Imagine making the College World Series and getting so close to the finish line only for your time in the tournament to just stop. That’s exactly what happened with NC State, the lone remaining ACC representative. On Friday, the Wolfpack lost the first game of the semifinal round to Vanderbilt, 3-1, with half of its roster missing because of COVID-19 protocols. Then, in the wee hours of Saturday, the ultimate bombshell was dropped on the Wolfpack:
Wolfpack coach Elliott Avent did everything to avoid talking about the subject in Friday’s postgame news conference. He referred to it as “politics” and said he didn’t wish to “indoctrinate” his players about on his viewpoints. He also indicated that he wasn’t sure if he would get any players in COVID-19 protocols back for Saturday’s game. However, the decision that came a few hours later rendered that point moot.
Vanderbilt will play the winner of Saturday’s contest between Texas and Mississippi State in the best-of-three finals. The last series begins Monday.