 22 Virginia Tech* W, 19-9 (8 inn.) May 23 Duke* L, 8-1 May 31 BRYANT** W, 9-2 June 1 SOUTH CAROLINA** W, 6-4 June 2 JAMES MADISON** W, 5-3 June 8 at Georgia^ W, 18-1 June 9 at Georgia^ L, 11-2 June 10 at Georgia^ W, 8-5 June 15 Kentucky^^ L, 5-4 (10 inn.) June 17 Florida^^ L, 5-4 * ACC Tournament at Charlotte, N.C. ** NCAA Raleigh Regional ^ NCAA Super Regional at Athens, Ga. ^^ Men's College World Series at Omaha, Neb. 2024 Baseball Schedule