Elliott Avent’s coaching career ends on rare call in NC State baseball loss
While Elliott Avent wasn’t kicking on his way to retirement, he did go out screaming in the final game of his storied N.C. State coaching career.
Having announced his retirement plans prior to the NCAA Tournament, Avent saw his Wolfpack fall behind No. 4 national seed Auburn twice by 10-run deficits in Saturday’s Auburn Regional elimination game. True to form under its veteran leader, N.C. State rallied but still trailed 17-13 in the bottom of the ninth.
With two outs, N.C. State freshman Christian Serrano fell into a two-strike count against Auburn’s Jackson Sanders before working the count full. Before Sanders could throw another pitch, though, Serrano was called for a pitch-timer violation for not being ready to hit, handing Avent and the Wolfpack a 17-13 loss.
Just like that, the game ended, as did the 70-year-old Avent’s career after recording a school-record 1,103 wins in 30 seasons leading the Wolfpack.
“To end a regional like that,” Avent told reporters, “I hate that.”
Avent argued with home-plate umpire Alan Gorewitz, throwing his cap in disgust, before accepting his team’s fate and going over to congratulate Auburn’s coaches and players.
The crowd at Plainsman Park stood for an ovation as Avent walked off the field.
“Their boys had a look in their eye that they wanted to keep playing,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson told reporters. “I want to go out like that. That’s how you are supposed to go out.”
After losing a rain-delayed regional game to UCF 9-3 earlier Saturday, N.C. State (32-24) faced the unenviable task of playing the region’s top seed on its home field in a knockout game. The Tigers (39-20), having been upset, 13-8, by unheralded Milwaukee on Friday, promptly scored eight first-inning runs. Auburn lead 7-0 before the Wolfpack recorded two outs.
The Tigers pushed their lead to 10-0 in the second inning before the Wolfpack started a comeback. Dalton Barko’s single and an Andrew Wiggins RBI groundout brought in two N.C. State runs in the bottom of the second inning.
In the third, N.C. State scored five times, aided by a pair of Auburn errors, to draw even closer. Bargo’s two-run home run with two outs trimmed the Auburn lead to 10-7.
The Tigers picked on Wolfpack pitchers Heath Andrews and Ryder Garino, scoring twice in the fourth and five more times in the sixth inning to build a 17-7 lead.
Avent’s team, though, refused to go quietly.
Run-scoring singles by Luke Nixon and Chris McHugh highlighted the Wolfpack’s two-run sixth inning.
In the seventh, Barko ripped an RBI double and later scored on a wild pitch. Serrano drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Vincent DeCarlo’s solo home run sliced Auburn’s lead to 17-13 and kept hope alive for the Wolfpack.
But Sanders took over on the mound for Auburn and held the Pack scoreless while allowing just two hits over the final 2 1/3 innings.
His final strikeout came with him holding the ball in his hand, and it ushered in a new era of N.C. State baseball. Associate head coach Chris Hart is taking over as head coach with Avent’s retirement.
That decision by N.C. State’s administration gave Avent peace about his decision to walk away from a job he’s held since taking over the Pack for the 1997 season.
“It was the right place at the right time, but I wanted to make sure Chris Hart was the next head coach,” Avent said earlier this week.
After Saturday’s loss, he remained grateful for all his time at N.C. State.
“It’s been a great ride,” Avent told reporters. “I just want to thank every person and there have been so many. People make the difference when you’re trying to win.”
This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 8:59 PM with the headline "Elliott Avent’s coaching career ends on rare call in NC State baseball loss."