The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546417
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 ■ 47 plished a major goal for any college baseball program. "Our goal is to win it all," Street told Hart in the moments following the game. "It was never to come here and win a Super Regional." Nearly a quarter-century has passed since his postgame exchange with Street, but Hart still remembers it vividly. "That hit me," he recalled. "They just [earned a trip] to Omaha, and they cel- ebrated it like it was a midweek victory." As a player, Hart expected to reach the College World Series each season, but he didn't feel the same way about win- ning a national championship. Florida State holds the record for the most trips to Omaha without a title (24). When Hart arrived at NC State to join Elliott Avent's coaching staff in 2005, he wanted to change the expectations in Raleigh. Making it to a regional wasn't good enough; the College World Series should be the goal. And after being part of three Wolf- pack teams to make it to Omaha, in- cluding two in a four-year span (2021, 2024), Hart still wants more. He covets the national championship hardware and works every day with an eye toward NC State being the last team standing on Charles Schwab Field. He's been given a chance to chase that goal in a new role. Hart was promoted to lead NC State's baseball program after Avent retired following 30 years at the helm of his beloved team, and the first- year head coach wants to change expec- tations once again. He doesn't want to just make the College World Series; he's fixated on winning it. That's the mindset he carries with him into his debut campaign in the dugout. "If you just strive to get to a regional, it's hard to get to Omaha," Hart said. "If you think about higher bars, then getting to a regional should be an automatic. "It doesn't mean it's easy, by any means. It's hard to get there." A Positive Example Hart's approach is simple. Players have to believe they can do it. To his way of thinking, they are selling themselves short if they just aim to reach the NCAA Tournament or are content with hosting a regional weekend. The 45-year-old coach needs his teams to have faith that they can win a national championship if they put in the work necessary to reach such heights. Although Hart has been in charge in Raleigh for just three months, his message is already resonating with the team. Nearly every transfer who signed with the Wolfpack this offseason men- tioned being able to compete for a na- tional championship as a key reason for choosing NC State over the dozens of other Power Four schools that wanted their services. That is a positive sign in Hart's quest to raise the expectation level around Doak Field at Dail Park and within the team's new $20 million training facility. There's more work to do on that front, of course, but the Wolfpack has time to continue laying the groundwork for what could be a special season when fall workouts commence in September, which will feature scrimmages against Appalachian State (Sept. 25), North Carolina (Oct. 16 in Durham), Duke and Liberty. For Hart, who will continue to de- velop hitters and run the offense in his new role, a national title is the ultimate goal. He has drawn inspiration from watching the Carolina Hurricanes fi- nally break through to win the Stanley Cup after knocking on the door in the seven seasons prior. Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour is an avid supporter of the Wolfpack baseball program and re- cently spoke to players about the jour- ney his team took to hockey's highest plateau. Brind'Amour's message was that it's perfectly fine to set a goal of winning it all, but it's also important to appreciate the steps along the way — even if those steps include the kind of painful les- sons that defeat can teach. Eventually, he said, the barriers will fall. Setting The Bar That's certainly what Hart believes. He bought into every word the former Carolina captain and well-respected leader preached inside the Doak Field locker room. "I want to keep pushing that enve- lope," Hart said. "If you're going for a national championship and you come up a little short in Omaha or you come up short but won a regional, it's still a really good year. "You achieved a lot of really good things. If that bar is lower and you don't achieve it, you end up not really having what you wanted." NC State will have high expectations under Hart. The banner affixed to the side of Doak Field celebrates the pro- gram's four trips to the College World Series, three of which have come in the past 13 seasons with Hart in the dug- out. That's a good motivator for the Wolfpack, but the longtime assistant- turned-head coach would like to replace it with one that has two words inscribed on it: "National Champions." Hart will be excited to lead the Wolf- pack to Omaha, make no mistake about that. But he won't be content with just an appearance. While the road ahead will be hard, the culture and expecta- tions are in keeping with Hart's goals. Like the Texas players who impressed him on that warm night in Tallahassee years ago, Hart is here to win a title. ■ " I want to keep pushing that envelope. If you're going for a national championship and you come up a little short in Omaha or you come up short but won a regional, it's still a really good year. You achieved a lot of really good things. If that bar is lower and you don't achieve it, you end up not really having what you wanted." Hart