NC State DH Dalton Bargo, SS Mikey Ryan named to Auburn Regional All-Tournament Team

In a weekend where NC State wanted to extend coach Elliott Avent’s career as long as possible with his retirement coming at the end of the season, the Wolfpack wasn’t able to prolong his stay at the helm of the program with a 0-2 showing at the Auburn Regional. 

But what it did do was battle to the end, including nearly erasing a pair of 10-run deficits against No. 4 Auburn at Plainsman Park. NC State trailed 10-0 in the second inning, clawing back to make it a three-run game before falling behind 17-7 to scratch its way back within four in the seventh. 

Despite the Wolfpack losing 17-13 to the Tigers, ending its season well before the team would have liked, NC State landed a pair of players on the Auburn Regional All-Tournament Team: senior designated hitter Dalton Bargo and sophomore shortstop Mikey Ryan.

Bargo, a former Tennessee transfer, capped his collegiate career by going 3-for-5 with a double, a home run and 4 RBI in the Pack’s loss to the Tigers. He finished the weekend 4-for-10 with the two extra-base hits, two runs scored and six RBI. 

The Omaha, Neb., native closed his lone season at NC State with a .274 average, seven doubles, seven home runs and 31 RBI in 41 games played (34 starts). He also posted a .481 slugging percentage, a .336 on-base percentage and 23 runs scored this spring.

Ryan, meanwhile, impressed in his first taste of postseason baseball. The former LSU transfer went 3-for-6 with three RBI, three walks, a run and a stolen base between the two games, including a 3-for-3 showing in his NCAA Tournament debut against UCF, a 9-3 loss that spanned from Friday evening into Saturday morning due to a prolonged weather delay.

The former No. 102 prospect in the 2024 recruiting class hit .342 with 10 doubles, a triple, nine home runs and 33 RBI in his first full season of college baseball, appearing in 45 games (44 starts). He logged a .599 slugging percentage, .433 on-base mark and 38 runs scored to begin his tenure in Raleigh.

NC State is set to turn the page to begin the Chris Hart Era to prepare for the 2027 campaign, but before it does, Bargo was quick to point out the program’s no-quit mindset in what could have been a blowout loss to Auburn to end its season. 

“I think the biggest thing is just competing,” Bargo said afterwards. “The last few weeks, [Avent’s] been talking about who we are. We’re still the same ballclub that we were in Puerto Rico at the beginning of the year. We fought all year, dealt with injuries, and today just showed how our season’s gone. We never backed down, kept fighting and chipping away.”

Auburn Regional All-Tournament Team

C: Chase Fralick, Auburn
1B, Ethan Bingaman, Auburn
2B: Chris Rembert, Auburn
3B: Grant Ross, Milwaukee
SS: Mikey Ryan, NC State
OF: Andrew Williamson, UCF
OF: Cade Belyeu, Auburn
OF: Charlie Marion, Milwaukee
DH: Dalton Bargo, NC State
P: Ryan Hetzler, Auburn
P: Alex Petrovic
MVP: Chase Fralick, Auburn