The first trip for the Navy baseball team to the NCAAA Tournament since 2011 began with a loss to host North Carolina State that took 6 ½ hours, and ended with a 17-1 rout at the hands of the14th-ranked Wolfpack at the Raleigh Regional.
In between, however, was an 8-5, 13-inning victory over St. Mary's of California in a second elimination game last Saturday. It marked Navy's first NCAA victory since 2002.
"It was tremendous,'' said Navy coach Paul Kostacopoulos on the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance in five years. "It was just a great experience from the standpoint of being in the national tournament, playing teams that were ranked anywhere between 10 and 15 in the country.