The Vanderbilt Commodores have advanced to the national title series without even playing the rematch against the NC State Wolfpack.

Early Saturday morning, the NCAA announced that the matchup between Vanderbilt and NC State scheduled for Saturday at 2:00 p.m. ET had been declared “no-contest because of COVID-19 protocols.”

“The NCAA Division I Baseball Committee has declared the Vanderbilt-NC State Men’s College World Series Game scheduled for Saturday, June 26 at 1:00 p.m. CT a no-contest because of COVID-19 protocols,” the statement read. “This decision was made based on the recommendation of the championship medical team and the Douglas County Health Department. As a result, Vanderbilt will advance to the CWS Finals. The NCAA and the committee regret that NC State’s student-athletes and coaching staff will not be able to continue in the championship in which they earned the right to participate. Because of privacy issues, we cannot provide further details.”

NC State had just 13 players eligible Friday due to “COVID-19 health and safety protocols.” The Commodores beat the Wolfpack 3-1 behind Kumar Rocker’s gem. With Vanderbilt winning, it set up a Saturday showdown for a chance to advance to the national title series against the winner of Mississippi State and Texas. Then, later, the NCAA announced that Saturday’s rematch would be ruled a no-contest, forcing the Wolfpack to forfeit the game.

Regardless of which team you are a fan of, you can’t help but feel heartbroken for NC State’s players, coaches and fans. To truly get this far in the College World Series after a remarkable tournament and have it taken away is truly devastating.

Vanderbilt will face the winner of Mississippi State-Texas in the College World Series Final Series on Monday. That series will be the best 2-out-of-3.