College and Minor League Baseball - Because Every Blog Can't Be About Hockey

I've always been a college and minor league baseball fan. Growing up in Greenville, NC, we often made the short drive to Kinston to see the Single-A Carolina League Kinston Indians and ECU always had a very good baseball program. In college, at NC State, it was a common occurrence for a group of us to go over to Doak Field on a Friday afternoon after class and catch an ACC ballgame. I got to see major leaguers like Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Varitek, Paul Wilson, and JD Drew play against the Wolfpack. Under Ray Tanner and later Elliott Avent, the 'Pack always played at a pretty good level.

Now, living in Raleigh, we're blessed with an embarrassment of riches when it comes to both college and minor league baseball. The Triple-A Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays affiliate) play in a great ballpark in downtown Durham. There are great seats for less than $10. After the game, Tyler's Taproom (free plug!) is a great place to have a post-game beverage. Over in Zebulon, the Double-A Carolina Mudcats (Cincinnati Reds affiliate) do a great job in making the games a family friendly event. Typically, the MLB teams send their to prospects to Double-A so the talent level tends to be pretty high.

The ACC is almost always among the top 2 or 3 conferences in college baseball. Miami, Georgia Tech, Florida State, and Clemson are threats to go to the College World Series on a yearly basis. Over the last few years, UNC has had a top-5 program and made yearly trips to Omaha (yes, it really pained me to write that, but there's that whole intellectual honesty thing). Heck, even former also-rans like Duke and Maryland have really stepped up their programs. Nearly every weekend between late February and May, one of the local teams will be playing at home.

This past Sunday, my wife and I decided to head over to Doak Field on the NC State campus to take in the third game of the Wolfpack's season opening series against LaSalle. State's hitting was pretty good, as the 'Pack scored 15 runs. Both teams' pitchers had control problems all day, though, and it made for a very long game. The best thing about the afternoon: 62 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Being outside in such great weather was the perfect cure for the late winter blues.

So, as the weather warms up, take the family and catch a game at the local ballpark. The tickets and the drive are both reasonable. The popcorn and sunflower seeds are just as good as they are in the big league parks. Besides, you never know which player on the other team may be named in some future generation's Mitchell Report. So, what are you waiting for?