On to Omaha: NC State ousts top-seeded Arkansas in NCAA baseball Super Regional
Arkansas called the Kopps, but Justice was served on the N.C. State side.
Wolfpack freshman Evan Justice came in late and didn’t give up a hit in two innings, and Jose Torres hit a solo home run in the top of the ninth as N.C. State held off No. 1 seed Arkansas, 3-2.
With the win, the Pack heads to the College World Series for just the third time, and first time since 2013. N.C. State will take on Stanford in Omaha.
The Wolfpack cranked out eight hits, seven off Razorbacks starter Kevin Kopps. Kopps gave up two home runs, the last to Torres and the first to Jonny Butler in the top of the third, a two-run shot that put State up 2-1.
After being blown out 21-2 in Game 1 on Friday, N.C. State showed plenty of grit to win back-to-back, one-run games.
Coming into the game Arkansas (50-13) hadn’t dropped a series all season. The top overall seed almost pulled off the comeback, tying the game at two in the bottom of the seventh when Cayden Wallace took Chris Villaman yard, but Justice, who saw action on Saturday, had enough gas in the tank to shut down the Hogs and punch a ticket to the College World Series, which starts on Saturday.
“I’m just really happy for these guys,” Wolfpack head coach Elliott Avent said. “A lot of people talked about what a gut check win (Saturday) was, but I thought today may have been even a better gut check win.”
Avent’s reasoning for that was his team facing Kopps in his first start of the year. Normally a closer, Kopps got some action on Saturday, but rolled out as the starter in the decisive game. N.C. State wasn’t intimidated, getting two hits in the opening inning to show that Kopps was human. That gave the team, which respected Kopps’ ability, some confidence early.
“I give credit to our coaching staff,” Torres said. “They trusted us and we were able to compete with a pitcher like him.”
The Wolfpack got to Kopps — finally — in a big way, with Butler’s two-run shot in the top of the third. A fan was running around Baum-Walker Stadium wearing a ‘Jonny Butler Sucks’ t-shirt, but Butler set the tone for his team and had the last laugh in Fayetteville.
“It was unbelievable,” Butler said about his homer. “We had a focus from the first day, we had a good scouting report. I was able to piece a couple of balls together and get one out of there and it felt really, really good.”
Kopps did keep State off the board for five straight innings, but in crunch time, Torres hit his third home run of the series to give N.C. State the lead for good.
Torres finished the series 3-12 with three home runs and 4 RBIs. As he jogged around the bases on Sunday, the freshman shortstop soaked up the moment.
“It was a feeling you’ll never forget,” Torres said. “It was an awesome feeling.”
N.C. State wasn’t done yet. Torres’ home run wasn’t enough of an insurance run to start a celebration. Arkansas, the best offensive team in the country, still had a shot. However, Justice, who struck out two of the first three batters he faced, was more than ready to finish the job.
“In between innings I just asked those guys to give me one run,” Justice said. “I was going to go out there and give them my all and try and put this team to Omaha.”
Justice, who threw 48 pitches on Saturday, was a no-brainer for Avent in the eighth.
“I generally don’t bring Evan Justice into a tied game,” Avent said. “But I thought if this team is going to beat us, they are going to beat our best.”
Returning to Omaha
It’s been eight years since Avent led a team to the College World Series, and early in the conference slate, a trip to Omaha seemed laughable.
The 1-8 start to ACC play has been well documented, and the one-run loss to Duke in the ACC title game could have been a death blow. All N.C. State did was go 3-0 in the Ruston Region and win two straight against Arkansas in front of their home crowd.
During the postseason run, the entire season, really, Avent has talked at great length about the heart of this club.
“They are committed to one another, committed to themselves,” Avent said. “People like that have a great chance of overcoming obstacles and odds, that’s what these guys did.”
As challenging as it’s been for Avent to get back to Omaha the last eight years, the veteran skipper wants this trip more for his players than anything.
“The school gets a lot out of it, the staff gets a lot out of it,” Avent said. “But it’s always special for the players. I’m so happy for these players. They deserve to walk in that stadium and me see the look in their eyes and their faces to be in the college baseball environment there is.”
This story was originally published June 13, 2021 at 8:58 PM with the headline "On to Omaha: NC State ousts top-seeded Arkansas in NCAA baseball Super Regional."
