Large crowd gathers at Doak Field to celebrate the return of NC State’s baseball team
After a day of frustration and heartbreak, N.C. State’s baseball team flew back to Raleigh, where a large crowd of fans waited Saturday outside Doak Field at Dail Park.
Wolfpack fans began assembling early, their numbers building, cheering, chanting, ready to give their team a championship-type reception as it returned from the College World Series.
One fan outside the Wolfpack’s home park lit a Vanderbilt T-shirt on fire. Others cheered him on for a few seconds until an NCSU security officer jumped in, snatched the shirt away and stomped out the flames. Most of the fans were content to chant “We beat Vandy!” and did so loudly.
Around 9:15 p.m., the fans were allowed to start filing into The Doak, a sensible decision considering the numbers, and the stands quickly filled.
The team arrived at the park around 9:30 p.m. They stood on the infield as coach Elliott Avent spoke to the crowd, using a megaphone that he later passed to the players, who came forward to say a few words to the crowd of fans.
“This means as much to me as anything that has happened in my baseball career and my baseball life,” Avent said. “Words cannot express how much this means to us, our staff and our players.
“I’ve been here 25 years and y’all know I love N.C. State and I’ve loved all our teams. I don’t think we’ve had a group of players show so much heart and character and fought through so many things to not only bring so much joy to Wolfpack fans, but they’ve captured the heart of the whole nation.”
N.C. State was one win away from reaching the championship series in the College World Series when the NCAA ruled their Saturday game against Vanderbilt a no-contest after Wolfpack players tested positive for COVID-19. The Wolfpack played Vandy on Friday with 13 players, including 4 pitchers, in losing 3-1.
The NCAA announced the no contest in a tweet at 2:10 a.m. Saturday before tweeting that Vanderbilt was moving on to the CWS final series.
In a statement Saturday evening, N.C. State athletic director Boo Corrigan said some of the positive tests came from players who had been vaccinated.
“We have confirmed that a number of our players who tested positive had previously been vaccinated,” Corrigan wrote. “While rare, we know that breakthrough infections are possible for individuals who have been vaccinated. Fortunately, those who have been vaccinated and still get COVID are at much less risk for serious illness.”
This story was originally published June 26, 2021 at 9:03 PM with the headline "Large crowd gathers at Doak Field to celebrate the return of NC State’s baseball team."
