Where NC State baseball plays in 2026 NCAA Tournament field

RALEIGH

N.C. State’s baseball season, and veteran coach Elliott Avent’s tenure, will extend through this weekend after the Pack sat on the NCAA Tournament bubble for the latter half of the season.

Selected as an at-large team Monday, the Wolfpack (32-22) will play in the Auburn Regional, featuring Milwaukee and Central Florida, and face UCF in Game 1.

This is the Pack’s fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

Last week, head coach Elliott Avent announced he would retire at the end of the season after 30 years with the program.

The 70-year-old Avent has now led the Wolfpack to 23 NCAA Tournament appearances.

Avent’s contract was up for renewal at the end of this season. Until the announcement, it was unclear what his future at N.C. State looked like.

Avent has guided the team to six Super Regional appearances and the Men’s College World Series in 2013, 2021 and 2024.

N.C. State promoted associate head coach Chris Hart to be Avent’s replacement.

N.C. State was on the bubble this season after struggling through the ACC schedule, losing six of its 10 series. Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech swept the Pack.

While nonconference losses to Lafayette, Elon, Campbell and Liberty also hurt the Pack’s tournament resume, the committee placed N.C. State in the 64-team field.

The Wolfpack went 14-3 to start the season and 4-8 in its next 12 games, including a seven-game losing streak.

N.C. State finished 13-11 in the final two months of the season, but six wins were against Quad 3 opponents. The team was 5-11 in Quad 1 games, and has six losses to teams in Quadrants 3 and 4.

The Wolfpack enters the NCAA Tournament coming off a 21-12 loss to No. 16-seeded Duke, one of its Quad 3 opponents, in the first round of the ACC Tournament. N.C. State was the No. 9 seed.

It entered Selection Monday with an RPI of 51, ranking No. 11 out of 16 ACC teams.

The pitching staff lost right-handed starter Jacob Dudan in early April after he was officially ruled out on April 9 and underwent Tommy John surgery. It then lost lefty pitcher Ryan Marohn about a week later, significantly hindering the Wolfpack’s ability to right the ship. Marohn was cleared to begin activities, but in the case of a return, he will not be in a starting role and limited to 30 or 40 pitches.

Prior to their injuries, Marohn led the team with a 3.18 ERA, and Dudan posted a 3.60 ERA. Sophomore Anderson Nance, who has pitched 47.2 innings, has a 3.78 ERA and the only other pitcher with a sub-4.50 ERA.