RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Longtime N.C. State baseball coach Elliott Avent, who led his teams to more than 1,100 victories and three College World Series, announced his retirement Thursday effective at the end of the season.
The Wolfpack (32-22) lost to Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament this week and hope to receive an NCAA Tournament at-large bid when the field is announced Monday.
Avent, who turned 70 on May 1, has coached the Wolfpack for 30 seasons after eight at New Mexico State. He has 1,103 wins at N.C. State and 1,327 overall in Division I. He led the Wolfpack to 22 NCAA regionals, six super regionals and CWS appearances in 2013, 2021 and 2024.
Avent thanked his coaching and support staffs, players and fans in a farewell statement.
“Not many people get the chance to do what they love at a place that means so much to them,” he said. “I’ve been lucky enough to have that opportunity and I’ve loved every minute of it. ... It’s hard to say goodbye to something that has been such a big part of my life, but I leave with a full heart and so much gratitude. This game is about teammates and memories. My memories will be a constant companion and our players, coaches, staff, and fans are teammates I’ll hold in my heart forever. So long from #9.”
N.C. State's deepest run in the CWS was cut short in 2021 when the NCAA sent the team home after three games, and one win away from the finals, because of a COVID-19 outbreak on the team. The Wolfpack beat Stanford and Vanderbilt before several players tested positive for the virus.
The NCAA, which said it was acting on the recommendations of its medical team and the local health department in Omaha, Nebraska, ordered N.C. State out of the tournament hours after it had lost 3-1 to Vanderbilt with only 13 players available.
“Although we’re all heartbroken, this team will never be forgotten and will live in the hearts of Wolfpack and baseball fans forever,” Avent said at the time.
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FILE - North Carolina State baseball coach Elliott Avent gives a thumbs up prior to boarding a bus with the team to depart for their trip to Omaha for the College World Series in Raleigh, N.C., June 12, 2013. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File)
FILE - North Carolina State head coach Elliott Avent walks to the dugout during a COVID-19 protocol delay of game during a baseball game against Vanderbilt in the College World Series June 25, 2021, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz, File)
FILE - North Carolina State head coach Elliott Avent looks on from the dugout during a COVID-19 protocol delay during a baseball game against Vanderbilt in the College World Series, June 25, 2021, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz, File)
A Virginia judge on Thursday dismissed all charges against a former school administrator accused of ignoring repeated warnings that a 6-year-old had a gun hours before a teacher was shot.
Acting on a defense motion, Circuit Judge Rebecca Robinson issued the ruling on the fourth day of the trial of Ebony Parker, who was charged with eight felony counts of child neglect.
“The court is of the legal opinion that this is not a crime,” Robinson said.
The former assistant principal was charged in the January 2023 shooting at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News that left teacher Abby Zwerner wounded. Prosecutors had said the charges issued in a grand jury indictment were for each of the bullets in the gun brought into Zwerner’s classroom. Each count could have carried a maximum penalty of five years in prison upon conviction.
“We had hoped the community would have had the opportunity to weigh in through the full judicial process,” Hampton commonwealth's attorney Anton A. Bell said in a statement. “Nevertheless, the Court has now concluded the matter as it deemed appropriate under the law. Our office remains committed to pursuing justice with integrity, transparency, and fairness, while continuing to honor the role that citizens play in our criminal justice system.”
Defense attorney Curtis Rogers told the judge in making his motion that Parker’s decision on the day of the shooting “wasn’t an act of neglect.”
“Her actions in no way indicated that she believed there was a firearm in the possession” of the child, Rogers said.
Another defense attorney, Stephen Teague, said outside court that “we believe that the right outcome was reached and we’re thrilled for Dr. Parker. It was a great relief for her and we’re just happy that we were part of her journey.”
Parker was not called to testify during the trial. On Wednesday, a video interview of Parker conducted three days after the shooting by a school district human resources officer was played in the courtroom for the jury.
Parker said she was told about reports that the student had a gun in his backpack, but said she could not leave her office due to ongoing testing. A reading specialist who first reported the concerns then searched the backpack, but no gun was found, Parker said.
Parker then said the student’s mother would arrive to pick him up and go through the rest of his belongings.
Zwerner testified earlier in the trial that during recess on the school playground, the student wore an oversized jacket and kept both of his hands in his pockets the entire time. Zwerner said she sent a text message with that observation to the reading specialist, who had been tipped off earlier by students about the gun and reported it to Parker.
After recess, the student continued to wear the jacket in the classroom, where Zwerner was shot at a reading table. Zwerner spent nearly two weeks in the hospital, required six surgeries and does not have the full use of her left hand. A bullet narrowly missed her heart and remains in her chest.
Criminal charges against school officials after a school shooting are quite rare, experts say. The shooting sent shock waves through this military shipbuilding community and the country at large, with many wondering how a child so young could gain access to a gun and shoot his teacher.
A jury awarded $10 million to Zwerner in a civil trial last November, where Parker, who no longer works at the school, was the only defendant.
The student’s mother was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for felony child neglect and federal weapons charges.
Ebony Parker, right, speaks with her attorney, Curtis M. Rogers, during pretrial motions for her trial on felony child neglect charges at the Newport News Circuit Court in Newport News, Va., Monday, May 18, 2026. (Peter Casey/The Virginian-Pilot via AP, Pool)
Ebony Parker looks on during jury selection for her trial on felony child neglect charges at the Newport News Circuit Court in Newport News, Va., Monday, May 18, 2026. (Peter Casey/The Virginian-Pilot via AP, Pool)
Newport News Circuit Court Judge Rebecca M. Robinson speaks during the trial of Ebony Parker on felony child neglect charges at Newport News Circuit Court in Newport News, Va., Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (Peter Casey/The Virginian-Pilot via AP, Pool)
