MCLAMB: Character Guides NC State To Super Showdown

There will be a baseball game in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Sunday.

NC State fought back with execution, an inning of long balls, and great pitching to squeak by Arkansas, 6-5, at Baum-Walker Stadium, staving off elimination and putting pressure on the Razorbacks to respond. 

Sam Highfill was brilliant when NC State needed him the most. Evan Justice navigated through a rocky seventh inning to do what he always seems to do. The Wolfpack got the job done every time a bunt, stolen base, or contact play was called. The margin for error was small, but NCSU played at its highest efficiency level. 

When there was an unforced error, like the throwing miscue Jose Torres made in the seventh inning to extend the frame for Arkansas, the Wolfpack escaped with enough room to spare.

No one would have bet on NC State to prevail Saturday. They will play for a berth in the College World Series on Sunday.

The Wolfpack (34-18) answered back after one of the largest losses in program history, in a Super Regional road game no less, to beat a top-ranked Arkansas squad with 50 wins on the season. It is stunning.

Except it is quite literally what the Pack has done all season. Baseball tournament play is as interesting as it gets. A 19-run loss is equal to a one-run win. It could take weeks for NC State to outscore Arkansas by 20 runs, but if the Pack squeezes out another one-run victory, they will be the ones getting on a plane to head to Omaha.

The test most NC State fans should use to gauge the character of the Wolfpack sports teams is simple; would Jim Valvano and Kay Yow be proud of them?

The 2021 season has been an obstacle course for NC State, but the Wolfpack never lost its balance. The poor ACC start, the loss to Duke in Charlotte, and the shellacking in Arkansas. Those would be considered painful or embarrassing to most. To NC State, it is just an opportunity to show what it is made of. 

"I don’t think it was an embarrassing loss (Friday)," NC State head coach Elliott Avent said. "Obviously, the score was lopsided, but when you’re playing when like 240 teams are sitting at home, I don’t think there’s anything embarrassing about that."

The game on Sunday represents a 50/50 chance for NC State to advance to the College World Series. That is as good as anyone could ask for. 

If there is a sad way of looking at it from the NC State point-of-view, it would be that it can all end Sunday. The bottom line for fans of the Pack is they should enjoy and be thankful every single time the team takes the field. 

There are many ways to gauge the heart and character of NC State's teams, but the one tried and true method for Wolfpack Nation is to apply the Valvano/Yow question. Would Jim Valvano and Kay Yow be proud of this Wolfpack team?

The answer is probably easy for the 2021 NC State baseball team. Valvano and Yow, two legends who never knew what quitting or bowing to any adversity felt like, would almost certainly be thrilled with what Avent's squad has conjured up this season. Through time, the duo has been the standard of measuring resilience at NC State. The baseball program is holding up its end. 

The eyes of the country will be on NC State at Arkansas. Sunday's game is a shot for the Wolfpack to inch closer to competing for a national title. 

There will be tension. There will be two great teams playing for something that means quite a lot. 

The build-up and the start of the game Sunday will be one of the most nerve-wracking sporting events NC State fans have experienced in many years, and they would not have it any other way. This is what the path to being elite feels like.