NC State’s CWS game against Vanderbilt delayed due to health and safety protocols
COVID-19 protocols thinned N.C. State’s available roster to nine position players and four pitchers for Friday’s College World Series baseball game against Vanderbilt. The Wolfpack lost 3-1.
The lineup N.C. State posted for the game did not include four starting position players -- second baseman JT Jarrett, center fielder Tyler McDonough, shortstop Jose Torres and designated hitter Terrell Tatum.
After N.C. State coach Elliott Avent said Thursday the Wolfpack planned to start Matt Willadsen on the mound, he started pitcher Garrett Payne instead. Payne, in his first start of the season, pitching five innings.
Only two players in Friday’s Wolfpack lineup played in the same positions when N.C. State beat Vanderbilt, 1-0, on Monday: catcher Luca Tresh and right fielder Devonte Brown.
In his postgame news conference, N.C. State coach Elliott Avent and pitcher-turned-first baseman Sam Highfill expressed confusion about the situation, saying they didn’t find out players wouldn’t be available until an hour or so before the scheduled starting time.
“I don’t want to discuss anything that happened today because quite frankly I have no understanding of what happened today,” Avent said. “So I’d rather not discuss any of that.”
The game’s start was delayed until 3:07 p.m., a little more than one hour later than originally scheduled.
“When I got here (to the stadium), that’s when I found out about everything,” Highfill said. “Other than that it was normal.”
Other officials from N.C. State did not return calls and texts from The News & Observer on Friday.
Wolfpack picks play over forfeit
In a statement posted on its Twitter feed around 2:30 p.m. on Friday, N.C. State athletics said “an undisclosed number of players from the team have been put into COVID-19 protocol and will be unavailable for today’s game. N.C. State, the NCAA and appropriate parties are working together to monitor the situation.”
Avent said the Wolfpack was given the choice of forfeiting Friday’s game and coming back to play on Saturday or attempting to play shorthanded on Friday. N.C. State chose to play with their 13 available players.
After Friday’s game, Avent said he did not know who would be available on Saturday.
“I have no idea what’s going on. Zero,” Avent said. “It just hasn’t been communicated.”
Following Monday’s win over Vanderbilt, Avent said an illness was going through the team: “Coach (Chris) Hart’s been sick for probably five or six days. J.T. Jarrett caught the bug a couple days ago. This bug seems to be going around. Cameron Cotter. I’ve got it a little bit. This bug seems to be floating around. And I think right now it’s important for our players to get some rest.”
Vanderbilt posted its starting lineup around 1:15 p.m. but N.C. State did not post one until 2:50 p.m.
N.C. State needed to beat Vanderbilt either Friday or in a possible Saturday game to reach the best-of-three College World Series championship series for the first time in program history. So the Wolfpack will get another chance on Saturday.
NCAA’s COVID-19 protocols in College World Series
NCAA COVID-19 protocols for College World Series participating teams called for a negative antigen test within one day of arrival or a negative PCR test within two days of arrival for all Tier 1 personnel, which is players, coaches and staff.
The same personnel was tested upon arrival. Anyone testing positive would quarantine until confirmed negative. Otherwise, teams were tested every other day while participating on-site.
Of note, the NCAA says fully vaccinated players and other Tier 1 individuals with no COVID-19-like symptoms may be exempt from routine testing. Players and other Tier 1 participants who are not vaccinated must continue to undergo testing at NCAA championships.
Is there a mandatory vaccine rule?
Asked if the coaches had talked to the players about getting vaccinated or had implemented a mandatory vaccine rule, Avent said many things are left up to the players.
“The parents drop their young men off and leave in my care,” Avent said. “They’ve raised them to be the quality people that we recruit. My job is to teach them baseball, make sure they get an education and keep them on the right track going forward. But I don’t try to indoctrinate the kids with my values or my opinions.
”Obviously we talk about a lot of things. But these are young men who can make their own decisions and that’s what they did.”
Before Friday, the Wolfpack hadn’t played since beating Vanderbilt, 1-0, on Monday. On Thursday, in an interview with The News & Observer, Avent said players were instructed to rest, outside of practices, during the days off. But he admitted with so many family and friends around his players weren’t likely to comply.
“I hope everybody has used it as I have, for rest,” Avent said Thursday. “They were instructed. But these are young guys who are starstruck with this city and this pageantry that goes along with Omaha. So they have lots of family here. This isn’t just mom and dad anymore. It’s aunts and uncles and best friends and maybe high school coaches. So they have people tugging at them so I’m sure they’ve been out a little more than I have. Except for practice, I haven’t left the confines of my hotel room.”
This story was originally published June 25, 2021 at 1:55 PM.