OMAHA, Neb.
Avent asked his players if they wanted to forfeit Friday afternoon’s CWS Bracket 1 final — they’d need to lose twice to Vanderbilt to be eliminated — and it took roughly 6 seconds for the Wolfpack to say no.
Earlier in the day, a source told ESPN’s Ryan McGee that Wolfpack starting second baseman JT Jarrett and bullpen ace Evan Justice were out due to COVID-19-related issues.
Highfill, who pitched a gem Monday night in a 1-0 victory over Vanderbilt that knocked the defending national champions into the elimination bracket, found out about the COVID issues when he got to the stadium.
One of the first hints for the TD Ameritrade crowd of 20,538 that something was amiss came about 40 minutes before the game, when NC State didn’t trot out for infield practice.
Besides the testing, which takes place every other day, there are few reminders of the pandemic at the tournament.
“And I think I’m the — you can call it caretaker, babysitter or the guy that the parents drop their young men off and leave them in my care.