April 30, 2008

By Jim Sumner
theACC.com

North Carolina State has been playing intercollegiate baseball since 1903. Some pretty good players and coaches have suited up for State: Roger Craig and Tim Stoddard, Vic Sorrell and Ray Tanner. But all of State's baseball teams have ended their seasons shy of the ultimate destination of Omaha, home of the College World Series... All except one.

Forty years ago an unlikely Wolfpack squad came out of obscurity to put together the best season in school history. The 1968 State team not only made it to Omaha, it was one of the final three teams standing and was only a clutch hit or two away from playing for the national title.

State went 11-11 in 1967, 6-7 in the ACC. The Wolfpack added lots of new players for 1968 but so did everyone else. Freshmen were allowed to play varsity baseball in 1968 for the first time since the Korean War. That wasn't the only change. The ACC expanded from a 14-game conference schedule to a 21-game schedule, 3 games against each of the other seven league teams.

State had several key returnees from 1967, most noticeably left-handed pitcher Alex Cheek, second baseman Clem Huffman, outfielder Steve Martin (who batted .360 in 1967), speedy center fielder Dave Boyer, and football All-American Freddie Combs, also an outfielder. Shortstop Darrell Moody and pitcher Tommy Smith moved up from the 1967 freshman squad.

Then there were the freshmen, three of whom would become keys to State's run. Chris Cammack was a hard-hitting third baseman, a versatile athlete who had teamed with Rusty Clark and Van Williford to lead Fayetteville High School to two straight NC State basketball titles. Joe Frye was a pitcher from Fairmount, N.C., who quickly joined the three-man starting rotation. Maybe best of all was pitcher Mike Caldwell from Tarboro, N.C., a crafty left-hander with un-hittable stuff and the guts of the proverbial cat burglar.

Another key addition was Freddie's brother Francis, a catcher, who returned from a year's absence due to academic reasons. Freddie Combs says he "was a great defensive catcher, who knew how to work with pitchers and call a game."

All of these players had something in common. Every player of consequence was from North Carolina, a fact that helped form a cohesive unit. Cammack says "We had camaraderie like I've never experienced. Just great chemistry."

Leading this team of local products was no-nonsense Hoosier Sam Esposito, a 10-year veteran of the major leagues and an assistant coach for Norm Sloan's basketball team. Martin says "Esposito ran practices just like a major league team. There was no clowning around. His philosophy was simple; get men on base, move them around, and bring them home."

Freddie Combs adds, "We spent a lot of time on fundamentals. Hitting the cutoff man, backing up the right base, moving up runners, these kind of things became second nature."

Francis Combs says, "Sam could intimidate people. He would get in your face if you messed up. But he seemed to have a pulse on who could do what on the team."

State didn't have a lot of punch--they would hit only 12 home runs in 1968--so the Wolfpack had to work hard for runs. Freddie Combs says, "We were very aggressive on the base paths and I loved it. Whenever I would get a single, I would take a big turn, just waiting for an outfielder to make a mistake."

Cammack says, "We weren't good enough to blow people away. We had to figure out ways to win close games."

Steals, bunts, hit-and-runs were crucial parts of State's game plan.

The ACC coaches weren't especially impressed with this bunch at the beginning of the season; they picked State to finish seventh in the eight-team league. Esposito didn't disagree, at least publicly, telling the Raleigh News and Observer, "I think we can field an adequate playing team." State started the season by winning five of seven against non-conference competition but lost two of its first three ACC games.

The Wolfpack began to put it together in mid-April, winning three from Duke and two from Wake Forest as part of a six-game winning streak. They lost to powerful North Carolina 7-5 but came back to beat the Tar Heels 7-6 in the nightcap of the twin-bill, overcoming a 6-0 deficit. Martin says the come-from-behind win against North Carolina "was when we started to believe."

State, North Carolina, Clemson, and Maryland were the contenders coming down the stretch. Only one team per league qualified for the postseason in those days and there was no conference tournament.

The season had a tragic complication. The assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4 led to the cancellation of a number of games. The baseball result was an unbalanced schedule.

The Wolfpack defeated Clemson 4-2 and 6-1 in early May to gain some separation from the Tigers. Maryland beat State 4-1 on May 10, handing Caldwell his first loss and moving into first place. But the Terps lost twice to North Carolina, while State was taking a pair from Virginia behind complete-game performances by Frye and Cheek.

The Wolfpack's regular season ended against Wake Forest. A win would give State the league title. Esposito gave Caldwell the ball, a decision that surprised no one. By this time it had become apparent that the freshman was something special. Francis Combs gives a catcher's perspective. "He had a great curve ball, great control. He threw a heavy ball that broke down and away. But most importantly, he was such a competitor. He thought he could get anyone out."

Caldwell threw a masterpiece against the Deacons. Leadoff hitter Jim Callison singled but Combs gunned him down on a steal attempt. And that was it... 27 batters, 77 pitches. State scored four unearned runs in the third and rode the 4-0 win into the NCAA Tournament. Martin, who was named second-team All-America, went 20-for-45 in his final 14 regular-season games.

The double-elimination District Three Tournament was held in Gastonia, North Carolina. The ACC champions were joined by Alabama, East Carolina, and Florida State. The Seminoles were the prohibitive favorites.

State opened against SEC champion Alabama, Caldwell against Eddie Propst. The two aces put together a masterful pitching duel. Alabama took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third but Caldwell shut the door. He also helped himself with a single and double and scored twice. Martin drove in the go-ahead run in the third.

Alabama threatened in the eighth, with runners on first and second and no outs. But Francis Combs picked pinch runner Barry Snyder off at second and the rally came to naught. Caldwell finished off the 3-1 win, allowing four hits.

East Carolina stunned Florida State 2-1 in 13 innings in the other first-round game. That placed State against the Pirates in the winner's bracket. State scored four times in the first and extended the lead to 7-0 before East Carolina began fighting back. A 400-foot home run by Jim Snyder in the seventh made the score 7-5 and knocked out Frye. Smith, used sparingly in the regular season, was the reliever. He allowed a single and then retired the final six batters for the 7-5 win. One newspaper account credits Frye with throwing 177 pitches.

Florida State eliminated Alabama in the loser's bracket and then edged East Carolina 3-2. This left State with no losses and FSU with one loss.

The third-ranked Seminoles evened the score, beating State 15-12. The teams used 10 pitchers, who allowed 29 hits and 15 walks in the slugfest.

Most of the scoring came late. It was 3-3 after seven. Florida State knocked out Cheek in the top of the eighth, scoring six runs on two walks, four singles, an error and a wild pitch. NC State answered with five in the bottom of the inning against five FSU pitchers. State reliever Tom Ramsey was rocked for six runs in the ninth. Four runs in the bottom of the ninth left State three runs shy.

Once again, Esposito asked Caldwell to carry the burden of keeping alive the Wolfpack's season. A pair of Seminole errors led to two State runs in the fourth. Florida State got one of them back in the sixth but a two-run double by Moody in the ninth made the score 4-1.

Florida State threatened in its half of the ninth but Martin made a diving catch to start the inning and Caldwell stranded two Seminoles runners.

Moody went 4-for-5 in the title game, driving in three runs and scoring the fourth, while Caldwell scattered six hits in the complete-game win. Esposito praised his freshman pitcher. "It's the same old story every time the little guy pitches for us. He's just a terrific competitor. The pressures don't bother him. Nothing does."

The Wolfpack arrived in Omaha getting little respect in a field that included such traditional powers as Texas, Southern California, Oklahoma State, and St. John's. State's underdog status was cemented early in the event when the eight head coaches were asked to meet to sort out home and road uniforms. Esposito informed the authorities that State only had one set of uniforms. Martin says, "This shows how pitiful we were. But by this point we were convinced that we could play with anyone. We had determination and confidence."

Those qualities would be tested to the limit in a quartet of nail-biters. The Wolfpack opened with Southern Illinois. The Salukis knocked out Caldwell with three runs in the sixth to take a 4-1 lead. State tied the game in the top of the seventh but gave up a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning.

It was still 6-4, with one out in the ninth when Huffman reached base on an error. Cammack followed with an infield single, then Martin drove in Huffman with another single. Cammack then scored when SIU catcher Randy Coker dropped a throw to the plate following a Dennis Punch single. Fred Combs drove in the go-ahead run with the third single of the inning and Frye preserved the win for Cheek in the bottom of the ninth. State was forced to use four pitchers in the 7-6 win, an ominous beginning for a team with a thin pitching staff.

St. John's was next. It scored single runs in the first and fifth innings, State in the fourth and ninth. The Wolfpack had a chance at a big inning in the fourth, bases loaded and two outs, when Huffman hit a shot into center. But St. John's center fielder Ed Waters ended the inning with a diving catch.

Martin sent the game to extra innings with an RBI double in the ninth. St. John's won the game in the 12th on a close play. Ralph Addonizio led off the inning with a triple. The next batter grounded to third. Addonizio broke for home when Cammack threw to first. He was ruled safe on a close play. Caldwell lost the game in relief of Frye, each pitcher going six innings.

The Texas Longhorns were waiting in an elimination game. State jumped to a 2-0 lead in the top of the third but Texas pounded Cheek with five runs in the bottom of the inning. It was a brutally hot afternoon but Esposito didn't have many options. He stuck with his senior southpaw and Cheek gutted it out.

Freddie Combs hit a two-run homer in the fourth to bring State within a run. Punch drove in the fifth run an inning later. State took the lead in the eighth, when Punch doubled and scored on a two-out single by Gary Yount, the back-up catcher making a rare start in left field because of a hamstring injury that had sidelined Boyer.

Cheek's gas tank hit empty in the ninth. Shortstop Moody robbed the leadoff hitter with a great throw from deep in the hole but the next two hitters singled. Caldwell came in and got the final two outs to preserve the 6-5 victory.

Esposito called Cheek's performance "one of the guttiest pitching jobs you'll ever see." But he also admitted that his team was "at the end of our pitching string." And top-ranked Southern Cal was waiting to pounce.

Tommy Smith got the call. The sophomore had pitched a mere 15 innings all season. But he responded with a remarkable performance, holding a team with nine future major-league draft picks to only two runs. Aided by some shaky Wolfpack defense, the Trojans cobbled together a run in the fourth and again in the fifth.

State had several chances against Bob Vaughan. In the sixth Huffman came up with a runner on first and lined it in the gap. But he was robbed by center fielder Jay Jaffe. The Wolfpack had three singles the following inning but they were sandwiched around a rally-killing double play. Martin led off the ninth with a double but was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a single. The final was 2-0. Southern Cal went on to win the whole thing.

State dropped back to the middle of the ACC in 1969. Martin suffered a serious foot injury, Frye was not eligible, and those close wins from the previous year turned to close losses. Caldwell spent a dozen years in the majors, winning 137 games. He's still in the game, serving as the pitching coach for the Fresno Grizzlies of the Pacific Coast League. Smith played five seasons in the majors as an outfielder. Cammack pursued business and Martin never recovered from his injury.

Forty years later, the members of State's 1968 still marvel at that season. Cammack says, "We overachieved. We weren't the most talented team in the ACC but we didn't realize it at the time. But it was amazing how many people picked us up."

Francis Combs agrees. "We were so close. Everybody contributed. Everything just came together."

Jim Sumner's articles on southern sports history have appeared in the ACC Handbook, the ACC Area Sports Journal, Blue Devil Weekly, Inside Carolina, the Wolfpacker, Baseball America, Basketball America, and other publications. His latest book, Tales From the Duke Blue Devils Hardwood, was published in 2005. In his bimonthly column "Looking Back... by Jim Sumner", he will examine the rich history of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

This article can not be copied or reproduced without the express written consent of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

E-mail Jim Sumner