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Where Did NC State Baseball Land on Preseason Coaches Poll?

Despite being ranked in the Top 25 for D1Baseball, the Wolfpack isn't as close to the top of the ACC according to coaches.
Tucker Sennett|
Jun 15, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; NC State Wolfpack head coach Elliott Avent discusses a balk call with an umpire in the game against the Kentucky Wildcats during the eighth inning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images
Jun 15, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; NC State Wolfpack head coach Elliott Avent discusses a balk call with an umpire in the game against the Kentucky Wildcats during the eighth inning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

RALEIGH — With the calendar about to flip to February, college baseball season is close to getting underway. Over the last few weeks, programs around the country, including NC State, are rounding back into form ahead of the 2026 campaign. In a very strong ACC, Elliott Avent's Wolfpack team figures to be in the mix.

However, the ACC Coaches Poll did not rank the Wolfpack among the top four teams in the conference, instead placing the Pack in sixth with 169 votes. NC State was ranked No. 17 in D1Baseball's preseason top 25, a few spots ahead of one of the teams picked higher in the Coaches Poll.

More on the Coaches Poll and the Wolfpack's prospects

The ACC is consistently one of the strongest baseball conferences in the country, with the 2026 Coaches Poll indicating just how tight and competitive the league will be. Georgia Tech, ranked No. 4 in the nation according to D1Baseball, received just seven first-place votes in the poll, one ahead of the UNC Tar Heels.

NC State finds itself lurking behind a pack of the top teams, but is ranked ahead of Clemson in the top 25 teams nationally, as Clemson came in at No. 19. Avent and the Wolfpack are in a unique position to push through the ACC because of a handful of new faces joining some key returners, particularly in the pitching staff.

As the winter storms still sweep through North Carolina, Avent's group continues its preparation. There are some unknowns to the Wolfpack that likely caused some hesitancy to place them higher in the Coaches Poll, as two newcomers will be key parts of the lineup in 2026. Tennessee transfer Dalton Bargo, a talented utility player, should be a key figure for the Wolfpack at one of the corner infield spots.

"I think just slowing the game down in general, and I think that also just has to do with it being my fourth year in college now," Bargo said in October. "The game is moving a lot slower and I'm really falling into that leadership role this year, which I like, and just having that experience under my belt."

LSU transfer Mikey Ryan is the other key transfer that could dictate the ceiling of the lineup for the Wolfpack. A talented high school player, Ryan never got the opportunity to shine for the Tigers, but could be a talented shortstop for Avent and the Pack.

NC State gets its 2026 season started at the Puerto Rico Challenge, set for three games against Washington, Indiana State and Seton Hall in the island territory beginning Feb. 14.

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Tucker Sennett
TUCKER SENNETT

Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.

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