DUGOUT REPORT: Wolfpack Bests Bulldogs, Punches Ticket to Omaha
Members from No. 11 NC State and No. 10 Georgia met with the media following the Wolfpack’s 8-5 win versus the Bulldogs in the 2024 NCAA Athens Super Regional.
Head coach Elliott Avent, right-handed pitcher Logan Whitaker, center fielder Eli Serrano, III, and third baseman Alec Makarewicz addressed the media on behalf of the Pack. Representing the Dawgs, head coach Wes Johnson, designated hitter Tre Phelps, and third baseman Charlie Condon attended the postgame press conference.
NOTE: Click on each respective thumbnail to watch each press conference in the player above.
No. 11 NC State (38-21) secured its berth in the 2024 NCAA Men’s College World Series with a decisive victory over No. 10 Georgia (43-17) Monday evening at Foley Field, 8-5.
Whitaker started on the mound for the Wolfpack and pitched 4-1/3 innings in which he allowed two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out seven batters. Jacob Dudan (4-2, 4.40 ERA) entered in the fifth inning with the bases loaded and got the team out of the jam en route to the win. Derrick Smith succeeded Dudan’s 1-2/3-inning outing with three innings in which he allowed just one run, picking up his eighth save of the season.
The Bulldogs struck first in the bottom of the second inning. Dylan Goldstein drew a leadoff walk before Phelps drilled his 12th home run of the season over the center-field wall. The Wolfpack responded with a pair of runs in the top of the third with Serrano reaching on a leadoff single before Garrett Pennington crushed his 18th homer of 2024 to tie the game at two apiece.
State tacked on two more runs in the top of the fourth inning. Matt Heavner led off with a double, followed by a walk to Noah Soles. After Serrano bunted the pair to second and third, Heavner scoreed on a passed ball. Soles would later score on an RBI base hit by Makarewicz, making it a two-run lead for the Pack.
Both teams added runs in the sixth inning. In the top half, Serrano led off by launching his ninth home run of the season over the video board in right-center field. In the bottom half, Phelps hit a one-out single, scampered to third on a base hit by Dillon Carter, then scored on a sacrifice fly by Fernando Gonzalez.
Alex Sosa padded the lead further in the top of the seventh, crushing his sixth home run of the season into Kudzu Hill beyond right field. However, the Dawgs responded with another run after the stretch. Corey Collins led off with a walk before moving to second on a beanball to Condon. Collins tagged and advanced to third on a fly-out to deep center field in the next at-bat before scoring on a groundout by Dylan Goldstein to make it 6-4 in favor of the Pack.
Makarewicz secured NC State’s final two runs of the game in the top of the eighth. With two outs in the frame, Pennington kept the inning alive with a double before Makarewicz cleared the right-center-field wall for his 22nd home run of the 2024 campaign. The Dawgs attempted to stage a rally in the bottom of the ninth with Condon raking his 37th homer of the year, but Smith slammed the door to punch his team’s ticket to Omaha.
The Wolfpack will next battle Kentucky on Saturday, June 15 at Charles Schwab Field in the second day of the College World Series. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m. EST.