MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — The strategy was to save the best pitching for later.
But now, there is no later.

Stony Brook scored six runs in the first inning, enough to beat N.C. State 6-2 in an NCAA tournament elimination game at BB&T Coastal Field Saturday.

It was the Seawolves' first NCAA tournament win since joining the Division I ranks in 2000. Stony Brook (30-26) made regional appearances in 2004 and 2008.

N.C. State (38-24) had a dreadful first inning, down 6-0 before it faced a pitch.

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — The College of Charleston shelled junior ace Jake Buchanan early and hung on for a 9-6 win over N.C. State in the NCAA tournament Friday.

"I know that he was one of the front-line pitchers in the ACC,"
Charleston coach Monte Lee said of Buchanan. "We just took first-pitch swings, and we found some momentum."

N.C. State, runner-up in the ACC Baseball Tournament, earned a third seed in the NCAA tourney today.

So did North Carolina -- after failing to make the ACC tournament at all.

The Tar Heels, who have advanced to the College World Series for the past four seasons, were named to 64-team field ahead of Boston College -- the eighth seed in the league tourney.

UNC -- which tied BC in the regular-season standings -- got in on the strength of a high RPI [20 on last Tuesday's NCAA list] and a strong finish [winning 12 of the final 15 games].

The Eagles, which earned the tiebreaker over Carolina to earn the  final seed in the ACC tourney -- hurt their case by losing eight of their last 11 games, including two in the league tournament.

In all, the ACC placed a record eight teams in the NCAA tournament, although N.C. State coach Elliott Avent said the league deserved one more bid.

"I think we should have gotten nine,'' he said today. "I think Carolina deserved to go. My gosh, they were playing good. This is a great league. It's a great league, meaning all nine should have gone. Boston College should not have gotten left out.

"It's kind of, why do you play the ACC Tournament? The ACC Tournament can beat you up, now. Carolina got to sit at home and rest and get in the bigger [tournament].  That's like Virginia wins the league next year or we win the league next year [in the regular season race] and we just say, 'Hey, we won't come to the ACC Tournament, we've got a couple of guys banged up. We'll stay here and rest and get ready for the next round.'

"I don't think it's good. I think it's good if Carolina goes and all nine go."

Asked his thoughts on making the NCAA tournament, while a team that made the league tourney didn't, UNC coach Mike Fox said: "I feel bad for Mik [Aoki, the BC baseball coach]. ... I know the committee probably had a difficult time with it, as well. ...  I'm assuming the committee tries to put stock in your whole body of work. I wish the league would have gotten nine, I'm sure there's going to be people out there who are going to have opinions on whether we should or we shouldn't [get in], but I'm just happy for our players."

State is the third seed in the Myrtle Beach regional. Coastal Carolina is the top seed in that region, with Charleston No. 2 and Stony Brook No. 4.

UNC is the No. 3 seed in the Norman, Oklahoma Region. Oklahoma, California and Oral Roberts round out the seeds.

Also locally, Elon earned a No. 3 seed in the Atlanta region. Clemson is a No. 2 seed in the Auburn region.

N.C. State catcher Chris Schaeffer, who was knocked unconscious during a home plate collision late in ACC title game on Sunday, was released from Greensboro's Moses Cone Hospital and returned to Raleigh with a member of the training staff.

According to a news release from the school, Schaeffer was diagnosed with a concussion, but further tests proved negative. The Wolfpack lost the game to Florida State, 8-3.

GREENSBORO — By winning 12 of its final 17 games, finishing runner-up to the ACC tournament title and pushing its RPI into the top 50, N.C. State’s baseball team likely has played its way into an NCAA at-large bid.

“They’ve definitely proved they are deserving,’’ Aaron Fitt, national college baseball analyst for Baseball America, said after the Wolfpack lost to FSU 8-3 at NewBridge Bank Park on Sunday.

But the question now is, how many other ACC teams will join the Wolfpack when the 64-team field is announced Monday?

GREENSBORO — N.C. State pulled out a 10-9, 10-inning win over Virginia Tech early this morning to advance to today's ACC championship final at NewBridge Bank Park.

It was the second night in a row that the Wolfpack (38-21) needed more than one day to complete a game.

What would N.C. State coach Elliott Avent tell his team afterwards?

"Go to bed," he said.

N.C. State designated hitter Pratt Maynard drove in Kyle Wilson for the game-winning run on a single in the top of the 10th inning.

RALEIGH - N.C. State came out swinging in its baseball
season-opener on Friday afternoon at Doak Field. And didn't stop until
it had scored a school-record 32 runs in a 32-3 victory over La Salle.

The Pack scored 10 runs in the first inning and led 20-1 after three
innings. The single-game record for runs of 29 set on March 24, 1984,
against Wake Forest was broken when State scored six runs in the sixth
inning to take a 31-2 lead.

"The wind was blowing and we came out swinging," N.C. State coach Elliott Avent said. "We were swinging the bats very well." 

Former N.C. State first baseman Aaron Bates, whom we wrote about here not too long ago, was called up to the Boston Red Sox last week.

He struggled to hit the ball in his first couple of games last week, but then broke through with his first major league hit on Saturday. Then Sunday, just before the All-Star break, he broke through, going 3-for-4 with a run, a pair of doubles and an RBI.

RALEIGH — Wolfpack coach Elliott Avent went to Ol’ Roy’s playbook Tuesday.

In jest, he threw an F-bomb, and then another for good measure.

N.C. State athletics director Lee Fowler said today that he and baseball coach Elliott Avent have agreed on a contract extension, pending approval by the school's board of trustees.

Avent said Wednesday night that he had held discussions with Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs about the Tigers' head-coaching vacancy but had met with Fowler and wanted to stay with the Wolfpack.