NC State catcher Patrick Bailey was selected 13th overall by the San Francisco Giants in the 2020 MLB draft. With the selection, Bailey became the ninth first round draft pick in program history and the fourth since 2014.

Left-handed pitcher Nick Swiney’s junior season, his first as a collegiate starting pitcher, was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in his four starts, he was dominant with a record of 4-0 and a 1.28 ERA in 28 innings pitched to go along with 42 strikeouts.

Through all the uncertainty in the last couple of months, NC State baseball star catcher Patrick Bailey has been preparing for the 2020 MLB draft on June 10 and will likely hear his name called early on. 

On March 11, the No. 9 NC State baseball team was finishing up an uninspiring performance against the NC A&T Aggies. After losing two of three against Virginia in the first series of conference play, and losing to UNC-Charlotte at home two nights after, it seemed like more of the same would follow for the Pack, down 7-5 in the bottom of the ninth inning. But with its back against the wall, the Wolfpack salvaged an 8-7 win off of J.T. Jarrett’s timely two-RBI walk-off single. It was just what the doctor ordered for Wolfpack baseball: a potentially season-defining game that could break them out of a slump.

While the 2020 NC State baseball season was unfortunately cut short, there were still plenty of exciting moments. From comeback wins to walk-off hits, the 2020 season surely had its fair share of highlights, and here are the top five moments.

With a condensed 2020 season due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the NC State baseball team was only able to play 17 games and one ACC opponent. While this certainly wasn’t the season everyone was expecting, there are a few key takeaways from the Pack’s success. 

When you think of baseball, a few ideas may spring to mind: large green fields, the crack of a bat, the seventh-inning stretch and maybe a favorite player or two. Bowling must be one of the last things you might consider. After all, the sports are completely different; baseball is an industrialized evolution of cricket and the traditional English game of rounders. Bowling is an ancient sport, dating back to Egypt as early as 5000 B.C. Baseball is primarily played outdoors in competitive settings, like Major League Baseball. Bowling is most often played indoors in a casual setting, like your local bowling alley. The two sports are objectively incomparable.

The NCAA Division I Council announced Monday evening it had voted to “allow schools to provide spring-sport student-athletes an additional season of competition and an extension of their period of eligibility.”