College World Series: NC State dreams of a championship come to an end

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Overnight, the NCAA declared the Vanderbilt-NC State Men’s College World Series game scheduled for Saturday a no-contest.

According to an overnight release sent out from the NCAA, the decision was made based on the recommendation of the Championship Medical Team and the Douglas County Health Department.

As a result, Vanderbilt will advance to the CWS Finals.

Vanderbilt and NC State faced off Friday. NC State lost that game but had a chance to play for a spot in the finals today before this decision was made by the NCAA.

The release continues that “The NCAA and the committee regret that NC State’s student-athletes and coaching staff will not be able to continue in the championship in which they earned the right to participate.”

College baseball fans are upset and they’re not hiding it.

“Devasted. I feel heartbroken, robbed,” said NC State Fan, Amy Adams.

NC State fans outside the TD Ameritrade were visibly upset just hours after the NCAA put out the statement.

“I felt like we played a game in which we had an opportunity to win it with replacement players and freshman and we thought we were going to get some players back today. So we thought we had a legitimate shot and giving Vandy a really good run but it is what it is. We have to deal with it,” said NC State fans, McLamb family.

Trevor Burns is visiting from Illinois. He’s here to watch some good baseball but was disappointed when he woke up to the news.

“Even though I’m not a fan of NC State, it’s hard to see a team be disqualified after getting all the way here for something like COVID. Especially because they were able to play the game beforehand.”

Fans say they wish they had a chance to play with the players that were available.

“I know the Vanderbilt guys would play ‘em. This is not the way they wanted to go there.”

The Douglas County Health Department released a statement in response to the overnight announcement and in a new release, clarified that the rumor the health department can decide which “Vanderbilt traveling party will be required for COVID-19 testing is false.”

“The Douglas County Health Department (DCHD) and its employees share in the disappointment of baseball fans everywhere that the Men’s College World Series has been affected by the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. The Health Department believes it is important for everyone to understand DCHD’s role in support of the NCAA in this remarkable sporting event, so treasured by our community.

DCHD plays a public health assurance role to ensure that NCAA has protocols in place to detect and prevent the spread of COVID-19 among teams and to the community. During the Men’s College World Series, DCHD has provided testing and investigation support to the NCAA to assist in its investigation of potential cases and its decision-making.

This has been a strong and successful partnership, and DCHD looks forward to working with the NCAA in the future, should the need arise. The decision to remove North Carolina State from the Men’s College World Series was made by the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee and the NCAA Medical Team due to ongoing COVID-19 transmission among teammates.

The Douglas County Health Department will continue to work with the NCAA to ensure a successful continuation of the tournament, with safe and healthy participation by the players, coaches, and some of the greatest baseball fans in the world.”

Copyright 2021 WOWT. All rights reserved.