North Carolina State is no longer going to play its college baseball game against North Carolina A&T. The Wolfpack decided to bail on the the Aggies just 24 hours before first pitch to avoid a hit to its RPI.
Fair enough!
Most college baseball teams try to blame the weather for this kind of thing. NC State is not going to shy away from the truth and, to some extent, you have to admire the honesty. It’s a broken system.
North Carolina State won’t play North Carolina A&T.
The Wolfpack’s 54-game schedule for 2026 included 33 games at Doak Field when it was first released. 16 of the home games were scheduled place during the non-conference portion of the season during the team’s first 20 matchups of the year. The other 17 were a mix of ACC series and midweek contests, which included the game against the Aggies.
NC State was scheduled to play North Carolina A&T in Raleigh on Tuesday evening as the final midweek game of the regular season. It will then go on play at Stanford this weekend and host UNC next weekend before the ACC Championships get underway on May 19.
However, the game against A&T is no longer on the calendar. Both teams “mutually agreed” not to play.
If we’re being honest, the only reason that this sudden cancellation is “mutual” is likely because the Wolfpack paid the Aggies a decent chunk of money not to make the trip. I cannot say for certain, and I doubt either side would confirm, but NCA&T probably got a bag from NC State to stay home…
College baseball hinges on RPI.
The reason for this cancellation is two-fold. Kind of.
As things currently stand, North Carolina State sits right inside the bubble of the college baseball postseason with an overall record of 30-17 and a conference record of 12-12. They would likely make the NCAA Tournament if the season was to end today. A loss to North Carolina A&T would put them out. A win might actually do the same.
The Wolfpack ranks No. 37 in RPI on the heels of a series win over Miami. The Aggies rank No. 279 in RPI with an overall record of 12-34.
There is no benefit for NC State to play to play this game. An upset loss is the worst case scenario. A pretty major hit to strength of schedule, and in turn RPI, is the best case scenario.
Seeing that the NCAA Tournament selection committee looks at RPI when deciding who should or should not be included in the bracket, the best case scenario is also a worst case scenario. It is a lose-lose.
Therefore, the better idea is actually to not play on Tuesday if North Carolina State wants to keep its postseason hopes alive. Especially considering that UNC and Stanford are both solid opponents. You don’t know how either of those two series are going to go. You don’t want to have a meaningless midweek game be the difference between a shot at the national title and staying home.
This is not the first time this has happened in college baseball. Most teams try to blame “inclement weather” or “travel complications.” The Wolfpack is saying the quiet part out loud without saying the quiet part out loud. It (probably) paid the Aggies not to show up.