NC State baseball drops rain-delayed NCAA Tournament game to UCF. What’s next.
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- N.C. State lost its rain-delayed NCAA opener to UCF by a 9-3 score Saturday.
- UCF hit four home runs, and Andrew Williamson hit three of them.
- The loss sent N.C. State (32-23) into a 3 p.m. elimination game against Auburn.
N.C. State started fast but faltered after the first inning Friday night before enduring overnight rain delay and losing its NCAA Tournament opener Saturday.
UCF brushed aside an early three-run deficit, pounding four home runs on the way to an 9-3 NCAA Tournament Auburn Regional win in game that started Friday night but ended Saturday at Plainsman Park.
The loss dropped the Wolfpack (32-23) into a 3 p.m. elimination game Saturday against Auburn (38-20), the regional host and No. 4 national seed which lost 13-8 to Milwaukee earlier Friday. That means Saturday could mark the end of N.C. State coach Elliot Avent’s career.
UCF (32-21) and Milwaukee (26-31) meet Saturday at 8 p.m. for a berth in the regional final.
The 70-year-old Avent announced his plan to retire after this season on May 21. He’s coached the Wolfpack for 30 seasons and this is the program’s 10th NCAA Tournament appearance in the past 11 seasons.
The Wolfpack grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first inning Friday night, with Mikey Ryan driving in the first run with an infield single before Dalton Barko followed with a two-run single to left field.
UCF fought back immediately, though, as Andrew Williamson slugged the first of his three home runs in the game. Williamson’s two-run shot off Wolfpack starting pitcher Anderson Nance. Jordan Lodise tied the score at 3 with a solo home run in the second inning.
In the fourth inning, UCF took the lead for good on run-scoring singles by Zak Skinner and Landon Moran.
Williamson picked on Nance again in the fifth inning, blasting a three-run home run extending UCF’s lead to 8-3. Williamson added a solo home run in the seventh inning.
N.C. State collected 12 hits but stranded 14 runners and was unable to make a dent in the deficit.
This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 12:33 PM with the headline "NC State baseball drops rain-delayed NCAA Tournament game to UCF. What’s next.."