NC State set to begin NCAA Tournament at Auburn Regional, will open with Stetson

NC State needed to find a way to win in an SEC environment to clinch its ticket to the College World Series last season. It did just that at Georgia. Now, it will have a similar task to start its next quest to Omaha for the NCAA Tournament’s opening weekend. 

The Wolfpack drew the Auburn Regional, hosted by the No. 4 national-seeded Tigers. NC State will square off with Stetson (Friday, 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+), while Central Connecticut rounds out the four-team pod. 

But going into a likely hostile environment at Plainsman Park, a stadium that can hold raucous fans in the heart of SEC country, won’t be as intimidating for the Wolfpack after its trip to Athens, Ga., last season. 

“Playing at Georgia last year was super fun, the environment there was awesome,” sophomore reliever Jacob Dudan said after watching the selection show at Sports and Social in Cary. “Going to get to play in the SEC, the environments are always good there. Going to play at Auburn, it’s going to be super fun.”

NC State begins its stay in the NCAA Tournament on somewhat of a skid. The Wolfpack went just 3-7 in its last 10 games, including a series loss to Stanford to close the regular season. Although it wasn’t the momentum-building finish the Pack was looking for, the postseason provides an opportunity for the team to reset. 

That’s the experienced group’s mindset, anyways. The Wolfpack (33-19, 17-11 ACC) wants to put its first 52 games of 2025 behind it. It enters the NCAA Tournament with the idea that it’s 0-0 with everything to prove. 

Sophomore second baseman Luke Nixon, a key cog to the Pack’s run to Omaha a year ago, noted the team has been motivated to improve ever since Clemson knocked the team out of the ACC Tournament on Thursday night in Durham.

 “We’ve been practicing as hard as we can to get things right in the mistakes that we made at the ACC Championship,” Nixon said. “Just getting those right to put on a good show for the fans back home. We’re not worried about the things we can’t control.”

Stetson, the Wolfpack’s first opponent of the tournament, got into the field on a technicality. The Hatters were trailing Florida Gulf Coast 6-5 in the seventh inning of the Atlantic Sun Championship Game on Sunday afternoon before the contest was called due to inclement weather. 

As a result, Stetson was given the ASUN’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament since it took the regular season title. Despite the Hatters squeaking into the field, the Wolfpack isn’t overlooking them going into the weekend.

“I haven’t seen much from them, but we’re going to treat them like any other team,” Nixon said. “We’re going to treat them the same as Auburn. We’ll treat everything the same and we’ll go about it the right way.”

Stetson (40-20, 24-6 ASUN) went 5-10 against Power Conference competition this spring. When looking at common opponents between the Hatters and Wolfpack, Stetson split a midweek series with USC Upstate (beat NC State 15-5 in seven innings) and it knocked off Miami 11-2 in Coral Gables (NC State went 0-2 against the Hurricanes). 

As the Wolfpack prepares to embark on the _-mile journey to Auburn, Ala., it remains confident in its ability to compete with anyone in the country — no matter the logos on their hats.

“You can beat any team that you go against,” Nixon said. “Baseball’s a game of what-if. A lot can happen — pitching, hitting. I feel like we have a great chance.”

It’s a new season for NC State, who is looking to advance to its seventh Super Regional under skipper Elliott Avent, who is in his 29th season at the helm of the Wolfpack. While winning the weekend is the ultimate goal, NC State’s battle-tested squad is eager to continue playing together.

“It’s definitely a great feeling. Having an opportunity to play more baseball is always great,” Nixon said. “I love playing with this team. I feel like we have a great shot — wherever we go — to win and keep playing with the boys.”