NC State coach Elliott Avent
FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
Baseball is NC State’s second-oldest varsity sport, dating back in some form to 1893.
Over the last 115 years, NC State has produced stars on both the college and major league level, including 29 major leaguers and countless minor leaguers and all-conference performers. The Wolfpack has produced 26 All-Americans, including five first-team All-Americans. In the last decade alone, 10 Wolfpack players have earned All-America honors.
Now, current Wolfpack head coach Elliott Avent and the athletics department want to honor NC State’s baseball legacy by creating the NC State Baseball Hall of Fame. The first three inductees – Coach Sam Esposito, pitcher Mike Caldwell and slugger Chris Cammack – will be recognized on Thursday, Oct. 16 at halftime of the NC State-Florida State football game at Carter-Finley Stadium.
“These guys have meant so much to our university,” Avent said. “We’re proud to honor their accomplishments in front of so many Wolfpack fans. I think it will make this a special event for our inaugural inductees.”
An on-field ceremony will also commemorate the 40th anniversary of the 1968 team, which advanced to the College World Series, in Esposito’s second year as head coach.
All former Wolfpack (and Red Terror) baseball players are invited to participate in the Hall-of-Fame weekend, which includes recognition at the football game on Thursday night, a golf tournament on Friday morning and a special invitation to fall baseball practice Friday afternoon. Tickets for the game are $43 and can be purchased through the NC State athletic ticket office. To reserve seats, call the ticket office at (919) 865-1510 to be a part of the block seating for the game and reference the “Baseball Players Reunion Group.”
Former players are also encouraged to fill out this questionnaire to help build the school’s database of former players.
Given the tremendous success that baseball has enjoyed at NC State, the creation of the NC State Baseball Hall of Fame is fitting and appropriate. From Chick Doak to Vic Sorrell to Sam Esposito to Ray Tanner to Elliott Avent, NC State’s coaches have produced dozens of accomplished players and created a rich tradition of success that includes 22 NCAA appearances and five ACC championships.
NC State baseball is perhaps the only sport in college athletics history to create a state holiday – beginning in 1902, the school played an annual contest against Wake Forest on Easter Monday. The state legislature eventually made Easter Monday the official Easter holiday for North Carolina, mainly so the legislators could attend the game, played at Riddick Field in Pullen Park. The rest of the nation celebrated Good Friday.
One of the oldest living players is 95-year-old Ray “Lefty” Freeman, who struck out home run king Babe Ruth in the slugger’s final appearance as a professional player in North Carolina. On April 5, 1935, Ruth’s Boston Braves stopped at Fayetteville’s Highland Park on their way home from spring training in Florida to play an exhibition game against NC State’s varsity squad. The Braves won 6-2, though the Red Terrors were denied a comeback: the game was stopped in the seventh inning because the umpires ran out of baseballs. The crowd lining the foul lines kept all 40 balls that were hit foul – and even a few that were fair.
From Connie Mack Berry to Roman Gabriel to Tim Stoddard to Terry Gannon to Terry Harvey to the Combs family, some of the most familiar names in NC State athletics history have contributed to the baseball program. But the school would like to have a more comprehensive list.
In recent years, the team has enjoyed success on the field, making six consecutive NCAA appearances – longest stretch in program history – and winning both the 2003 NCAA Wilson Regional and the 2008 NCAA Raleigh Regional, the first ever hosted at NC State’s home, Doak Field at Dail Park.
Two pitchers – Joey Devine and Andrew Brackman – were taken in the first round of Major League Baseball’s First Year Player Draft in the last five years, and a record nine players off last year’s regional championship team were drafted by major league teams.
“Coach Avent is well aware of the importance of keeping up with our former players and rich history,” said Dick Christy, associate athletics director and sport administrator for baseball. “Oct. 16 and 17 will be a great event for NC State baseball’s past and present.”
