The College World Series showdown between Vanderbilt and NC State was delayed Friday after the Wolfpack were hit with COVID-19 issues.
First pitch was originally scheduled for 1 p.m. ET in Omaha. However, NC State announced some players were forced to enter into health and safety protocols, delaying the contest indefinitely:
“An undisclosed number of players from the team have been put into COVID-19 protocol and will be unavailable for today's game,” the Wolfpack said in a statement, via Yahoo Sports. “NC State, the NCAA and appropriate parties are working together to monitor the situation.”
The College World Series later announced first pitch would be scheduled for 3 p.m. ET time.
⚾️ #CWS GAME UPDATE ⚾️
Game 11 will begin play at 2:07 PM local time on ESPN2. pic.twitter.com/obyI7yAcqb
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 25, 2021
It's going to be a steep hill for NC State, with Dan Wolken of ESPN reporting the Wolfpack have just nine position players and four pitchers available.
NC State has nine position players and four pitchers available, per ESPN
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) June 25, 2021
This is hardly the ideal scenario for the Wolfpack especially considering a win would send them to the three-game series for the College World Series crown. Vanderbilt needs consecutive wins to advance past NC State, while one loss could end their season.
The Commodores boast the most star power in this matchup. Vanderbilt has a pair of likely top-10 MLB draft selections in right-handers Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker, with both aces–at one point–garnering some buzz as potential No. 1 picks.
However, despite the lesser name recognition, the Wolfpack got the better of the Commodores with a 1-0 win over Vandy on Monday night.
Can the Wolfpack withstand the health and safety issues, or will the Commodores force a do-or-die Game 3 in Omaha? Time will tell.
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