South Raleigh News

NC State, the No. 10 national seed in this year's NCAA Tournament, is set to open its 34th tournament appearance against Bryant on Friday night. The Wolfpack will face the Bulldogs at 7 p.m., with the game streamed live on ESPN+ and a free audio stream available via the Varsity Network App and WKNC 88.1.

The starting pitchers for Friday's game are RHP Sam Highfill for NC State and RHP Austin Wainer for Bryant.

NC State is hosting an NCAA Regional for the seventh time under head coach Elliott Avent. All previous hostings have occurred since 2003, with NC State holding an 18-5 record in home Regional matchups.

The Wolfpack has participated in the NCAA Tournament 33 times before, with a record of 63-68. They have advanced to the Super Regionals five times and reached the College World Series three times. In their last season, they competed in the NCAA Columbia Regional but were eliminated after losing two games.

This marks NC State's 34th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and their selection continues a strong tradition of postseason participation under Coach Avent, who has led them to numerous regional appearances over his tenure.

NC State will be facing Bryant for the first time at Doak Field. The Bulldogs have a history of limited success in past tournaments, holding a record of 1-6.

In other matchups within this regional, NC State holds a favorable historical record against South Carolina and James Madison. Against South Carolina, they have won two out of four tournament encounters held in Raleigh. The Wolfpack also boasts a seven-game winning streak against James Madison.

NC State's athletics department has achieved significant success across multiple sports this year, being one of only eight schools to reach postseason play in baseball, football, men's basketball, and women's basketball.

The team's performance during its final ACC series was strong despite facing top-ranked opponents. Their strength of schedule was ranked third nationally by warrennolan.com.

Garrett Pennington leads all ACC players with his doubles performance entering into this tournament phase.

The schedule for the Raleigh Regional is set as follows: On May 31st at Doak Field at Dail Park - Game 1 features South Carolina vs. James Madison at 2 p.m., followed by NC State vs. Bryant at 7 p.m., both broadcasted on ESPN+. Subsequent games are scheduled through June 3rd if necessary.